Jobs › Northern Trust

Sr Lead SW Support Engineer

Northern Trust · Chicago, IL · $99,600–$169,200 a year · Full time

Posted Sep 21, 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

Describe the production environment you support now. How many applications, what tech stack, and what does your on-call rotation look like?

What they are checking: Whether they have current, hands-on production support experience, which the posting makes a firm requirement.

Tell me about a time you pushed back on a release because you thought it would hurt production stability.

What they are checking: Whether they protect the client-centric environment even when it means friction with development teams.

How do you mentor newer support engineers so they can handle incidents on their own?

What they are checking: Whether they build team depth, which a senior lead is expected to do.

What would you do

You are the lead on a severity one incident with CIO oversight. Walk me through the first thirty minutes.

What they are checking: Whether they can take command of a major incident with structure, roles and communication.

How do you balance 7x24 support duties with the project work and improvements you are expected to deliver?

What they are checking: Whether they can manage interrupt-driven work without letting improvement work stall forever.

A business partner says the same issue has happened three times this month. How do you respond?

What they are checking: Whether they own recurring problems and drive them to root cause instead of defending past fixes.

About the work

How do you tell whether an issue is in the application, the database, the network or a third-party service?

What they are checking: Whether they can isolate faults across layers instead of guessing.

What does a good post-incident review look like, and how do you keep it blameless?

What they are checking: Whether they focus reviews on fixing systems and processes, which leads to fewer repeat incidents.

How have you used automation or scripting to reduce manual support work?

What they are checking: Whether they invest in tooling that makes support faster and less error-prone.

How do you set up alerting so the team is woken up for real problems but not for noise?

What they are checking: Whether they understand alert fatigue and tune monitoring to what really affects clients.

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The full job description

As published by Northern Trust.

About Northern Trust As a global leader in innovative wealth management, asset servicing, asset management and banking services, Northern Trust (Nasdaq: NTRS) is proud to guide the world’s most successful individuals, families, corporations and institutions. Since 1889, we have aligned our efforts with our three guiding Principles That Endure: Service, Expertise, and Integrity. Together, they reflect the three cornerstones of business conduct which we strive to instill in our employees, whom we call partners, and to provide to our clients and the communities we serve worldwide. With more than 135 years of financial experience and over 24,000 partners, we serve the world’s most sophisticated clients using leading technology and exceptional service. *** This is a Production Support role, and the candidate we hire must have prior /current SW Production Support experience. *****This is a highly visible role and will have CIO visibility and oversight.*******7x24 availability in a Service Delivery/Production Delivery Client Centric environment**** Description - WHO WE ARE Northern Trust provides innovative financial services and guidance to corporations, institutions and affluent families and individuals globally. With 130 years of financial experience and nearly 20,000 partners, we serve the world’s most sophisticated clients using leading technology and exceptional service. Today, we are going through a metamorphosis – starting with our Wealth Management business where we are embracing Agile ways of working and exploring new technologies like cloud, analytics, microservices architecture, etc. Last but not least, our advanced Digital design systems enable us to put our valued customers at the heart of our user experience. WHY US As a Northern Trust partner, you will be part of a flexible and collaborative work culture, which has a strong history of financial strength and stability. Movement within the organization is encouraged, senior leaders are accessible, and you can take pride in working for a company that is committed to strengthening the communities we serve. Our talented, driven and energetic people are truly changing the face of Northern Trust. The speed with which we work, the influence of each partner and the focus to positively change the client experience is our common passion. People are our greatest Wealth, so if you have a genuine desire to work in a fast-paced, Agile, inclusive environment which values teamwork, well-honed problem-solving skills, deadline management, ongoing and comprehensive communication, constant attention to detail, and a commitment to continuous improvement then seek no more! ROLE: This role will support our Wealth Management business, product , operations, partners and clients . As a support lead you will collaborate with Application Development teams to implement business solution through agile practice and manage production issues. The ideal candidates will possess excellent leadership and communication skills coupled with a solid understanding of modern cloud technologies preferably in the financial sector. Critical incident may require weekend and/or after hours support. PRINCIPAL RESPONSIBILITIES: Lead production stability effort by preventing production issue and improve production stability. • Familiar with ITIL Process and Project methodologies. Assist and drive Change /Incident/Problem Management process and Project releases • Identify measures to improve applications stability and availability, sustain and improve cost efficiencies and productivity gains. • Provide leadership and guidance to junior staff, fostering an environment that encourages employee participation, teamwork, and communication • Consult with business unit partners to determine the most effective computer utilization to solve business problems or address business needs. • Help direct systems projects, including project planning, management status reporting, systems specifications and implementation • Help ensure compliance with all audit requirements including change control procedures and data security • Manage and coordinate with onsite and offshore NT partners to Support applications and drive continuous improvement efforts. • Coordinate with various teams, including offshore staff, and raise support ticket for all issues, analyze root cause and assist in efficient resolution of production issues. • Responsible to attend on-call, after office hours including weekend to support High and Critical production issues. SKILLS / EXPERIENCE: Applicants must be authorized to work in the U.S. without the need for employment-based visa sponsorship now or in the future. Northern Trust will not sponsor applicants for U.S. work visa status for this opportunity (no sponsorship is available for H-1B, L-1, TN, O-1, E-3, H-1B1, F-1, J-1, OPT, CPT or any other employment-based visa) • 5-8 plus years of application development /Support experience using modern technical frameworks and architecture, including experience collaborating with external technology teams. • Must have prior work experience supporting business applications on Java and database technologies. • Good to have past experience under DevOpps or SRE role. • Understanding of the Secure Software Development Lifecycle (SSDLC) and/or other methodologies • Experience working on projects in an Agile/XP environment.. • Experience using at least some of the following technologies: Java, J2EE, Pivotal Cloud Foundry, AZure, Cloud Computing (IaaS, PaaS and SaaS), RESTful interfaces, GIT, Gradle, Maven, NPM, Spring (Spring Batch and Spring Boot), Bootstrap, CSS3, HTML4, React.js, Node.js/JavaScript, Oracle PL/SQL, Data Bricks, NEO4J,DOTNET • Strong communication and interpersonal skills, along with a solid technical background are essential as is the ability to multitask in a fast paced environment. The ideal candidate can explain technical issues in layman’s terms and translate business needs to technology teams and back. • Strong leadership and team player to work as part of a global support team, cross training and supporting multiple critical client facing applications. • Experience working effectively with diverse groups around the world, including IT management, technology staff, business partners, consultants, vendors and clients Salary Range: $99,600 - 169,200 USD Salary range is a good faith estimate of base pay. Northern Trust provides a comprehensive benefits package including retirement benefits (401k and pension), health and welfare benefits (medical, dental, vision, spending accounts and disability), paid time off, parental and caregiver leave, life & accident insurance, and other voluntary and well-being benefits. Northern Trust also provides a discretionary bonus program that may include an equity component. Work Authorization Applicants must be authorized to work in the U.S. without the need for employment-based visa sponsorship now or in the future. Northern Trust will not sponsor applicants for U.S. work visa status for this opportunity (no sponsorship is available for H-1B, L-1, TN, O-1, E-3, H-1B1, F-1, J-1, OPT, CPT or any other employment-based visa). Working with Us As a Northern Trust partner, you will be part of a flexible and collaborative work culture, which has a strong history of financial strength and stability. Movement within the organization is encouraged, senior leaders are accessible, and you can take pride in working for a company committed to an inclusive workplace and assisting the communities we serve. Philanthropy is deeply rooted in Northern Trust’s history and is an essential element of our culture. Employees around the world give their time and talent to work for the greater good of their communities. Reasonable Accommodation Northern Trust is committed to working with and providing adjustments to individuals with health conditions and disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please email our HR Service Center at MyHRHelp@ntrs.com , or alternatively you can discuss your individual requirements with the recruiter you are working with.

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