Lead Software Engineer

Lead Software Engineer

Requisition

Business Unit:
Fitch Group

Category:
Information Technology

Location:

Chicago, IL, US

Date Posted:
May 27, 2026

Fitch Group is currently seeking a Lead Software Engineer - Associate Director based out of our Chicago office.

Fitch Group is a global financial information services provider delivering vital credit and risk insights, robust data, and dynamic tools to champion more efficient, transparent financial markets. With over 100 years of experience and colleagues in over 30 countries, Fitch’s culture of credibility, independence, and transparency is embedded throughout its structure, which includes Fitch Ratings and Fitch Solutions. Fitch Group is owned by Hearst.

Responsibilities:

• Build cross‑platform web‑based add‑ins that run inside Microsoft Office applications.
• Design and develop secure, performant data delivery tools integrated with multiple backend systems.
• Develop applications that enable internal and external client self‑service analytical content creation.
• Implement BDD practices and frameworks to enhance test automation and acceptance criteria using cutting‑edge AI techniques.
• Integrate code and test‑case execution and reporting within the CI/CD pipeline to align with the Dev Ops strategy and user stories.
• Work with cross‑functional teams including business analysts, developers, and users to build and expose data and analytics services.

Qualifications:

• Strong knowledge of the Excel development ecosystem: COM Add‑ins, Excel formulas, custom functions, named functions, and VBA.
• Demonstrated ability to parse, validate, and generate Excel formula syntax programmatically.
• Extensive experience designing and consuming REST APIs and microservices architectures.
• Experience with asynchronous pipeline architectures in Java.
• Hands‑on experience with AI/ML frameworks (Lang Chain, Llama Index, Auto Gen, or similar) and understanding of agentic AI workflows.
• Proven track record of fine‑tuning models with structured, code‑based training data (formulas, function calls, structured outputs).
• Experience processing Excel files and VBA code as training inputs for machine learning models.
• Strong data engineering skills: dataset construction, data cleaning, normalization, and quality assurance.
• Experience working with structured financial data and understanding of financial instruments (bonds, derivatives, etc.) highly desirable.
• Proficiency in automated testing frameworks (Playwright, Selenium, Jest, or similar).
• Solid understanding of BDD/TDD methodologies and acceptance test‑driven development.

What Would Make You Stand Out:

• Knowledge of financial modeling and quantitative analysis.
• Familiarity with Python for data science and ML model development.
• Experience with CI/CD pipelines and Dev Ops practices.
• Experience configuring Git Hub workflows for CI and CD.
• Exposure to code quality metrics and shift‑left principles.
• Experience validating AI‑generated outputs against business logic and guardrails.
• Exposure to the financial industry domain and data platforms.

Why Choose Fitch:

• Hybrid work environment: 2 days a week in office required.
• A culture of learning & mobility:
  Dedicated trainings, leadership development, and mentorship programs.
• Investing in your future:
  Retirement planning and tuition reimbursement programs.
• Promoting health & wellbeing:
  Comprehensive healthcare offerings.
• Supportive parenting policies:
  Global parental leave plan.
• Inclusive work environment:
  Collaborative workplace with employee resource groups.
• Dedication to giving back:
  Paid volunteer days, matched funding for donations.

Fitch is committed to providing global securities markets with objective, timely, independent and forward‑looking credit opinions. To protect Fitch’s credibility and reputation, employees must avoid conflicts of interest or any appearance thereof.

Fitch is a proud Equal Opportunity and affirmative action employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, protected veteran status, and other statuses protected by law.

FOR CHICAGO ROLES ONLY: Expected base pay rates for the role will be between $ 1 4 0,000 and $ 1 6 0,000 per year. Actual salaries will be determined on an individualized basis and may vary based on factors including but not limited to education, training, experience, past performance, and other job‑related factors. Base pay is one part of Fitch’s total compensation package, which, depending on the position, may also include commission earnings, discretionary bonuses, long‑term incentives, and other benefits sponsored by Fitch.