Cloud Data Platform Engineering Lead

Title: Cloud Data Platform Engineering Lead Note: This position follows a hybrid work model, requiring 2 days per week on-site at our corporate office 20 S Wacker Dr, Chicago, IL 60606 The first preference for this role is given to local candidates in the Chicago area. Job Summary We are seeking a Senior Staff Engineer to architect and drive enterprise data solutions for CME on the Google Cloud Platform (GCP). This role requires a deep understanding of the end-to-end data ecosystem, including operational and analytical stores, AI/ML integration, data lifecycle management, compliance, cost optimization, and modern cloud-native tools. As a principal technical leader, you will provide the architectural vision and drive complex implementations, ensuring a seamless alignment between technical data strategies and overarching business objectives.

What You’ll Get

• A supportive environment fostering career progression, continuous learning, and an inclusive culture.
• Broad exposure to CME's diverse products, asset classes, and cross-functional teams.
• A competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package. Explore our full range of benefits.

What You’ll Do

• Architect Enterprise Solutions: Lead the design, architecture, and development of massive, enterprise-scale data solutions using the GCP suite (BigQuery, Dataflow, Cloud Storage, Pub/Sub, and Vertex AI) with a focus on performance and security.
• Champion Cloud-Native Mastery: Drive the adoption of sophisticated workflows utilizing Kubernetes, Terraform, Kubernetes Configuration Controller (KCC), Argo Workflows, and CI/CD frameworks.
• Integrate at Scale: Collaborate with cross-functional teams to bridge data workflows with operational and analytical stores, ensuring absolute system interoperability and reliability.
• Innovate and Future-Proof: Constantly scout and adopt emerging GCP services and modern technologies to enhance our data capabilities and insulate the architecture against future shifts.
• Govern with Integrity: Define and enforce robust strategies for the entire data lifecycle—from retention to disposal—strictly adhering to governance and regulatory standards.
• Optimize the Platform: Spearhead enterprise-wide initiatives to optimize cloud costs, maximizing resource efficiency and eliminating waste without compromising high-performance metrics.
• Set the Gold Standard: Establish best practices for data quality, metadata management, and lineage tracking to maintain a bulletproof data governance framework.
• Mentor Engineering Talent: Provide principal-level technical mentorship, establishing coding best practices with a primary focus on robust Java development and Python to drive architectural excellence.
• Engineer High-Throughput Pipelines: Architect and implement resilient data pipelines using Apache Spark, Apache Flink, and Google Dataflow, heavily leveraging Java frameworks and APIs.
• Align with the Enterprise: Utilize a deep understanding of the SDLC and application stacks to ensure data initiatives are perfectly synchronized with broader enterprise systems.

What You’ll Bring

• Academic Foundation: Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or a related technical field.
• Architectural Depth: 10+ years of progressive software and data engineering experience, including 5+ years of hands-on experience designing large-scale GCP architectures.
• Expert Programming: Expert-level proficiency in Java and extensive hands-on experience, coupled with strong proficiency in Python or similar languages.
• Cloud-Native Expertise: Mastery of Kubernetes, Terraform, KCC, Argo Workflows, and CI/CD frameworks to guide implementation strategies.
• GCP Specialization: Advanced knowledge of BigQuery, Cloud SQL, IAM, KMS, GKE, GCS, Pub/Sub, and Vertex AI.
• Framework Fluency: Hands-on experience with large-scale processing frameworks like Apache Spark or Apache Flink, specifically within the Java ecosystem.
• Analytical & Semantic Insight: A robust understanding of operational/analytical data stores and semantic layer design using tools like Looker or Tableau.
• Governance Mastery: Strong knowledge of SDLC processes, data security, and comprehensive data lifecycle management.
• Preferred Certifications: Google Cloud Professional Data Engineer or Cloud Architect certification is highly valued.

Key Competencies

• Analytical Excellence: Relentless focus on scalability, fault-tolerance, and technical efficiency in solving complex problems.
• Strategic Communication: Ability to engage effectively with both deep-technical engineering teams and high-level business stakeholders.
• Influence Without Authority: Proven ability to guide and mentor cross-functional teams to deliver strategic technical outcomes without direct reporting lines.
• Drive Engagement: A commitment to fostering a culture of technical rigor and continuous learning across the engineering organization.

CME Group is committed to offering a competitive total rewards package for our employees that recognizes their contributions to the business and reflects our long-term investment in their future. The pay range for this role is $138,800-$231,300. Actual salary offered will be dependent on a wide array of factors including but not limited to: relevant experience, skills, education and comparison to internal employees (where relevant). Our compensation program also includes an annual target bonus opportunity for all employees, as well as the opportunity to become an owner in the company through our broad-based equity program. Through our benefits program, we strive to offer flexibility, value and choice. From comprehensive health coverage, to a retirement package that includes both a 401(k) and an active pension plan, to highly competitive education reimbursement provisions, paid time off and a mental health benefit, CME Group offers a holistic benefits package for our team and their dependents.

CME Group: Where Futures are Made CME Group is the world’s leading derivatives marketplace. But who we are goes deeper than that. Here, you can impact markets worldwide. Transform industries. And build a career by shaping tomorrow. We invest in your success and you own it – all while working alongside a team of leading experts who inspire you in ways big and small. Problem solvers, difference makers, trailblazers. Those are our people. And we’re looking for more.

At CME Group, we embrace our employees' unique experiences and skills to ensure that everyone’s perspectives are acknowledged and valued. As an equal-opportunity employer, we consider all potential employees without regard to any protected characteristic.

Important Notice: Recruitment fraud is on the rise, with scammers using misleading promises of job offers and interviews to solicit money and personal information from job seekers. CME Group adheres to established procedures designed to maintain trust, confidence and security throughout our recruitment process. Learn more here.