job summary: The Software Engineering Senior Manager is a senior technical leader responsible for architecting, building, and operating the firm's cloud-native automation platform. This role requires deep expertise in Azure cloud architecture, distributed systems, and software engineering. This is a technical leadership role first, people management second. The ideal candidate comes from a cloud engineering, platform engineering, or full-stack development background with DevOps expertise. Duties and Responsibilities: Design and evolve the distributed system architecture for the cloud-native automation platform, including Azure Container Apps, Service Bus, PostgreSQL, Redis, and Blob Storage Design event-driven architectures using Azure Service Bus for high-volume asynchronous processing Optimize platform performance, cost, and operational complexity through architectural improvements Lead .NET backend development including ASP.NET Core APIs, CQRS pattern with MediatR, Entity Framework Core, and FluentValidation Conduct code reviews ensuring adherence to SOLID principles, async programming best practices, and distributed systems patterns Own and evolve multi-stage Azure DevOps YAML pipelines including multi-phase infrastructure deployment, container image builds, and environment-specific deployments Manage and mentor software engineers, focusing on cloud engineering skill development Education and/or Experience: Required: Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Systems, or related technical field; or equivalent professional experience with demonstrable cloud architecture expertise Minimum 6 years of hands-on software engineering experience building cloud-native applications on Azure Minimum 3 years of experience with Azure Container Apps, Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS), or equivalent container orchestration platforms Minimum 2 years of people management experience leading software engineering teams Proven track record delivering distributed systems in production using microservices architecture and event-driven patterns Hands-on experience with Azure Service Bus, Azure database services including Azure SQL Database with Elastic Pools, Azure PostgreSQL Flexible Server, managed identity authentication, connection pooling, and private endpoint configuration Deep understanding of microservices communication patterns including synchronous HTTP, asynchronous messaging, event-driven architecture, and service discovery Proficiency in C# and .NET (minimum .NET 6, preferably .NET 8+) including NET Core Web API with Controllers, Async/await patterns and Task-based asynchronous programming, LINQ and lambda expressions, Dependency injection and Options pattern and Entity Framework Core Proficiency in TypeScript/JavaScript including js development, Async patterns (Promises, async/await), npm/pnpm package management, Module systems (CommonJS, ES modules) and scripting proficiency in Bash or PowerShell for deployment automation and troubleshooting Container image build and deployment workflows including Dockerfile optimization, multi-stage builds, and Azure Container Registry integration Proven ability to mentor software engineers on cloud-native development patterns, distributed systems concepts, and Azure architecture Strong code review skills with ability to provide constructive feedback on backend APIs, infrastructure code, and integration logic Systematic troubleshooting approach for complex distributed systems issues Strong analytical skills for capacity planning, performance optimization, and cost analysis Preferred: Azure Certifications Expert-level experience with Azure DevOps YAML pipelines including multi-stage pipelines, pipeline templates, variable groups, and environment-based deployments AZ-400: Designing and Implementing Microsoft DevOps Solutions AZ-305: Designing Microsoft Azure Infrastructure Solutions AZ-204: Developing Solutions for Microsoft Azure AZ-104: Microsoft Azure Administrator Advanced Technical Skills Experience with .NET Aspire for cloud-native application orchestration and service discovery Experience with CQRS and Mediator patterns (MediatR or equivalent) Event Grid and Event Hubs for event-driven architectures Agile/Scrum certifications including Certified Scrum Master (CSM) or SAFe Agilist Experience in professional services industry (legal, financial services, accounting, consulting) Understanding of enterprise security and compliance requirements (SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR) Familiarity with legal technology or document management systems Deep Azure networking expertise including VNETs, subnets, Network Security Groups, private endpoints, Private DNS Zones, VNET peering, Application Gateway, and NAT Gateway Ability to diagnose Azure networking problems including DNS resolution failures, private endpoint connectivity issues, and Application Gateway routing problems Expert-level Bicep or Terraform proficiency with ability to read, write, and debug complex Infrastructure-as-Code modules (500+ lines) Other Skills and Abilities: The following will also be required of the successful candidate: Strong organizational skills Strong attention to detail Good judgment Strong interpersonal communication skills Strong analytical and problem-solving skills Able to work harmoniously and effectively with others Able to preserve confidentiality and exercise discretion Able to work under pressure Able to manage multiple projects with competing deadlines and priorities location: Chicago, Illinois job type: Permanent salary: $190,000 - 234,000 per year work hours: 9am to 4pm education: Bachelors responsibilities: Duties and Responsibilities: Design and evolve the distributed system architecture for the cloud-native automation platform, including Azure Container Apps, Service Bus, PostgreSQL, Redis, and Blob StorageDesign event-driven architectures using Azure Service Bus for high-volume asynchronous processingOptimize platform performance, cost, and operational complexity through architectural improvementsLead .NET backend development including ASP.NET Core APIs, CQRS pattern with MediatR, Entity Framework Core, and FluentValidationConduct code reviews ensuring adherence to SOLID principles, async programming best practices, and distributed systems patternsOwn and evolve multi-stage Azure DevOps YAML pipelines including multi-phase infrastructure deployment, container image builds, and environment-specific deploymentsManage and mentor software engineers, focusing on cloud engineering skill development Education and/or Experience: Required: Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Systems, or related technical field; or equivalent professional experience with demonstrable cloud architecture expertiseMinimum 6 years of hands-on software engineering experience building cloud-native applications on AzureMinimum 3 years of experience with Azure Container Apps, Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS), or equivalent container orchestration platformsMinimum 2 years of people management experience leading software engineering teamsProven track record delivering distributed systems in production using microservices architecture and event-driven patternsHands-on experience with Azure Service Bus, Azure database services including Azure SQL Database with Elastic Pools, Azure PostgreSQL Flexible Server, managed identity authentication, connection pooling, and private endpoint configurationDeep understanding of microservices communication patterns including synchronous HTTP, asynchronous messaging, event-driven architecture, and service discoveryProficiency in C# and .NET (minimum .NET 6, preferably .NET 8+) including NET Core Web API with Controllers, Async/await patterns and Task-based asynchronous programming, LINQ and lambda expressions, Dependency injection and Options pattern and Entity Framework CoreProficiency in TypeScript/JavaScript including js development, Async patterns (Promises, async/await), npm/pnpm package management, Module systems (CommonJS, ES modules) and scripting proficiency in Bash or PowerShell for deployment automation and troubleshootingContainer image build and deployment workflows including Dockerfile optimization, multi-stage builds, and Azure Container Registry integrationProven ability to mentor software engineers on cloud-native development patterns, distributed systems concepts, and Azure architectureStrong code review skills with ability to provide constructive feedback on backend APIs, infrastructure code, and integration logicSystematic troubleshooting approach for complex distributed systems issuesStrong analytical skills for capacity planning, performance optimization, and cost analysis Preferred: Azure Certifications Expert-level experience with Azure DevOps YAML pipelines including multi-stage pipelines, pipeline templates, variable groups, and environment-based deploymentsAZ-400: Designing and Implementing Microsoft DevOps SolutionsAZ-305: Designing Microsoft Azure Infrastructure SolutionsAZ-204: Developing Solutions for Microsoft AzureAZ-104: Microsoft Azure Administrator Advanced Technical Skills Experience with .NET Aspire for cloud-native application orchestration and service discoveryExperience with CQRS and Mediator patterns (MediatR or equivalent)Event Grid and Event Hubs for event-driven architecturesAgile/Scrum certifications including Certified Scrum Master (CSM) or SAFe AgilistExperience in professional services industry (legal, financial services, accounting, consulting)Understanding of enterprise security and compliance requirements (SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR)Familiarity with legal technology or document management systemsDeep Azure networking expertise including VNETs, subnets, Network Security Groups, private endpoints, Private DNS Zones, VNET peering, Application Gateway, and NAT GatewayAbility to diagnose Azure networking problems including DNS resolution failures, private endpoint connectivity issues, and Application Gateway routing problemsExpert-level Bicep or Terraform proficiency with ability to read, write, and debug complex Infrastructure-as-Code modules (500+ lines) Other Skills and Abilities: The following will also be required of the successful candidate: Strong organizational skillsStrong attention to detailGood judgmentStrong interpersonal communication skillsStrong analytical and problem-solving skillsAble to work harmoniously and effectively with othersAble to preserve confidentiality and exercise discretionAble to work under pressureAble to manage multiple projects with competing deadlines and priorities qualifications: Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Systems, or related technical field; or equivalent professional experience with demonstrable cloud architecture expertise Minimum 6 years of hands-on software engineering experience building cloud-native applications on Azure Minimum 3 years of experience with Azure Container Apps, Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS), or equivalent container orchestration platforms Minimum 2 years of people management experience leading software engineering teams Proven track record delivering distributed systems in production using microservices architecture and event-driven patterns Hands-on experience with Azure Service Bus, Azure database services including Azure SQL Database with Elastic Pools, Azure PostgreSQL Flexible Server, managed identity authentication, connection pooling, and private endpoint configuration Deep understanding of microservices communication patterns including synchronous HTTP, asynchronous messaging, event-driven architecture, and service discovery Proficiency in C# and .NET (minimum .NET 6, preferably .NET 8+) including NET Core Web API with Controllers, Async/await patterns and Task-based asynchronous programming, LINQ and lambda expressions, Dependency injection and Options pattern and Entity Framework Core Proficiency in TypeScript/JavaScript including js development, Async patterns (Promises, async/await), npm/pnpm package management, Module systems (CommonJS, ES modules) and scripting proficiency in Bash or PowerShell for deployment automation and troubleshooting Container image build and deployment workflows including Dockerfile optimization, multi-stage builds, and Azure Container Registry integration Proven ability to mentor software engineers on cloud-native development patterns, distributed systems concepts, and Azure architecture Strong code review skills with ability to provide constructive feedback on backend APIs, infrastructure code, and integration logic Systematic troubleshooting approach for complex distributed systems issues Strong analytical skills for capacity planning, performance optimization, and cost analysis Preferred: Azure Certifications Expert-level experience with Azure DevOps YAML pipelines including multi-stage pipelines, pipeline templates, variable groups, and environment-based deployments AZ-400: Designing and Implementing Microsoft DevOps Solutions AZ-305: Designing Microsoft Azure Infrastructure Solutions AZ-204: Developing Solutions for Microsoft Azure AZ-104: Microsoft Azure Administrator Advanced Technical Skills Experience with .NET Aspire for cloud-native application orchestration and service discovery Experience with CQRS and Mediator patterns (MediatR or equivalent) Event Grid and Event Hubs for event-driven architectures Agile/Scrum certifications including Certified Scrum Master (CSM) or SAFe Agilist Experience in professional services industry (legal, financial services, accounting, consulting) Understanding of enterprise security and compliance requirements (SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR) Familiarity with legal technology or document management systems Deep Azure networking expertise including VNETs, subnets, Network Security Groups, private endpoints, Private DNS Zones, VNET peering, Application Gateway, and NAT Gateway Ability to diagnose Azure networking problems including DNS resolution failures, private endpoint connectivity issues, and Application Gateway routing problems Expert-level Bicep or Terraform proficiency with ability to read, write, and debug complex Infrastructure-as-Code modules (500+ lines) Equal Opportunity Employer: Race, Color, Religion, Sex, Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, National Origin, Age, Genetic Information, Disability, Protected Veteran Status, or any other legally protected group status.At Randstad Digital, we welcome people of all abilities and want to ensure that our hiring and interview process meets the needs of all applicants. If you require a reasonable accommodation to make your application or interview experience a great one, please contact HRsupport@randstadusa.com. Pay offered to a successful candidate will be based on several factors including the candidate's education, work experience, work location, specific job duties, certifications, etc. In addition, Randstad Digital offers a comprehensive benefits package, including: medical, prescription, dental, vision, AD&D, and life insurance offerings, short-term disability, and a 401K plan (all benefits are based on eligibility). This posting is open for thirty (30) days.