Senior Software Engineer

C.H. Robinson is seeking a Senior Software Engineer to join our Plan/Optimizer team within Technology. Our mission is to build the intelligent planning platform that helps customers answer one of the most challenging questions in logistics: What is the optimal way to move freight through my network? As part of this team, you will develop platforms and services that combine optimization, automation, business rules, and operational intelligence to generate actionable shipment plans at scale. You'll work on systems that evaluate thousands of potential transportation decisions while balancing cost, service, utilization, constraints, and customer-specific business objectives.

The technology you build powers Navisphere Optimizer and other planning capabilities that enable customers to minimize transportation spend, maximize trailer utilization, reduce total miles traveled, and improve supply chain performance.

We're looking for engineers who enjoy tackling difficult distributed systems and decisioning problems and who are excited by the intersection of software engineering, optimization, AI, and logistics. If you're passionate about building highly automated systems that help customers make better decisions, we'd love to hear from you.

This role can be based only in MN, IL or Kansas City

Duties & Responsibilities

• Design and build the next generation of C.H. Robinson's planning and optimization platform that helps customers make intelligent freight planning decisions at scale
• Contribute to the technical roadmap and architectural direction of optimization, planning, and workflow orchestration services
• Design, develop, and operate resilient, scalable, and highly available cloud-native services that support critical supply chain planning capabilities
• Build platforms and services that evaluate transportation constraints, business rules, cost, service levels, capacity, and customer objectives to generate actionable shipment plans
• Design and develop proof of concepts (POCs) to evaluate emerging technologies and validate new approaches to optimization, automation, and intelligent decisioning
• Develop APIs, event-driven services, and workflow orchestration capabilities that enable planning solutions to integrate seamlessly across the enterprise
• Partner closely with Product Managers, Supply Chain Engineers, Data Scientists, Architects, and business stakeholders to translate customer needs into scalable technical solutions
• Design systems that balance configurability, maintainability, and performance while supporting diverse customer planning scenarios
• Mentor and influence other engineers through technical leadership, design reviews, code reviews, and knowledge sharing
• Evaluate and leverage AI-assisted development tools, intelligent automation, and emerging technologies to improve engineering productivity and platform capabilities
• Stay current on advancements in distributed systems, optimization technologies, AI, automation, and modern software engineering practices

Required Qualifications

• 6+ years of experience designing and implementing large-scale software products or distributed systems that span multiple applications and services
• Experience leading technical design and delivering complex initiatives from concept through production
• Experience developing proof of concepts and transforming innovative ideas into scalable production solutions
• Experience with modern development languages and frameworks (ex. .NET Core, C#)
• Experience designing and developing cloud-native applications and services (ex. Azure, AWS, GCP)
• Experience with relational and non-relational databases (ex. SQL Server, Oracle, MongoDB, Cosmos DB, Elasticsearch)
• Experience with microservices, CQRS, event-driven architectures, asynchronous messaging, and eventually consistent systems
• Experience with streaming platforms and integration technologies (ex. Kafka, Event Hubs, ESB)
• Experience designing and consuming RESTful APIs and event-driven integration patterns
• Experience establishing testing strategies, acceptance criteria, and reviewing automated tests
• Experience with CI/CD pipelines, automated deployment practices, and modern DevOps principles
• Experience with version control systems (ex. Git, GitHub)
• Experience delivering end-to-end features including backend services, APIs, integrations, and operational tooling
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to evaluate tradeoffs and navigate complex technical challenges
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills with the ability to explain complex concepts to technical and non-technical audiences
• Proven ability to deliver results in fast-paced environments while balancing multiple priorities and ambiguity
• Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, MIS, or related field; or 4 years of equivalent work experience and a high school diploma/GED

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience designing optimization, planning, scheduling, routing, allocation, or decision-support systems
• Experience building highly automated, high-volume workflows where human intervention is primarily exception-based
• Experience with rules engines, decision engines, workflow orchestration platforms, or configurable business process frameworks
• Experience designing systems that balance competing objectives such as cost, service, utilization, capacity, and operational constraints
• Experience modernizing complex legacy platforms through incremental migration and domain-driven architecture approaches
• Experience working with transportation, logistics, supply chain, planning, or operational technology platforms
• Experience developing configurable and metadata-driven platforms that support diverse customer requirements without requiring custom development
• Experience integrating optimization engines, planning services, AI models, or advanced analytics capabilities into production systems
• Experience building AI-enabled applications, agent-based workflows, intelligent automation solutions, or LLM-powered capabilities
• Experience applying AI technologies in enterprise environments with appropriate considerations for reliability, observability, governance, and security
• Demonstrated curiosity, continuous learning mindset, and willingness to experiment with emerging technologies while maintaining strong engineering discipline
• Strong customer focus with the ability to connect technical investments to measurable business outcomes
• Ability to influence technical direction and drive alignment across teams without direct authority
• A commitment to fostering an inclusive, collaborative, and growth-oriented engineering culture

We will review applications for this role on an ongoing basis and encourage all interested candidates to apply at their earliest convenience.

Compensation Range

The base pay range displayed on the job posting reflects the minimum and maximum base pay for this specific location. Your individual base pay within this range is determined by job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. Compensation details listed in this posting reflect the base pay only and do not include additional variable compensation.

Questioning if you meet the mark? Studies have shown that some individuals may be less likely to apply unless they match the job description exactly. Here at C.H. Robinson, we’re building an inclusive workplace where all employees feel they belong. If this position excites you, we welcome you to apply whether you check all the preferred qualifications or just a few. You may just be our next great fit!

Equal Opportunity

C.H. Robinson is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to a workplace and performance culture that reflects the strengths of our worldwide marketplace. We value unique experiences and diverse backgrounds of our people within our company, our business relationships, and our communities. We’re committed to providing an inclusive environment, free from harassment and discrimination, where all employees feel welcomed, valued and respected.

EOE\Disabled\Veteran

Benefits

Your Health, Wealth and Self

Your total wellbeing is the foundation of our business, and our benefits support your financial, family and personal goals. We provide the top-tier benefits that matter to you most, including:

• Three medical plans which include

• • Prescription drug coverage

  • Enhanced Fertility benefits

• Flexible Spending Accounts

• Health Savings Account (including employer contribution)

• Dental and Vision

• Basic and Supplemental Life Insurance

• Short-Term and Long-Term Disability

• Paid observed holidays

• 2 paid floating holidays for U.S. hourly employees

• Flexible Time Off (FTO) offered to U.S. salaried employees — no accruals and no caps. Paid Time Off (PTO) offered to all other employees in the U.S. and Canada

• Paid parental leave

• Paid time off to volunteer in your community

• Charitable Giving Match Program

• 401(k) with 6% company matching

• Employee Stock Purchase Plan

• Plus a broad range of career development, networking, and team-building opportunities

Learn more about our benefit offerings on our BENEFITS & WELLBEING page