Software Engineer IV

Work Location Type: Hybrid Req Number  327082

About Grainger:

W.W. Grainger, Inc., is a leading broad line distributor with operations primarily in North America, Japan and the United Kingdom. At Grainger, We Keep the World Working® by serving more than 4.5 million customers worldwide with products and solutions delivered through innovative technology and deep customer relationships. Known for its commitment to service and award-winning culture, the Company had 2024 revenue of $17.2 billion across its two business models. In the High-Touch Solutions segment, Grainger offers approximately 2 million maintenance, repair and operating (MRO) products and services, including technical support and inventory management. In the Endless Assortment segment, Zoro.com offers customers access to more than 14 million products, and MonotaRO.com offers more than 24 million products. For more information, visit www.grainger.com.

Compensation:

The anticipated base pay compensation range for this position is $134,100.00  to $223,500.00. This position is not eligible for any form of sponsorship now or in the future.  Individuals requiring sponsorship (e.g. OPT or H1B visa status) should not apply. Only individuals authorized to work in the United States now and for the foreseeable future will be considered for this position.

Rewards and Benefits

With benefits starting on day one, our programs provide choice and flexibility to meet team members' individual needs, including:

Medical, dental, vision, and life insurance plans with coverage starting on day one of employment and 6 free sessions each year with a licensed therapist to support your emotional wellbeing. 18 paid time off (PTO) days annually for full-time employees (accrual prorated based on employment start date) and 6 company holidays per year.

6% company contribution to a 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan each pay period, no employee contribution required. Employee discounts, tuition reimbursement, student loan refinancing and free access to financial counseling, education, and tools. Maternity support programs, nursing benefits, and up to 14 weeks paid leave for birth parents and up to 4 weeks paid leave for non-birth parents.

For additional information and details regarding Grainger’s benefits, please click on the link below:

https://experience100.ehr.com/grainger/Home/Tools-Resources/Key-Resources/New-Hire

The pay range provided above is not a guarantee of compensation.  The range reflects the potential base pay for this role at the time of this posting based on the job grade for this position. Individual base pay compensation will depend, in part, on factors such as geographic work location and relevant experience and skills.

The anticipated compensation range described above is subject to change and the compensation ultimately paid may be higher or lower than the range described above. Grainger reserves the right to amend, modify, or terminate its compensation and benefit programs in its sole discretion at any time, consistent with applicable law.

Position Details:

As a Staff Software Engineer (SE IV) – Full Stack (Backend Focus), you will play a key role in designing and building the backend platforms that power AI-enabled, real-time experiences across Grainger. You will lead backend architecture and orchestration efforts that integrate AI models, enterprise data, and external services at scale. While this is a full-stack role, your primary focus will be on backend reliability, performance, and system design, with targeted front-end contributions as needed. You will operate with a systems-level mindset, helping shape technical direction and raising engineering standards across the team.

This role reports to the Product Engineering Manager and can be based in Lake Forest or Chicago, IL, on a hybrid basis. You Will

• Lead the design and implementation of backend services that enable AI-powered, real-time and asynchronous applications

Own backend architecture decisions, including service boundaries, state management, and request orchestration

• Build scalable, reliable systems that support streaming, event-driven, and low-latency workflows
• Define and maintain clear API contracts and data models with extensibility and backward compatibility in mind
• Ensure backend platforms meet reliability, performance, and observability standards in production environments

Partner with front-end engineers to deliver efficient, well-integrated end-to-end solutions

• Drive improvements to CI/CD, automated testing, and deployment practices for backend services

Influence the technical roadmap and contribute to long-term platform strategy for AI-enabled capabilities Act as a technical leader and mentor, raising system design and backend engineering maturity across the team

You Have

Bachelor's degree in computer science or a related degree, or relevant work experience. 5+ years of experience designing, building, and operating cloud-native backend systems. Strong proficiency in Python and modern backend development, including RESTful and/or streaming APIs (FastAPI/Flask) Deep understanding of distributed systems, asynchronous programming, and event-driven architectures

Experience orchestrating complex systems involving external APIs, data services, and AI/ML components:

Proven ability to make sound architectural decisions and lead through influence in ambiguous problem spaces

Experience with cloud platforms (AWS/GCP/Azure), containerization (Ex: Docker, Kubernetes), CI/CD,  and production observability practices (Ex: Datadog, Prometheus, Kibana):

We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or expression, protected veteran status or any other protected characteristic under federal, state, or local law. We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace.

We are committed to fostering an inclusive, accessible work environment that includes both providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities during the application and hiring process as well as throughout the course of one’s employment, should you need a reasonable accommodation during the application and selection process, including, but not limited to use of our website, any part of the application, interview or hiring process, please advise us so that we can provide appropriate assistance.