The Program
We built the Morningstar Development Program for Technologists to evolve recent college graduates and prepare them for successful, long-term careers at our company. In the Technology organization, you'll be part of a diverse team that builds innovative and useful software that users love, using contemporary techniques, tools, and infrastructure.
Technology is core to Morningstar's ability to deliver independent research, data, and insights to investors, advisors, asset managers, and institutions around the world. Our technology teams work closely with business and product partners to build, enhance, and support the platforms, tools, and analytics that power Morningstar's products and services. Quality is central to that work: investors and advisors rely on accurate, dependable products, and our engineers are responsible for making sure they get them.
The Morningstar Development Program (MDP) is a full-time, early career program designed to launch high-potential graduates into impactful, long-term careers at Morningstar. Participants gain hands-on experience through meaningful project work, mentorship from experienced technologists and leaders, and exposure to Morningstar's products, data, and business model.
The Team
This role is aligned to our Wealth Technology team for the full duration of the two-year program. Wealth Technology builds and supports the platforms and tools that help financial advisors, wealth managers, and their clients plan, build portfolios, manage investments, and report on outcomes. These products handle sensitive financial data and support high-stakes decisions, so accuracy, reliability, and security are essential. You will build deep expertise in a single product area, grow alongside a consistent team and mentors, and see your work shape the quality of products used by wealth professionals around the world.
The Role
The Morningstar Development Program – Technology is accepting applicants graduating in 2026. As a Software Engineer in Test on the Wealth Technology team, you will focus on software quality, testing, and test automation, helping ensure the reliability, accuracy, and performance of our wealth platforms and the calculations, data, and workflows behind them. You will be assigned real work that contributes directly to Morningstar's core products.
MDP associates are expected to take ownership of their work, collaborate across technology, product, and business teams, and communicate effectively with both technical and non-technical partners. As a software engineer with a quality focus, you will write code, build automated tests, and act as an advocate for quality throughout the development lifecycle. Throughout the program, associates receive structured mentorship, ongoing feedback, and professional development support to build a strong foundation for a technology career at Morningstar.
All roles are based in our Chicago office, with an in-office expectation of 4 days per week.
Responsibilities
- Contribute as a member of an Agile Wealth Technology team, helping solve real business problems through analysis, design, and hands-on development with a focus on quality
- Design, build, and maintain automated test frameworks and test suites (unit, integration, API, UI, and end-to-end) for wealth products such as portfolio construction, planning, reporting, and advisor and client-facing applications
- Develop test plans, test cases, and test data from requirements and user stories, and execute manual and exploratory testing where automation is not the right fit
- Validate the accuracy of financial calculations, investment data, and reports across data pipelines, databases, and APIs using SQL and scripting
- Identify, document, and track defects through to resolution, working closely with developers to reproduce issues and perform root cause analysis
- Integrate automated testing into CI/CD pipelines to enable fast, reliable releases, and help monitor and improve test coverage, stability, and performance
- Collaborate with engineers, product managers, data teams, and wealth business stakeholders to clarify requirements, define acceptance criteria, and build quality into solutions from the start
- Participate in individual and team-based projects, presenting work and outcomes to peers, managers, and senior leaders
- Learn Morningstar's wealth products, data sets, and technology ecosystem, gaining exposure to how technology enables Morningstar's mission
- Engage in training, mentorship, and professional development opportunities as part of the MDP cohort experience
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience with software development, quality assurance, test automation, or technology platforms, gained through internships, coursework, or projects
- Strong programming fundamentals; experience with languages such as Python, Java, JavaScript/TypeScript, C#, or SQL is a plus
- Familiarity with testing concepts and methodologies, including test case design, regression testing, and the software development and testing lifecycle
- Exposure to test automation tools and frameworks (e.g., Selenium, Playwright, Cypress, JUnit, pytest, TestNG, Postman/REST Assured) is a plus
- Familiarity with version control (Git) and CI/CD concepts is a plus
- Interest in wealth management, financial planning, investing, or data and analytics-driven financial products
- Strong attention to detail, with a mindset for finding edge cases and thinking about how software can fail, especially where financial accuracy matters
- Demonstrated ability to take initiative, learn quickly, and work independently when needed
- Strong communication skills, with the ability to clearly document defects and explain technical concepts to diverse audiences
- Analytical, curious, and collaborative mindset with strong problem-solving skills
Requirements
- A bachelor's degree or higher
- A resume is required to apply.
Please be sure to include the word "Resume" in the name of the resume you upload to your application on the front page.
Compensation and Benefits
The salary for this role in Chicago is $92,143
At Morningstar we believe people are at their best when they are at their healthiest. That's why we champion your wellness through a wide range of programs that support all stages of your personal and professional life. Here are some examples of the offerings we provide:
Financial Health
- 100% 401k match up to 6% of salary
- Stock Ownership Potential
- Company provided life insurance - 1x salary + commission
Physical Health
- Comprehensive health benefits (medical/dental/vision) including potential premium discounts and company-provided HSA contributions (up to $500-$2,000 annually) for specific plans and coverages
- Additional medical Wellness Incentives - up to $300-$600 annual
- Company-provided long- and short-term disability insurance
Emotional Health
- 6-week Paid Sabbatical Program
- 6-Week Paid Family Caregiving Leave
- Competitive 8-24 Week Paid Parental Leave
- Leadership Coaching & Formal Mentorship Opportunities
- Annual Flex Stipend - $1000 annually to cover personal education & well-being expenses
Social Health
- Charitable Matching Gifts program
- Dollars for Doers volunteer program
- 15+ Employee Resource & Affinity Groups
Morningstar's hybrid work environment gives you the opportunity to collaborate in-person each week as we've found that we're at our best when we're purposely together on a regular basis. In most of our locations, our hybrid work model is four days in-office each week. A range of other benefits are also available to enhance flexibility as needs change. No matter where you are, you'll have tools and resources to engage meaningfully with your global colleagues.
