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Engineering Assistant Jobs in Chicago, IL (NOW HIRING)

CNA

Principal AI Engineer

Chicago, IL · On-site

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 ...

Cna

Principal AI Engineer

Chicago, IL

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 ...

Gotion Inc.

Process Engineer Intern

Manteno, IL · On-site

$20/hr

Key Responsibilities Assist the manufacturing team in evaluating and defining process flows, equipment selection, and technical documentation for new or existing production lines. Support engineering ...

CNA

Principal AI Engineer

Chicago, IL · On-site

Individual contributor providing the highest level of leadership in AI-native engineering, agentic system design, and applied AI solution development across CNA's Underwriting and Operations ...

Cna

Principal AI Engineer

Chicago, IL

Individual contributor providing the highest level of leadership in AI-native engineering, agentic system design, and applied AI solution development across CNA's Underwriting and Operations ...

CNA

Senior Data AI Engineer

Chicago, IL · On-site

$109K - $148K/yr

Applicable certifications preferred (Google Cloud Platform, Data Engineering). #LI-KJ1 #LI-HYBRID In certain jurisdictions, CNA is legally required to include a reasonable estimate of the ...

CNA

Senior Data AI Engineer

Chicago, IL · On-site

$109K - $148K/yr

Applicable certifications preferred (GCP, Data Engineering). #LI-KJ1 #LI-HYBRID In certain jurisdictions, CNA is legally required to include a reasonable estimate of the compensation for this role.

CNA

Senior AI Software Engineer

Chicago, IL · On-site

$126K - $166K/yr

... engineering performance. * Champion adoption of AI coding assistants (Claude Code, Cursor, GitHub Copilot) in an AI-native SDLC; build the guardrails, prompt patterns, and developer workflows that ...

Orvix Engineering

Data Entry Assistant

Chicago, IL · On-site

$18 - $27/hr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Life

  • Retirement

  • PTO

We are looking for a reliable and detail-oriented Data Entry Assistant to join our growing team at Orvix Engineering . The Data Entry Assistant will be responsible for accurately entering, updating ...

Cna

Senior AI Software Engineer

Chicago, IL

$126K - $166K/yr

... engineering performance. * Champion adoption of AI coding assistants (Claude Code, Cursor, GitHub Copilot) in an AI-native SDLC; build the guardrails, prompt patterns, and developer workflows that ...

Cna

Senior AI Software Engineer

Chicago, IL · Hybrid

$72K - $141K/yr

At CNA, we strive to create a culture in which people know they matter and are part of something ... This role combines hands-on engineering, architecture, and governance, ensuring AI solutions are ...

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All JobsEngineering JobsEngineering Assistant JobsEngineering Assistant Jobs in Chicago, IL

Engineering Assistant information

See Chicago, IL salary details

$13

$32

$59

How much do engineering assistant jobs pay per hour?

As of Aug 19, 2026, the average hourly pay for engineering assistant in Chicago, IL is $32.53, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $20.82 and $39.13 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is an engineering assistant?

An engineering assistant provides support to the engineering team on a variety of projects. As an engineering assistant, your job duties include spec reading, research, conducting tests, modifying techniques, and resolving issues. Additional responsibilities as an engineering assistant are to help project engineers design, develop, evaluate, and troubleshoot to accomplish project goals. You work as part of a team in a lab or workshop environment, so a commitment to safety and compliance with regulations is important. Communication skills are also a must for this career.

What are some common challenges engineering assistants face when supporting multiple projects simultaneously?

Engineering Assistants often juggle tasks across several projects, which can present challenges in prioritization and time management. Balancing administrative duties, technical support, and communication with different teams requires strong organizational skills and adaptability. Proactively coordinating with project managers and regularly updating task lists can help manage workloads more effectively and ensure deadlines are met. Developing familiarity with project management software and open communication channels are also key to thriving in this dynamic environment.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as an engineering assistant, and why are they important?

To thrive as an Engineering Assistant, you need a solid background in engineering principles, technical drawing, and data analysis, usually supported by an associate degree or equivalent technical training. Familiarity with CAD software, Microsoft Office Suite, and project management systems is commonly required. Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and effective communication help you excel in supporting engineering teams and handling multiple tasks. These skills ensure accurate project documentation, efficient workflows, and seamless collaboration within engineering projects.

What is the difference between Engineering Assistant vs Engineering Technician?

AspectEngineering AssistantEngineering Technician
Required CredentialsAssociate degree or relevant certificationAssociate degree or technical diploma
Work EnvironmentOffice, field, or lab settingsLaboratory, field, or manufacturing environments
Employer & Industry UsageCommon in engineering firms, construction, and manufacturingOften in manufacturing, research, and technical services
Common Search & ComparisonYesYes

Engineering Assistants typically support engineering projects through administrative tasks, data collection, and basic technical work, often working in office or field settings. Engineering Technicians focus more on hands-on technical tasks, testing, and maintaining equipment. Both roles require similar educational backgrounds but differ in daily responsibilities and work environments.

How much is the salary of an engineering assistant?

The salary of an engineering assistant typically ranges from $40,000 to $60,000 per year, depending on experience, location, and industry. Entry-level positions may start lower, while experienced assistants or those with specialized skills can earn higher wages. Certifications in engineering or technical tools can also influence salary levels.

What does an engineering assistant do?

An engineering assistant supports engineers by performing tasks such as collecting data, preparing reports, maintaining technical documents, and assisting with project coordination. They often use tools like CAD software and may need basic knowledge of engineering principles and safety protocols. Their role helps ensure projects run smoothly and efficiently.
More about Engineering Assistant jobs

What are the most commonly searched types of Engineering jobs in Chicago, IL?

The most popular types of Engineering jobs in Chicago, IL are:

What are popular job titles related to Engineering Assistant jobs in Chicago, IL?

For Engineering Assistant jobs in Chicago, IL, the most frequently searched job titles are:

What job categories do people searching Engineering Assistant jobs in Chicago, IL look for?

The top searched job categories for Engineering Assistant jobs in Chicago, IL are:

What cities near Chicago, IL are hiring for Engineering Assistant jobs?

Cities near Chicago, IL with the most Engineering Assistant job openings:

Engineering Assistant jobs near you
Infographic showing various Engineering Assistant job openings in Chicago, IL as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 93% Full Time, and 7% Part Time. Highlights an 100% In-person job distribution, with an average salary of $67,656 per year, or $32.5 per hour.

Principal AI Engineer

CNA

Chicago, IL • On-site

Full-time

Re-posted 5 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.

#LI-KJ1
#LI-HYBRID
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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