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Volunteer Software Development Jobs in Chicago, IL

Software Engineer

Chicago, IL · On-site

$97K - $158K/yr

Software Development: Knowledge of software development tools and activities; ability to produce ... Voluntary Benefits and Employee Discounts* * Career Development* * Incentive bonus* * Disability ...

Software Engineer

Chicago, IL · On-site

$97K - $158K/yr

Software Engineer provides technical leadership in design, development, testing and deployment of ... Voluntary Benefits and Employee Discounts* * Career Development* * Incentive bonus* * Disability ...

Oversee the planning, execution, and delivery of software development projects. This involves ... Voluntary Accident Insurance * Employee Assistance Program * 401k with generous Company Match

Oversee and manage advanced software development activities, including planning, design ... Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents) • Short and long-term ...

Lead Software Engineer

Chicago, IL · On-site

$128K - $208K/yr

Lead Software Engineer provides technical leadership in design, development, testing and deployment ... Voluntary Benefits and Employee Discounts* * Career Development* * Incentive bonus* * Disability ...

Senior Software Engineer

Chicago, IL · Hybrid

$130K - $140K/yr

You shouldpossesssolid software development and programming skills, have a sound understanding of ... We offer our employees paid parental leave, back-up childcare arrangements, paid volunteer days ...

Senior Software Engineer

Chicago, IL · On-site

$130K - $140K/yr

You should possess solid software development and programming skills, have a sound understanding of ... We offer our employees paid parental leave, back-up childcare arrangements, paid volunteer days ...

Software Engineer II

Chicago, IL · Hybrid

$105K - $115K/yr

You should possess solid software development and programming skills, have a sound understanding of ... We offer our employees paid parental leave, back-up childcare arrangements, paid volunteer days ...

Software Engineer II

Chicago, IL · On-site

$105K - $115K/yr

You should possess solid software development and programming skills, have a sound understanding of ... We offer our employees paid parental leave, back-up childcare arrangements, paid volunteer days ...

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Showing results 1-20

Volunteer Software Development information

See Chicago, IL salary details

$81.9K

$146.4K

$183.9K

How much do volunteer software development jobs pay per year?

As of Jul 26, 2026, the average yearly pay for volunteer software development in Chicago, IL is $146,385.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $127,200.00 and $167,900.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is volunteer software development?

Volunteer software development involves individuals offering their programming skills and technical expertise for free to support non-profit organizations, open-source projects, or community initiatives. These volunteers help build, maintain, or improve software systems without monetary compensation, often to support causes they care about. This work can range from designing websites to developing complex applications, and may be done remotely or on-site. Volunteering in software development not only helps organizations achieve their missions but also provides volunteers with valuable experience and networking opportunities.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a Volunteer Software Developer, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Volunteer Software Developer, you need a solid understanding of programming languages, version control, and software development principles, typically gained through education or self-study. Familiarity with platforms like GitHub, issue trackers, and common frameworks or libraries is highly beneficial. Strong communication, teamwork, and a proactive attitude help you collaborate effectively with diverse teams and stakeholders. These skills enable volunteers to contribute meaningful code, support project goals, and drive positive impact in resource-limited environments.

What are some common challenges faced by volunteer software developers, and how can they be effectively managed?

Volunteer software developers often work with teams that have varying skill levels and may be distributed across different time zones, making communication and coordination challenging. Additionally, since volunteer roles are typically part-time or flexible, balancing project deadlines with volunteers’ availability requires strong project management and clear expectations. To manage these challenges, it’s helpful to use collaborative tools, maintain regular check-ins, and establish clear documentation and coding standards. Open communication and a supportive team culture can also help volunteers stay engaged and productive.

What is the difference between Volunteer Software Development vs Software Developer?

AspectVolunteer Software DevelopmentSoftware Developer
CredentialsTypically no formal credentials required; passion and basic coding skillsBachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field often required
Work EnvironmentNon-profit, open-source projects, or community initiativesCorporate, startup, or freelance settings
Employer & IndustryNon-profit organizations, open-source communitiesTech companies, startups, consulting firms
Search & Comparison IntentVolunteering opportunities, unpaid coding rolesPaid employment, career development

Volunteer Software Development involves unpaid work for non-profit or open-source projects, often with flexible credentials. Software Developers typically work in paid roles within companies, requiring formal education and professional experience. Both roles involve coding but differ mainly in compensation, work environment, and career progression.

What are the most commonly searched types of Software Development jobs in Chicago, IL? The most popular types of Software Development jobs in Chicago, IL are:
What job categories do people searching Volunteer Software Development jobs in Chicago, IL look for? The top searched job categories for Volunteer Software Development jobs in Chicago, IL are:
Infographic showing various Volunteer Software Development job openings in Chicago, IL as of June 2026, with employment types broken down into 98% Full Time, and 2% Part Time. Highlights an 93% Physical, 2% Hybrid, and 5% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $146,385 per year, or $70.4 per hour.
Senior Software Development Engineer

Senior Software Development Engineer

Clearwater Analytics

Chicago, IL • On-site, Remote

$129K - $174K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Retirement, PTO

Posted 3 days ago


Job description

Clearwater Analytics' mission is to become the world's most trusted and comprehensive technology platform for investment reporting, accounting, and analytics. With our team, you will partner with the most sophisticated and innovative institutional investors around the world. If you are infectiously passionate about what you do, intensely committed to clients, and driven by continuous innovation and improvement... We want you to apply!

A career in Software Development, will provide you with the opportunity to participate in all phases of the software development lifecycle, including design, implementation, testing and deployment of quality software. With the use of advanced technology, you and your team will work in an agile environment producing designs and code that our customers will use every day.

Responsibilities:

  • Developing quality software that is used by some of the world's largest technology firms, fixed income asset managers, and custodian banks

  • Participate in Agile meetings to contribute with development strategies and product roadmap

  • Owning critical processes that are highly available and scalable

  • Producing tremendous feature enhancements and reacting quickly to emerging technologies

  • Encouraging collaboration and stimulating creativity

  • Helping mentor entry-level developers

  • Contributing to design and architectural decisions

  • Providing leadership and expertise to our ever-growing workforce

  • Testing and validating in development and production code that they own, deploy, and monitor

  • Understanding, responding to, and addressing customer issues with empathy and in a timely manner

  • Independently can move a major feature or service through an entire lifecycle of design, development, deployment, and maintenance

  • Deep knowledge in multiple teams' domains; broad understanding of CW systems.

  • Creates documentation of system requirements and behavior across domains

  • Willingly takes on unowned and undesirable work that helps team velocity and quality

  • Is in touch with client needs and understands their usage

  • Consulted on quality, scaling and performance requirements before development on new features begins.

  • Understands, finds, and proposes solutions for systemic problems

  • Leads in the technical breakdown of deliverables and capabilities into features and stories.

  • Expert in unit testing techniques and design for testability, contributes to automated system testing requirements and design

  • Improves code quality and architecture to ensure testability and maintainability

  • Understands, designs, and tests for impact/performance on dependencies and adjacent components and services. Builds and maintains code in the context and awareness of the larger system

  • Helps less experienced engineers troubleshoot and solve problems

  • Active in mentoring and training of others inside and outside their division


Requirements:

  • Strong problem-solving skills

  • Experience with an object-oriented, or functional language

  • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field

  • Strong problem-solving skills

  • 7+ years professional experience in industry-leading programming languages (Java/Python).

  • Background in SDLC & Agile practices.

  • Experience in monitoring production systems.

  • Experience with Machine Learning

  • Experience working with Cloud Platforms (AWS/Azure/GCP).

  • Experience working with messaging systems such as Cloud Pub/Sub, Kafka, or SQS/SNS.

  • Must be able to communicate (speak, read, comprehend, write in English).

Desired Experience or Skills:

  • Ability to build scalable backend services (Microservices, polyglot storage, messaging systems, data processing pipelines).

  • Possess strong analytical skills, with excellent problem-solving abilities in the face of ambiguity.

  • Excellent written and verbal skills. Ability to contribute to software design documentation, presentation, sequence diagrams and present complex technical designs in a concise manner.

  • Professional experience in building distributed software systems, specializing in big data and NoSQL database technologies (Hadoop, Spark, DynamoDB, HBase, Hive, Cassandra, Vertica).

  • Ability to work with relational and NoSQL databases

  • Strong problem-solving skills.

  • Strong organizational, interpersonal, and communication skills.

  • Detail oriented.

  • Motivated, team player.

What we Offer:

  • Business casual atmosphere in a flexible working environment

  • Team focused culture that promotes innovation and ownership

  • Access cutting edge investment reporting technology and expertise

  • Defined and undefined career pathways allowing you to grow your own way

  • Competitive medical, dental, vision, and life insurance benefits

  • Maternity and paternity leave

  • Personal Time Off and Volunteer Time Off to give back to the community

  • 401(k) retirement plan with company match

  • Work from anywhere 3 weeks out of the year

  • Work from home Fridays

Salary Range

$129,200.00 - $174,173.00

This is the pay range the Company believes it will pay for this position at the time of this posting. Consistent with applicable law, compensation will be determined based on relevant experience, other job-related qualifications/skills, and geographic location (to account for comparative cost of living). The Company reserves the right to modify this pay range at any time. For this role, benefits include: health/vision/dental insurance, 401(k), PTO, parental leave, and medical leave, STD/LTD insurance benefits. Clearwater Analytics is An Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or veteran status, age or any other federally protected class.