Freelance Next Js Developer Jobs in Chicago, IL (NOW HIRING)

The Lead Software Engineer will take technical ownership of the full-stack applications the team builds on React, .NET, Next.js, and Azure, including AI-powered features that help lawyers and staff work more effectively. This is a hands-on leadership role: you will write and review code, set engineering standards, make architectural decisions, and mentor other engineers, while partnering with product managers, architects, and business stakeholders to ship reliable software.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Lead the design and delivery of full-stack applications using .NET, React/Next.js, and Azure, with ownership from architecture through production support.
• Set engineering standards for code quality, testing, performance, and security, and hold the team to them through active code authorship and thorough code review.
• Make architectural decisions for new features and systems, weighing trade-offs and ensuring solutions are maintainable, observable, and built to scale.
• Lead the integration of AI and GenAI capabilities into Firm applications, including LLM-powered features, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) pipelines, semantic search, and agentic workflows.
• Mentor engineers through pairing, design reviews, and ongoing feedback.
• Work with product managers, designers, and architects to turn business requirements into clear technical plans and realistic delivery milestones.
• Own the reliability of production systems: set observability standards, lead incident response, and see issues through to root cause.
• Apply security best practices across the stack, including authentication, authorization, and data protection, with particular care given the sensitivity of legal data.
• Partner with DevOps and Infrastructure on CI/CD pipelines, container platforms (Azure Kubernetes Service, Azure Container Apps), and cloud deployment patterns.
• Stay current on relevant technologies and bring well-reasoned recommendations to the team.
• Participate in hiring, including technical interviews and onboarding new engineers.

Education and/or Experience:

Required:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related field; or equivalent professional experience.
• A minimum of 8 years of professional software engineering experience, with a track record of progression into a lead, staff, or principal-level role.
• Strong full-stack development skills, including .NET (C#), React, Next.js, and REST/GraphQL API design.
• Ability to architect and deliver production-grade applications with attention to reliability, performance, and security.
• Hands-on experience with Microsoft Azure services used in application development (e.g., Azure App Service, Azure Container Apps/AKS, Azure SQL, Azure Service Bus, Azure OpenAI Service).
• Experience with relational and/or NoSQL databases (e.g., SQL Server, PostgreSQL, Cosmos DB).
• Strong understanding of software engineering fundamentals: system design, design patterns, testing strategy, and distributed systems.
• Experience with CI/CD pipelines (Azure DevOps or GitHub Actions), version control (Git), and Agile development practices.
• Experience leading engineers, including setting technical direction, running design and code reviews, and helping team members grow.
• Clear communicator, comfortable working with technical peers and non-technical stakeholders alike.

Preferred:

• Experience building or integrating AI and GenAI features in production, such as LLM APIs (e.g., Azure OpenAI, Anthropic Claude), RAG pipelines, vector search, semantic ranking, or agentic workflows.
• Familiarity with AI orchestration and workflow automation tools (e.g., LangGraph, Semantic Kernel, Claude SDK, Temporal, n8n).
• Experience with workflow automation platforms, both low-code integration tools (e.g., n8n, Power Automate) and durable execution engines (e.g., Temporal).
• Experience with .NET Aspire for building and orchestrating cloud-native .NET applications.
• Experience with containerization and orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes, Azure Container Apps).
• Familiarity with cloud-native and serverless architectures on Azure.
• Experience with automated testing frameworks and test-driven development.
• Background in professional services industries (legal, financial services, accounting, or consulting).
• Relevant Azure certifications (e.g., AZ-204 Azure Developer Associate, AZ-305 Azure Solutions Architect Expert).

Other Skills and Abilities:

The following will also be required of the successful candidate:

• Strong organizational skills
• Strong attention to detail
• Good judgment
• Strong interpersonal communication skills
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Able to work harmoniously and effectively with others
• Able to preserve confidentiality and exercise discretion
• Able to work under pressure
• Able to manage multiple projects with competing deadlines and priorities

#LI-OE1

#LI-Hybrid

Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States without the need for employer sponsorship, now or in the future

The target salary range for this role is:

Salaries vary by location and are based on numerous factors, including, but not limited to, the relevant market, skills, experience, and education of the selected candidate. Our compensation package also includes bonus eligibility and a comprehensive benefits program. Benefits information can be found at Sidley.com/Benefits.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform the Duties and Responsibilities above satisfactorily and meet the requirements. The requirements listed above are representative of the minimum knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations will be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job. If you need such an accommodation, please email sidleytalentacquisition@sidley.com (current employees should contact Human Resources).

Sidley Austin LLP is an Equal Opportunity Employer.