Software Engineer - AI Tooling

The Development Platform organization at IMC Trading is focused on accelerating tech team workflows by providing self-service tools, services, documentation, and support. We design, build, and maintain the platforms that IMC's software development lifecycle depends on, establishing a consistent technical foundation across regions and empowering teams to innovate efficiently. IMC is embedding agentic AI directly into the developer workflow for our production-critical systems. The Development Platform team operates the infrastructure that makes this possible: the environments where AI agents run, the integrations that connect them to our systems, and the safety and security controls that keep them reliable and auditable. We are seeking a Software Engineer based in Chicago to build the software behind IMC’s AI-powered engineering workflows. Your work will span agent harnesses, developer workspaces, context delivery, and tooling that connects AI agents to internal services. This is a highly collaborative role with substantial ownership. You will engage directly with engineers to understand their needs, connect those needs to the team’s broader priorities, and turn open-ended problems into practical solutions. You will help define what we build and carry it through design, implementation, delivery, and ongoing improvement. You will bring strong software engineering fundamentals and an eagerness to learn. Prior experience building AI tooling is welcome but not required Your Core Responsibilities: Partner directly with engineering teams to understand their workflows, clarify needs, and shape solutions aligned with the team’s broader priorities. Own software projects from problem definition and technical design through implementation, rollout, and ongoing improvement. Develop and extend the agent harnesses and workspace capabilities that bring AI coding tools into IMC's engineering workflows, so engineers get a consistent, high-quality experience wherever they work Improve how agent workflows access relevant context from internal systems, working with stakeholders to define and evolve these capabilities. Develop shared tooling to make MCP servers easier to build and maintain, including standardized authentication patterns, reusable components, and project templates. Contribute to in-house agents for IMC-specific workflows, and to the evaluation and benchmarking tooling to measure quality Embed security, reliability, and observability into the software and integrations you build. Collaborate with global Development Platform colleagues to support adoption, gather feedback, and improve the developer experience. Your Skills & Experience: 3+ years of work experience in a relevant role. Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or equivalent. Strong programming experience in a high-level language; Python or Java preferred. Experience building developer-facing tools, APIs, or production systems. Understanding of security principles and best practices, including authentication and authorization patterns and secrets management. Familiarity with containerization technologies such as Docker and Kubernetes. Curiosity and eagerness to learn about AI/LLM application patterns, even if you haven’t worked closely with them yet; exposure to agentic AI tools and workflows, such as coding agents or MCP servers, is a plus. Strong communication skills and the ability to work directly with stakeholders to understand their needs and connect them to broader team priorities. Ability to take ownership of open-ended problems, shape solutions, and carry them through delivery in a fast, collaborative environment. The Base Salary range for the role is included below. Base salary is only one component of total compensation; all full-time, permanent positions are eligible for a discretionary bonus and benefits, including paid leave and insurance. Please visit Benefits - US | IMC Trading for more comprehensive information. Salary Range $175,000 — $225,000 USD About Us IMC is a research-driven trading firm where quantitative modeling, machine learning, and engineering shape how modern markets are traded. A stabilizing force in markets since 1989, we provide liquidity across trading venues, delivering the best outcome in value and risk management to investors. Using our own technology and capital, we build proprietary systems and algorithms that operate across global markets. Our researchers, traders, and engineers work as a collective, combining rapid experimentation, advanced infrastructure, and real-time feedback to turn insight into execution and execution into advantage.