Senior Software Engineer, Data Platform

Roadrunner’s data platform is foundational to how the business operates, scales, and delivers value to customers. As the company continues modernizing its technology environment, it needs a senior engineer who can take end-to-end ownership of the architecture, development, reliability, and evolution of this critical platform.

The Senior Software Engineer, Data Platform will design and deliver scalable, secure, cloud-ready applications and services, with Roadrunner’s data ecosystem as a core area of specialization. This role will address complex technical and operational challenges by connecting architecture, software engineering, data strategy, and business execution.

Success means building resilient systems that improve access to data, strengthen production performance, accelerate development, and enable better operational decisions. This role will lead complex solutions from concept through production, influence the technical direction of the organization, and help advance Roadrunner toward cloud-native, API-first, and DevOps-enabled delivery.

What you’ll do

1. Own data platform architecture and engineering

• Lead the architecture, design, development, and modernization of Roadrunner’s proprietary data platform and the applications that depend on it.
• Build scalable, secure, and cloud-ready services using modern .NET, Microsoft Azure, and Microsoft data technologies.
• Apply API-first, modular, and service-oriented architecture principles across new and existing systems.
• Design data models, schemas, integration patterns, and platform capabilities that support long-term scalability and maintainability.
• Establish clear technical direction for complex, multi-interface solutions from initial concept through production delivery.

2. Modernize systems and engineering practices

• Identify opportunities to refactor, re-platform, or incrementally modernize legacy applications without disrupting critical business operations.
• Advance cloud-native development using Azure platform and data services.
• Promote CI/CD, automated testing, secure development, observability, and disciplined source-control practices.
• Improve development efficiency by reducing technical friction, strengthening reusable patterns, and simplifying system architecture.
• Balance modernization priorities with production stability, customer impact, and measurable business value.

3. Build reliable data and integration capabilities

• Design and implement ETL and ELT pipelines that move, transform, validate, and operationalize data across internal and external systems.
• Develop RESTful APIs, web services, and integrations that provide secure and reliable access to business-critical data.
• Apply data architecture concepts including data lineage, cataloging, dimensional modeling, normalization, denormalization, and schema evolution.
• Strengthen data quality, governance, security, privacy, and appropriate handling of personally identifiable information.
• Support data lake, data warehouse, batch-processing, and streaming-data use cases as platform requirements evolve.

4. Drive production performance and accountability

• Own the reliability, performance, security, and supportability of applications and services within the data platform.
• Monitor production environments and use logging, diagnostics, and observability tools to identify risks before they create broader business impact.
• Lead troubleshooting and root-cause analysis for complex application, integration, database, and performance issues.
• Optimize SQL Server databases through effective schema design, indexing, stored procedures, query optimization, and performance tuning.
• Provide after-hours support when necessary to protect production continuity and critical business operations.

5. Influence technical and business execution

• Partner with technology leaders, business stakeholders, product owners, analysts, infrastructure, security, data, and operations teams to define and deliver high-value solutions.
• Surface opportunities, assess technical feasibility, and translate business challenges into practical software and data capabilities.
• Communicate architecture decisions, risks, dependencies, and tradeoffs clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Lead technical design discussions, code reviews, development standards, and engineering best-practice improvements.
• Mentor developers and strengthen engineering capability through direct guidance, thoughtful feedback, and technical leadership.

What you bring

• Bachelor’s degree, or equivalent professional experience, preferably in Information Systems, Information Technology, Computer Science, Informatics, Engineering, or a related technology field.
• 5+ years of professional software development experience using C# and the Microsoft technology stack.
• Advanced experience with modern .NET, including .NET 6, 7, 8 or later, ASP.NET Core, Web API, and Entity Framework Core.
• 5+ years of Microsoft SQL Server experience, including database design, stored procedures, indexing, query optimization, and performance tuning.
• Experience building cloud-native applications, preferably within Microsoft Azure.
• Hands-on experience with services such as Azure App Service, Azure Functions, Azure SQL, Azure Storage, and Application Insights.
• Experience with Azure data platform technologies such as Azure Databricks or Microsoft Fabric.
• Strong knowledge of ETL and ELT pipeline design, data integration patterns, data modeling, and schema design.
• Experience designing RESTful APIs, web services, and internal or external system integrations.
• Understanding of data lineage, data cataloging, data governance, data quality, and data security and privacy practices.
• Experience with data lakes, data warehouses, and batch or streaming data pipelines.
• Experience with CI/CD pipelines and source-control platforms such as Git, Azure DevOps, GitHub Actions, or comparable tools.
• Experience with unit testing, integration testing, test automation, application monitoring, logging, diagnostics, and code-quality practices.
• Working knowledge of secure software development and application security principles, including encryption at rest and in transit and appropriate PII handling.
• Demonstrated ability to independently analyze requirements, design solutions, document specifications, and deliver production-ready software.
• Proven leadership in technical design, code reviews, troubleshooting, mentoring, and engineering-practice improvement.
• Strong critical thinking, analytical reasoning, problem-solving, and written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to operate effectively in a changing business and technology environment.
• Ability to travel up to 5%, with some after-hours production support based on business needs.

Preferred qualifications:

• Experience in transportation, logistics, freight, less-than-truckload, supply chain, or operational technology environments.
• Experience working within Scrum, Agile, or Kanban delivery models.
• Experience modernizing legacy systems through refactoring, re-platforming, cloud migration, or incremental transformation.
• Experience mentoring engineers and helping establish development standards and scalable engineering practices.

How you operate

• You think in systems, not isolated tasks.
• You take ownership from problem definition through production performance.
• You make architecture decisions with scalability, security, reliability, and business impact in mind.
• You operate independently and create direction when a detailed roadmap does not exist.
• You challenge assumptions constructively and make tradeoffs visible.
• You move quickly without sacrificing engineering discipline or production stability.
• You translate complexity into clear, actionable decisions.
• You collaborate across functions without losing accountability for outcomes.
• You treat production reliability and customer impact as engineering responsibilities.
• You raise the standard for both the software and the team building it.

Compensation & Setup

• Compensation: $110,000 per year
• Location: Hybrid | Downers Grove, IL
• Travel: Up to 5%
• Benefits: Comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, vision, 401(k), paid time off, and other company-sponsored programs

Physical Demands and Work Environment

The physical demands and work environment described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Physical Demands

• Sedentary physical activity performing non- strenuous daily activities of an administrative nature.
• While performing the duties of the job, the employee is regularly required to sit, walk, stand, reach/handle items, work with the fingers, and talk and hear others in conversations via the phone or in person.

Work Environment

• The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job.
• The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.
• Regular onsite collaboration expected based on business and team needs
• Schedule considerations: Some after-hours production support may be required based on business needs

* The above statements reflect the general details necessary to describe the principal functions of the position and are not intended to be all inclusive. The position and any of the requirements listed above are subject to change at any time according to the changing needs of the company.

* Roadrunner is an Equal Opportunity Employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any kind.

* We will not accept unsolicited candidates from external recruiters or recruiting agencies. Thank you!

#LI-HybridDowners Grove, IL

About Roadrunner

Roadrunner is for ambitious, smart people who excel at execution over talking about it, and who would rather invent the next standard in freight than accept the status quo.

We are looking for the Best of the Best. Action driven leaders who want to be part of real change and help design the future of LTL in the U.S. This is a place where high performers can grow, influence outcomes, and make an impact while working directly with executives and smart people from across industries.

We bring a winner mindset. We take ownership, raise the bar, and measure ourselves by results. We Run Safe. We Run Smart. We Run Together. These principles create an environment of high standards, clear ownership, and direct collaboration. We trust data over intuition, move with urgency, and hold each other accountable because winning requires it.

Roadrunner exists to prove that LTL can be better than the industry has settled for. To be the best means we need to think bigger, look outside the box, and question every assumption: too many handoffs, limited visibility, and the quiet belief that “this is just how it works.” We rejected that story. We built a proprietary Smart Network™ for direct, long haul, metro to metro service that delivers fewer touches, faster transit, real time visibility, and genuine accountability. We are the most tech forward company in LTL, and we are not finished widening the gap.

The foundation is already strong. Recognized as one of Built In Chicago’s Best Large Places to Work. Earning top marks for improvement, quality, and service. The real opportunity is still ahead: helping invent what comes next.

If you want to be evaluated among the Best of the Best and help set the new standard in LTL, we should talk.