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Assistant Programmer Jobs in Downers Grove, IL (NOW HIRING)

CNA

Principal AI Engineer

Chicago, IL · On-site

At CNA, we strive to create a culture in which people know they matter and are part of something ... This role operates at the intersection of AI systems engineering, developer experience, and ...

Cna

Principal AI Engineer

Chicago, IL · On-site

At CNA, we strive to create a culture in which people know they matter and are part of something ... This role operates at the intersection of AI systems engineering, developer experience, and ...

Cna

Principal AI Engineer

Chicago, IL · On-site

At CNA, we strive to create a culture in which people know they matter and are part of something ... This role operates at the intersection of AI systems engineering, developer experience, and ...

CNA

Principal Data Engineer

Chicago, IL · On-site

$97 - $189/hr

At CNA, we strive to create a culture in which people know they matter and are part of something ... Hands-on principal engineer and distinguished technology leader responsible for the strategic ...

Actalent

Cmm Programmer

Park Ridge, IL · On-site

$35 - $40/hr

Document all manufactured parts that fail inspection, prepare non-conforming reports in Excel, and provide disposition to engineering and project management. * Assist the project management ...

New

CNA

Principal Data Engineer

Chicago, IL · On-site

At CNA, we strive to create a culture in which people know they matter and are part of something ... Hands-on principal engineer and distinguished technology leader responsible for the strategic ...

Cna

Principal Data Engineer

Chicago, IL

At CNA, we strive to create a culture in which people know they matter and are part of something ... Hands-on principal engineer and distinguished technology leader responsible for the strategic ...

Prince Industries LLC

CNC Programmer

Carol Stream, IL · On-site

$60 - $80/hr

The role is focused on programming and optimizing 3-5 axis Vertical Machining Centers and ... * Assist the Quoting team with accurate cycle time and fixture cost estimates. * Create detailed ...

CNA

Senior Software Engineer - Guidewire Developer

Chicago, IL · On-site

$56.25 - $74.25/hr

At CNA, we strive to create a culture in which people know they matter and are part of something ... Provides technical guidance, mentors developers, supports production stability, and leverages Agile ...

Cna

Senior Software Engineer - Guidewire Developer

Chicago, IL · On-site

$56.25 - $74.25/hr

At CNA, we strive to create a culture in which people know they matter and are part of something ... Provides technical guidance, mentors developers, supports production stability, and leverages Agile ...

Torrey Holistics

Robot Programmer

Bartlett, IL · On-site

$70 - $110/hr

Programming & Optimization - Assist with programming, calibration, cycle-time tuning, and continuous improvement of robotic cells and subsystems.Documentation, Safety & Collaboration - Record ...

MATRIX DESIGN LLC

Robot Programmer

Bartlett, IL

$25 - $43/hr

PROGRAMMING AND OPTIMIZATION * Assist in programming, calibration, and optimization of robotic systems. * DOCUMENTATION, SAFETY, AND COLLABORATION * Document work performed, including maintenance ...

MatrixIndustrialAutomation

Robot Programmer

Bartlett, IL · On-site

$25 - $43/hr

PROGRAMMING AND OPTIMIZATION * Assist in programming, calibration, and optimization of robotic systems. * DOCUMENTATION, SAFETY, AND COLLABORATION * Document work performed, including maintenance ...

CNA

Senior AI Engineer - Guidewire

Chicago, IL · On-site

$126K - $166K/yr

At CNA, we strive to create a culture in which people know they matter and are part of something ... Lead and mentor engineering teams in using AI tools (e.g., GitHub Copilot, Claude, Developer ...

Matrix Design, LLC

Robot Programmer

Bartlett, IL · On-site

$30 - $40/hr

PROGRAMMING AND OPTIMIZATION * Assist in programming, calibration, and optimization of robotic systems. * DOCUMENTATION, SAFETY, AND COLLABORATION * Document work performed, including maintenance ...

Matrix Design, LLC

Robot Programmer

Bartlett, IL · On-site

$30 - $40/hr

PROGRAMMING AND OPTIMIZATION * Assist in programming, calibration, and optimization of robotic systems. * DOCUMENTATION, SAFETY, AND COLLABORATION * Document work performed, including maintenance ...

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All JobsProgrammer JobsAssistant Programmer JobsAssistant Programmer Jobs in Downers Grove, IL

Assistant Programmer information

See Downers Grove, IL salary details

$11

$39

$68

How much do assistant programmer jobs pay per hour?

As of Sep 5, 2026, the average hourly pay for assistant programmer in Downers Grove, IL is $39.44, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $25.67 and $51.35 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is an assistant programmer?

Assistant Programmers are entry-level professionals who support the development, testing, and maintenance of software applications. They typically work under the supervision of senior programmers or software engineers, helping to write code, debug programs, and document software processes. Their main role is to assist with routine programming tasks and learn industry best practices, making this position a common starting point for a career in software development.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as an assistant programmer?

To thrive as an Assistant Programmer, you need foundational knowledge in programming languages (such as Java, Python, or C++), software development fundamentals, and typically a degree or coursework in computer science or a related field. Familiarity with version control systems (like Git), integrated development environments (IDEs), and debugging tools is highly valuable. Strong problem-solving abilities, attention to detail, and effective communication skills help you collaborate with team members and deliver quality code. These skills and qualities are crucial for efficiently supporting software projects and ensuring reliable, maintainable applications.

What are some typical challenges faced by assistant programmers when joining a new development team?

Assistant Programmers often encounter challenges such as adapting to the team's coding standards, learning new tools or frameworks, and understanding the existing codebase. It can also be a learning curve to effectively communicate with senior developers and contribute to collaborative projects. However, most teams provide mentorship, documentation, and code reviews to help new team members integrate smoothly and build confidence in their technical and interpersonal skills.

What is the difference between Assistant Programmer vs Junior Developer?

AspectAssistant ProgrammerJunior Developer
Required CredentialsTypically an associate degree or diploma in computer science or related fieldSimilar, often an entry-level role with comparable educational background
Work EnvironmentSupportive team, assisting senior programmers in coding and testingHands-on coding, debugging, and developing software applications
Employer & Industry UsageCommon in IT firms, software companies, and tech departmentsUsed across similar industries, often interchangeable with Assistant Programmer in job listings

In summary, Assistant Programmers and Junior Developers share similar educational backgrounds and work environments. The main difference lies in their roles: Assistant Programmers typically support and assist senior staff, while Junior Developers are more involved in actual coding and development tasks. Both positions serve as entry points into the software development industry.

How to get a job as an assistant programmer with no experience?

To get a job as an assistant programmer with no experience, focus on building foundational skills in programming languages like Python or Java through online courses or tutorials. Create a portfolio of small projects to demonstrate your abilities, and consider internships or entry-level positions that offer on-the-job training to gain practical experience.

What are popular job titles related to Assistant Programmer jobs in Downers Grove, IL?

For Assistant Programmer jobs in Downers Grove, IL, the most frequently searched job titles are:

What job categories do people searching Assistant Programmer jobs in Downers Grove, IL look for?

The top searched job categories for Assistant Programmer jobs in Downers Grove, IL are:

What cities near Downers Grove, IL are hiring for Assistant Programmer jobs?

Cities near Downers Grove, IL with the most Assistant Programmer job openings:

Assistant Programmer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Assistant Programmer job openings in Downers Grove, IL as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% As Needed, 76% Full Time, 20% Part Time, 1% Temporary, and 2% Contract. Highlights an 98% Physical, 1% Hybrid, and 1% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $82,043 per year, or $39.4 per hour.

Principal AI Engineer

CNA

Chicago, IL • On-site

Full-time

Re-posted 22 days ago

Job description

You have a clear vision of where your career can go. And we have the leadership to help you get there. At CNA, we strive to create a culture in which people know they matter and are part of something important, ensuring the abilities of all employees are used to their fullest potential.
Individual contributor providing the highest level of technical leadership in the design, development, and scaling of CNA's AI-native agentic engineering platform. This role operates at the intersection of AI systems engineering, developer experience, and software delivery - building the foundational platform capabilities that enable the broad engineering organization to build, ship, and run high-quality, secure AI-native systems at the speed of AI. The focus is on designing and delivering agentic workflows, AI-augmented CI/CD pipelines, reusable skills and agent frameworks, and quality/security guardrails that make AI-accelerated delivery safe and scalable across the enterprise.
JOB DESCRIPTION:
Essential Duties & Responsibilities
Performs a combination of duties in accordance with departmental guidelines:
  • Acts as one of principal engineers for CNA's AI-native engineering platform, designing the end-to-end system spanning agentic coding workflows, skills and agent marketplaces, AI-augmented CI/CD pipelines, automated quality gates, and rapid environment provisioning. Leads integration of AI tooling (Claude Code, Cursor, GitHub Copilot) into the software delivery lifecycle, ensuring these capabilities compose into a coherent, governed platform.
  • Designs and builds the agentic infrastructure layer - including multi-agent orchestration patterns, sub-agent frameworks, skill authoring standards, and context engineering best practices - that enables engineering teams to operate at AI-native speed without sacrificing architectural integrity or security posture.
  • Provides expert technical consultation to engineering leadership, portfolio teams, and architecture on how to adopt AI-native development practices, evaluate AI-generated code quality, and integrate agentic tooling into existing workflows. Advises on trade-offs between speed and quality, human-in-the-loop requirements, and appropriate levels of AI autonomy for different risk profiles (e.g., Sox-classified systems vs. rapid prototyping).
  • Leads the technical strategy for the centralized skills and agent marketplace, defining contribution standards, review processes, and governance models that enable inner-source contribution at scale while maintaining enterprise quality and security requirements. Establishes what qualifies as a skill, an agent, and an MCP configuration at the enterprise level.
  • Acts as the senior technical resource mentoring engineers across the organization in AI-native engineering practices - including agentic coding patterns, context engineering, prompt-to-code workflows, and AI-assisted testing - raising the floor of capability so teams become self-sustaining without ongoing coaching dependency.
  • Researches, evaluates, and recommends AI engineering tools, frameworks, and infrastructure (e.g., eval platforms, agent orchestration systems, environment provisioning automation) aligned with CNA's strategic direction. Leads build-vs-buy analysis for platform capabilities such as CI/CD tooling, sandbox provisioning, and LLM evaluation infrastructure.
  • Partners closely with Architecture, Security, Cloud Engineering, and Data teams to ensure the AI engineering platform integrates with enterprise infrastructure (GCP/GKE, GitHub, JFrog Artifactory), meets regulatory and compliance requirements (AI model tracking, Sox controls), and scales to support hundreds of engineers and AI pod teams across all portfolios.

Reporting Relationship
Typically Director or above
Skills, Knowledge & Abilities
  • Expert knowledge of AI-native software engineering practices including agentic coding workflows (Claude Code, Cursor, GitHub Copilot), prompt and context engineering, multi-agent orchestration, MCP protocol, and skill/agent authoring patterns.
  • Deep understanding of the modern software delivery lifecycle with specific expertise in how AI transforms each phase - from AI-assisted requirements and design through agentic code generation, automated testing, AI-augmented code review, and continuous deployment.
  • Expert-level proficiency in building and operating CI/CD platforms (GitHub Actions or equivalent), infrastructure-as-code (Terraform), container orchestration (GKE/Kubernetes), and cloud platforms (GCP), with the ability to design pipelines that enforce quality and security gates without creating delivery bottlenecks.
  • Strong knowledge of application security engineering including supply chain security, artifact management and curation, static/dynamic analysis, secret management, and the specific attack vectors introduced by AI-generated code (dependency hallucination, model drift, prompt injection).
  • Demonstrated ability to design developer platforms and tooling that serve hundreds of engineers at varying skill levels - balancing power-user capability with guardrails that prevent misuse and maintain code quality at scale.
  • Proven ability to evaluate and integrate emerging AI technologies rapidly, with the judgment to distinguish between hype and production-ready capability. Comfortable operating in a fast-moving domain where the tooling landscape changes weekly.
  • Excellent communication skills with the ability to translate complex AI engineering concepts for both technical and non-technical audiences. Able to influence engineering culture and drive adoption of new practices across a large, diverse organization including internal teams and managed service providers.
  • Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with an outcomes-oriented mindset - focused on measurable improvements in delivery speed, code quality, and engineering productivity rather than tooling adoption metrics.

Education & Experience
  • Bachelor's Degree with Master's preferred in Computer Science, AI/ML, or related discipline, or equivalent work experience.
  • Minimum of 9 years of solid, diverse work experience in software engineering with a minimum of 6 years in application development, including significant recent experience (2+ years) building or operating AI-augmented development tools, agentic systems, or developer platforms.
  • Demonstrated hands-on experience with LLM-based engineering tools (Claude Code, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, or equivalent) in production engineering workflows, not just experimental use.
  • Experience designing and scaling inner-source or platform engineering programs across large engineering organizations preferred.
  • Applicable certifications in cloud platforms (GCP, AWS), AI/ML, or security preferred.

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In certain jurisdictions, CNA is legally required to include a reasonable estimate of the compensation for this role. In District of Columbia, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York and Washington, the national base pay range for this job level is $97,000 to $189,000 annually. Salary determinations are based on various factors, including but not limited to, relevant work experience, skills, certifications and location. CNA offers a comprehensive and competitive benefits package to help our employees - and their family members - achieve their physical, financial, emotional and social wellbeing goals. For a detailed look at CNA's benefits, please visit cnabenefits.com.
CNA utilizes AI-enabled technology during the recruiting process. For more information, please visit our careers page.
CNA is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities in the recruitment process. To request an accommodation, please contact leaveadministration@cna.com

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