Senior Software Engineer-Scala

About Rewards Network

For 40 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.

Our Culture

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.

Job Overview

The Senior Software Engineer (Platform Team) joins a dynamic group responsible for designing and developing scalable back-end systems that power Rewards Network’s dining and transaction processing platform. This role contributes to building robust, functional programming-driven services, ensuring seamless rewards delivery and exceptional partner experiences for millions of users.

This is a hybrid position that requires in office presence two days a week in Chicago.

What you’ll bring to the table: (Responsibilities)

• Lead the development of scalable back-end systems to support platform services.


• Architect RESTful APIs and microservices using functional programming to ensure reliability and maintainability.


• Build real-time data pipelines to enable efficient platform operations.


• Optimize databases for performance and data integrity.


• Mentor team members on functional programming practices and system design for high-quality, testable code.


• Collaborate with DevOps and data teams to align on platform performance and operational needs.


• Implement security measures to safeguard sensitive platform data.


• Oversee projects from design to deployment, ensuring alignment with business goals.


• Enhance CI/CD processes to maintain platform reliability.


• Research advanced functional programming techniques to improve system performance.

Do you have the right mix of ingredients :

• 7+ years of experience in back-end software development, with at least 3 years focused on functional programming.


• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent experience (e.g., coding bootcamp or self-taught expertise).


• Expert proficiency in Scala


• Strong experience with functional programming libraries, including Cats Effect, for concurrent and scalable applications.


• Advanced skill in designing RESTful APIs and microservices with functional paradigms.


• Proficiency in event streaming systems like Kafka for real-time processing.


• Expertise in optimizing relational databases (e.g., PostgreSQL) for high-throughput environments.


• Ability to write clean, testable code adhering to functional programming principles.


• Deep knowledge of security practices for critical systems.


• Proven ability to lead technical projects and mentor engineers across teams.


• Experience with CI/CD pipelines and containerized environments (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes).


• Familiarity with Typelevel ecosystem (preferred).

What you’ll love about us:

Comprehensive benefits package, which includes:

• This is a full-time, exempt position and the base compensation for this opening in Chicago is expected to be $150,000-$182,000 annualized, depending on level, candidate experience, skills, and other factors; this position will be eligible for an annual bonus program with a target of 10% base annualized salary, for a total compensation of $165,000-$200,200.


• Competitive Time Off Benefits: including flexible PTO, 11 company holidays, and parental leave.


• Generous dining reimbursement when you dine with our restaurant clients


• 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


• Company-paid life insurance and AD&D insurance, supplemental employee, spouse, and child life insurance


• Employee Life Assistance Program


• Hybrid working environment in a new office space downtown near the Metra Train stations and catered lunches on Tuesdays.

Rewards Network is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE). We encourage and strongly support workplace diversity.

Expected Pay Range

$150,000 - $182,000 USD