Software Engineer – III

• Location: Chicago, Illinois Type: Contract Job #101785 EPITEC Role: Senior Systems Engineer / Software Engineer III Location: Chicago, IL – On?site (Hybrid per bank policy) Pay: $85/hr (W2) Assignment Type: 12?month contract, option to extend or convert Clearance Required: U.S. Citizenship ONLY Position Overview Epitec is seeking an experienced Senior Systems Engineer / Software Engineer III to lead the technical design, validation, and operational support of FedLine and FRFS solutions for the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. This role blends deep technical expertise, hands?on production support, technical leadership, and on?premises lab management within a secure, mission?critical environment supporting national financial services. The engineer will manage an air?gapped technical test lab, lead customer validation testing, coordinate technical triage during outages, and ensure all systems remain up-to-date, compliant, and ready for certification activities. The ideal candidate is confident presenting to large groups, skilled in cross?functional leadership, and experienced with both legacy and modern infrastructure. Key Responsibilities Technical Design & Validation • Lead technical design and validation of FedLine and FRFS configurations. • Identify gaps between current and target states and develop solutions. • Create and execute customer validation tests, including detailed test plans, security?aligned use cases, and compliance-driven scenarios. • Collaborate across engineering, architecture, and security groups. Lab Management (On?Premises Expert) • Oversee the Chicago?based air?gapped technical lab—one of the bank’s primary test sites. • Maintain lab hardware, software, licensing, patches, and network configurations. • Run simulations to replicate customer environments and troubleshoot issues. • Reduce technical debt and ensure the lab remains production-representative. Testing & Analysis • Coordinate technical and end-user resources to execute and analyze tests. • Document findings, issues, and recommended remediation steps. • Estimate labor and technical skill requirements for testing efforts. • Ensure all testing aligns with Federal Reserve security and regulatory expectations. Operational Support & Production Readiness • Serve as the technical incident coordinator, driving outage calls and leading cross-functional troubleshooting. • Support migration efforts from legacy infrastructure to cloud or co?location environments. • Work heavily with Sterling technologies, including Secure Transport and Connect:Direct. • Interact with customers using Axway SecureClient for secure file movement and triage. • Participate in an on?call rotation (approximately every 8–10 weeks). Process, Leadership, & Standards • Influence and lead cross-functional teams without direct authority. • Provide guidance during critical issue resolution when root cause is unclear. • Drive process improvements across FRFS channels and customer-facing operations. • Support performance optimization, cost reduction strategies, and SLA adherence. • Maintain compliance with FRFS standards, security frameworks, and operational policies. Day?to?Day Work • Hands-on system triage across Linux/Unix shells, using tools such as TOP to assess resource usage. • Working with legacy infrastructure to support modernization and migration strategies. • Deep involvement with IBM middleware (MQ, Connect:Direct, WebSphere). • Regular collaboration with security, networking, and application engineering teams. • Leading technical discussions for large groups and presenting updates to stakeholders. • Supporting lab operations four days per week (per Chicago hybrid policy). Skills and Tools Top Technical Requirements • Expertise in PKI, LDAP, routers, firewalls, and networking fundamentals. • Strong experience with middleware tools: – Sterling Connect:Direct – IBM MQ – SecureTransport • Experience with proxy technologies: – Sterling Secure Proxy – Tivoli Access Manager • Familiarity with client?side tools including Axway SecureClient. • Strong understanding of Windows, Unix/Linux, and Solaris operating systems. • Ability to design and execute complex customer validation tests. Functional Skills • Ability to troubleshoot end?to?end application flows in production?scale environments. • Experience with legacy application infrastructure and cloud migration support. • Strong knowledge of infrastructure and integration testing methodologies. • Hands?on hardware experience inside secure, on?premises lab environments. Professional Skills • Proven ability to lead without formal authority across large, complex organizations. • Strong project management and resource coordination abilities. • Exceptional written, verbal, and presentation skills. • Ability to translate complex technical concepts into business?friendly language. • Confident and composed while leading critical incident calls. Education & Experience Master’s degree + 5+ years of experience OR Bachelor’s degree + 7+ years of experience Including: • 2+ years serving in leadership or technical lead roles (not people management). • Extensive experience with enterprise production support and infrastructure. Work Environment • Chicago highly preferred due to responsibility for the local technical/test lab. • Typically 4 days per week onsite (Monday–Thursday, subject to bank policy). • Secure, regulated environment requiring adherence to Federal Reserve standards. Disqualifiers • No Linux/Unix command line knowledge. • No middleware experience (IBM MQ, Connect:Direct, SecureTransport). • Lack of production support or incident lead experience. • Inability to work onsite. • Not a U.S. citizen or unable to obtain required ANACI clearance. #LI-VV1 #INDPRO