About the Role
As an Associate Software Engineer on the AI Accelerator team, you will help design, build, and scale the coreservicespowering MorningstarDirectsGenAI capabilities. You will work across the full development lifecyclefrom ideation and design to implementation, deployment, and iteration.
Youllleveragemodern AI-assisted development tools (e.g., GitHub Copilot, Claude Code) to accelerate delivery whilemaintaininghigh standardsfor code quality, testing, and documentation. You will collaborate closely with product managers, designers, and engineers to build systems that are both technically robust and highly valuable to users.
This role is ideal for someone who is naturally curious, enjoys exploringnew technologies, and takes initiative in learning beyond immediate requirements.
Location: Chicago, Illinois (Hybrid policy, 4 days onsite required)
Responsibilities:
- Design, build, and enhance scalable services powering the MCP Server, MCP Gateway, and AI Agent.
- Own features end-to-end, from concept through production deployment and monitoring.
- Collaborate with product and design partners to deeply understand user needs and deliver meaningful solutions.
- Contribute to architectural decisions and continuously improve system design and engineering practices.
- Write clean, maintainable, and well-tested code with a focus on performance and scalability.
- Use logging, monitoring, and debugging tools tomaintainhigh system reliability.
- Evaluate new tools and technologies pragmatically, balancing innovation with real product value.
- Create andmaintainclear technical documentation and user-facing guides.
- Contribute to a culture of knowledge sharing and continuous improvement.
Qualifications:
- Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent experience.
- Experience with at least one modern object-oriented programming language.
- Strong collaboration and communication skills; direct, thoughtful, and transparent in discussions.
- Solid understanding of computer science fundamentals (data structures, algorithms, REST APIs, design patterns).
- Interest inbuilding production grade services using GenAI/agent frameworks (e.g.,LangChain, AWS Bedrock, Copilot Studio).
Preferred Skills:
- Experience with Python and the PostgreSQL ecosystem.
- Familiarity with vector databases and MCP-basedarchitectures.
- Basic knowledge of cloud infrastructure like AWS/Azure
- Interest in financial markets, investing, or fund research.
Compensation and Benefits
At Morningstar we believe people are at their best when they are at their healthiest. Thats why we champion your wellness through a wide range of programs that support all stages of your personal and professional life. Here are some examples of the offerings we provide:
Financial Health
Physical Health
Comprehensive health benefits(medical/dental/vision)including potential premium discounts and company-provided HSA contributions (up to $500-$2,000 annually) for specific plansand coverages
Additional medical Wellness Incentives - up to $300-$600 annual
Company-provided long- and short-termdisabilityinsurance
Emotional Health
Trust-Based Time Off
6-week Paid Sabbatical Program
6-Week Paid Family Caregiving Leave
Competitive 8-24 Week Paid Parental Leave
Adoption Assistance
Leadership Coaching & FormalMentorshipOpportunities
Annual Flex Stipend - $1000 annually to cover personal education & well-being expenses
Tuition Reimbursement
Social Health
Charitable Matching Gifts program
Dollars for Doers volunteer program
Paid volunteering days
15+ Employee Resource & Affinity Groups
Total Cash Compensation Range
$72,950.00-107,000.00
Inclusive of annual base salary and target incentive
Morningstars hybrid work environment gives you the opportunity to collaborate in-person each week as weve found that were at our best when were purposely together on a regular basis. In most of our locations, our hybrid work model is four days in-office each week. A range of other benefits are also available to enhance flexibility as needs change. No matter where you are, youll have tools and resources to engage meaningfully with your global colleagues.
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