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Senior Scala Engineer (Hybrid)

Rewards Network · Chicago, IL · $130,000–$170,000 a year · IT & Engineering

Posted Aug 17, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Oct 6, 2026

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Likely interview questions for this role

Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.

About your past

Tell me about a back-end service you built in Scala. What design choices are you most proud of?

What they are checking: Real depth in Scala and the ability to explain design tradeoffs, not just list features.

Tell me about a code review where you strongly disagreed with someone. How did it end?

What they are checking: Whether they can argue on technical merit and still keep a working relationship.

Tell me about a time you improved a legacy system rather than rewriting it.

What they are checking: Judgment about incremental improvement versus costly rewrites in a long-running business.

What would you do

A feature you shipped is causing slow responses for restaurant partners at lunch peak. Walk me through how you find the cause.

What they are checking: A calm, methodical debugging approach using metrics and logs rather than guessing.

You are working with front-end engineers who need an endpoint changed this sprint, but the change risks other clients. What do you do?

What they are checking: Whether they protect existing consumers while still unblocking teammates.

About the work

How do you use Scala's type system to prevent bugs before they reach production?

What they are checking: Whether they use types, case classes and pattern matching on purpose to make bad states impossible.

Our management portal and dining platform serve millions of users and thousands of restaurant partners. How would you design an API that both sides rely on?

What they are checking: Thinking about versioning, permissions and reliability when two very different user groups depend on one system.

How do you handle concurrency and side effects in Scala? Which libraries or patterns do you prefer?

What they are checking: Comfort with functional effect systems or futures and an understanding of why they matter.

How do you keep a back-end system secure when it handles financial and personal data?

What they are checking: Awareness of authentication, input validation and data protection as part of everyday coding.

How do you decide when to write tests, and what kinds of tests matter most for a service like this?

What they are checking: A practical testing strategy that balances confidence with speed of delivery.

Practice this interview out loud.

Offer builds a real interview for this exact role at Rewards Network from your resume and this job description, asks the questions one at a time, and tells you what landed. The first one is free.

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The full job description

As published by Rewards Network.

About Rewards Network&nbsp; For 41 years, Rewards Network has been helping restaurants grow revenue, increase traffic, and boost customer engagement through innovative financial, marketing services, and premier dining rewards programs. By offering unique card-linked offers, we introduce diners to fantastic restaurant experiences, leveraging advanced technology and data analytics to deliver value to restaurants, diners, and our strategic partners' loyalty programs.&nbsp; Our Culture&nbsp; At Rewards Network, you'll be part of a driven and diverse team that excels in collaboration, issue resolution, and taking ownership of both personal growth and the company's success. We take pride in partnering with the world's most powerful loyalty programs to drive full-price paying customers to local restaurants through marketing services and flexible funding options. Our engaging and rewarding environment is designed to help you gain your full potential.&nbsp; Job Overview The Software Engineer builds and evolves back-end systems that power client-facing web applications, delivering seamless, modern digital experiences. In this role, you’ll support Rewards Network’s management portal and dining platform by developing scalable, secure features that improve the experience for millions of users and thousands of restaurant partners. We’re open to hiring at the mid to senior level based on experience. This is a hybrid position that requires in office presence 3 days a week (Tuesday-Thursday) in Chicago.&nbsp; What&nbsp; you’ll bring to the table: (Responsibilities) • Develop and maintain back-end features for web applications using modern languages and frameworks.&nbsp; • Design and build scalable, maintainable system architectures, including RESTful microservices. • Integrate and manage relational databases to ensure efficient data storage and retrieval. • Implement event-driven and streaming solutions to support real-time data processing. • Write high-quality, well-tested code to ensure reliability, performance, and scalability. • Partner with cross-functional teams to deliver solutions aligned with business goals and timelines. • Ensure security best practices are embedded across back-end systems and data flows. • Contribute to continuous improvement of development processes, tools, and best practices. Do you have the right mix of ingredients : • 4+ years of back-end software development experience (7+ preferred), with a strong focus on Scala and functional programming. • Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent experience (e.g., coding bootcamp or self-taught expertise) • Proficiency in Scala and other JVM or functional programming languages • Experience designing and building RESTful microservices and scalable system architectures. • Hands-on experience with relational databases and data management best practices. • Familiarity with event-driven systems and streaming technologies (e.g., Kafka). • Experience with modern development tools and infrastructure, including Docker and Kubernetes (preferred). • Strong coding practices, including writing clean, testable, and maintainable code. • Understanding of web security principles and secure application development. • Experience working across the full software development lifecycle, including CI/CD practices. • Ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional technical and non-technical teams. • Familiarity with Lightbend, Typelevel, or similar ecosystems (preferred). What you’ll love about us: <span class="EOP SCXW37983397 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"134245418":true,"134245529":true,"201341983":0,"335559738":40,"335559739":0,"335559740":259}">&nbsp; Comprehensive benefits package, which includes: • This is a full-time, exempt position. The base salary range for this role in Chicago is $130,000–$170,000 annually, depending on level (mid-level or senior), as well as candidate experience, skills, and other factors. This role is also eligible for an annual bonus target of 10%, bringing total target compensation to $143,000–$187,000. • Competitive Time Off Benefits: including flexible PTO, 11 company holidays, and parental leave.&nbsp; • Generous dining reimbursement when you dine with our restaurant clients&nbsp; • 401(k) plan with a company match • Two medical plan options- Standard PPO or High Deductible Health Plan (HSA with company match for HDHP participants) • Partnership with Rx n Go, offering certain prescriptions for free • Two dental plan options and a vision plan • Flexible Spending Accounts and a pre-tax commuter benefit program • Accident, Critical Illness, and Hospital Indemnity Insurance Plans • Short Term and Long Term disability&nbsp; • Company-paid life insurance and AD&D insurance, supplemental employee, spouse, and child life insurance&nbsp; • Employee Life Assistance Program • Hybrid working environment in a new office space downtown near the Metra Train stations and catered lunches on Tuesdays.&nbsp; Rewards Network is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE). We encourage and strongly support workplace diversity. &nbsp; Expected Pay Range $130,000 &mdash; $170,000 USD

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