Senior Principal Software Engineer

About the role:

Are you passionate about building high-performing applications that shape the future of investing? We are looking for a Senior Principal Engineer to be a hands-on force behind Morningstar's Direct Advisory Suite, a flagship application on the Direct Platform. This suite empowers thousands of financial advisors by streamlining their workflows—from investment research and portfolio analysis to personalized financial planning and client reporting. You will play a critical role in designing, coding, and delivering the scalable, secure, and resilient systems that power the future of financial advice. This role requires a proven builder with deep expertise in modern software engineering and distributed SaaS systems. The ideal candidate has a strong track record of writing high-quality code, making pragmatic design decisions, and shipping enterprise-grade applications at scale. We are looking for someone execution-driven who thrives in solving complex technical challenges, can evaluate and adopt emerging technologies, and consistently drives delivery excellence. Extensive exposure to AI solutions is a must have. Experience in integrating with data providers, and expertise in Authentication and Authorization are desirable.

This role is based in our office and follows a hybrid schedule of at least 4 days onsite per week.

Responsibilities:

Hands-on Engineering & Delivery

• Design, implement, and ship critical features of Direct Advisory Suite that support advisor workflows such as research, portfolio analysis, proposal generation, and reporting.
• Write production-quality code across the stack, with a strong emphasis on reliability, scalability, and performance.
• Drive technical solutions from design through deployment, ensuring delivery timelines are met without compromising quality.
• Conduct design and code reviews, ensuring adherence to best practices, performance requirements, and security standards.
• Partner with QA and DevOps teams to build automated testing, deployment, and monitoring pipelines that ensure high system availability.

System Design & Architecture

• Translate business requirements and product vision into scalable, maintainable technical designs.
• Build and evolve cloud-native, microservices-based systems that integrate with shared platform services.
• Optimize data-intensive workflows by collaborating with data engineering teams on data modeling, pipelines, and query performance.
• Make pragmatic trade-offs between speed of delivery, technical debt, and long-term scalability.

Performance, Security & Compliance

• Embed privacy, data security, and compliance requirements into code and system design.
• Profile, tune, and improve application performance for both front-end and back-end components.
• Proactively identify and mitigate risks related to scalability, security, and system reliability.

Technical Thought Leadership

• Serve as a role model of engineering excellence by consistently delivering high-quality software.
• Drive innovation by prototyping new technologies, frameworks, and AI-driven solutions that enhance advisor workflows.
• Mentor engineers through code reviews, pair programming, and hands-on technical guidance.
• Contribute to defining engineering best practices, coding standards, and reusable components across teams.

Collaboration

• Work closely with product managers, UX designers, and other engineers to ensure technical solutions align with advisor needs and business goals.
• Partner with enterprise architecture, security, and data teams to ensure seamless integration with Morningstar’s broader platform.
• Influence and contribute across multiple engineering squads while remaining a strong hands-on contributor.

Qualifications:

• 15+ years of professional software engineering experience, with a proven track record of delivering large-scale SaaS applications.
• Expert-level coding ability in one or more modern programming languages (e.g., Java, C#, Python, TypeScript/JavaScript).
• Deep expertise in cloud-native architectures (AWS preferred), microservices, APIs, containers, and event-driven systems.
• Hands-on experience with data-intensive and performance-sensitive applications.
• Strong knowledge of CI/CD pipelines, DevOps practices, monitoring, and infrastructure-as-code.
• Experience embedding security, privacy, and compliance (e.g., GDPR, CCPA) into applications.
• Exposure to financial services, wealth management, or other regulated industries a plus; genuine curiosity in the advisor/investment space expected.
• Strong problem-solving skills and ability to drive solutions from concept to production.
• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field; or equivalent professional experience.

Compensation and Benefits

At Morningstar we believe people are at their best when they are at their healthiest. That’s why we champion your wellness through a wide-range of programs that support all stages of your personal and professional life. Here are some examples of the offerings we provide:

• Financial Health
• 75% 401k match up to 7%
• Stock Ownership Potential
• Company provided life insurance - 1x salary + commission

• Physical Health
• Comprehensive health benefits (medical/dental/vision) including potential premium discounts and company-provided HSA contributions (up to $500-$2,000 annually) for specific plans and coverages
• Additional medical Wellness Incentives - up to $300-$600 annual
• Company-provided long- and short-term disability insurance

• Emotional Health
• Trust-Based Time Off
• 6-week Paid Sabbatical Program
• 6-Week Paid Family Caregiving Leave
• Competitive 8-24 Week Paid Parental Bonding Leave
• Adoption Assistance
• Leadership Coaching & Formal Mentorship Opportunities
• Annual Education Stipend
• Tuition Reimbursement

• Social Health
• Charitable Matching Gifts program
• Dollars for Doers volunteer program
• Paid volunteering days
• 15+ Employee Resource & Affinity Groups

Total Cash Compensation Range

$143,250.00 - 257,850.00 USD Annual

Inclusive of annual base salary and target incentive

Morningstar’s hybrid work environment gives you the opportunity to work remotely and collaborate in-person each week. While some positions are available as fully remote, we’ve found that we’re at our best when we’re purposely together on a regular basis, typically three days each week. A range of other benefits are also available to enhance flexibility as needs change. No matter where you are, you’ll have tools and resources to engage meaningfully with your global colleagues.

001_MstarInc Legal Entity

About Us

How to Apply for a Job at Morningstar

Step 1

When you find a position you're interested in, click the 'Apply' button. Please fill out this form completely, attaching your resume and cover letter in the approved format. Read the job requirements carefully and make sure to attach writing or design samples as required. Applicants must submit their resume and other information through our corporate website to be considered for a job at Morningstar. No phone calls, please.

Step 2

You will receive an email notification to confirm that we've received your application.

Step 3

If you are called in for an interview, a representative from Morningstar will contact you to set up a date, time, and location. Be prepared for a rigorous interview process. To make sure you're a good fit for Morningstar and we're a good fit for you, we'll schedule time for you to meet with multiple staff members at all levels of the company. Expect to return for multiple interviews as part of the process. A representative from Morningstar will contact you with the results of your interview—either with a job offer or to let you know our plans for the position.

Applicants With Disabilities Who Need Accommodation

Morningstar is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities. If, because of a medical condition or disability, you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please call +1 312 384-3900 or email AskHR@morningstar.com and let us know the nature of your request and your contact information.

Please note:

• We only accept calls from applicants who need accommodation related to a disability. Please, no calls with unrelated questions or requests.
• Please be sure to include the title and location of the open position you’re interested in when you leave a message.

US Applicants: Morningstar is an E-Verify program participant.

Learn more:

• This Organization Participates in E-Verify (English)
• This Organization Participates in E-Verify (Spanish)
• Right to Work (English)
• Right to Work (Spanish)
• EEO is the Law
• Pay Transparency Notice

Morningstar is strongly committed to creating and preserving equal opportunity for all employees and applicants. We make all employment decisions—including recruitment, hiring, compensation, training, promotion, transfer, discipline, termination, and other personnel matters—without regard to race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, marital status, sexual orientation, genetic information, citizenship, gender identity and expression, parental status, or other legally protected characteristics or conduct.

Read More

Follow Us

• [](http://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Morningstar-Reviews-E3299.htm "Glassdoor")
• [](https://plus.google.com/106303590725872641614 "Google Plus")
• [](http://www.linkedin.com/company/morningstar "LinkedIn")
• [](https://twitter.com/MorningstarInc "X")
• [](https://www.youtube.com/user/MorningstarInc "YouTube")
• [](https://www.facebook.com/MorningstarInc "Facebook")

© 2025 Workday, Inc. All rights reserved.