Application Engineer, Aladdin Engineering, Associate

About this role

About the Role
We are seeking a Senior Associate – Application Engineer to join our engineering team, contributing to the design, development, and delivery of scalable, high-quality software solutions within BlackRock’s platform ecosystem.

This role is suited for an experienced backend engineer with strong Python expertise, complemented by Java experience, and a high degree of ownership and accountability. You will be responsible for building and enhancing enterprise-grade services, developing APIs, and working on data-centric workflows that support critical business and platform use cases.

The ideal candidate thrives in a collaborative, fast-paced environment, demonstrates initiative, and is capable of solving complex problems independently while maintaining strong engineering standards and code quality.

About the Team
You will be part of a highly collaborative engineering team focused on building and evolving platform capabilities that support critical workflows across BlackRock. The team develops scalable services, data-driven solutions, and system integrations, with a strong emphasis on engineering quality, reliability, and continuous improvement.

The environment encourages accountability, innovation, and ownership, enabling engineers to contribute meaningfully to both technical delivery and the broader platform vision.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and develop scalable backend services and APIs using Python (primary) and Java (secondary)
• Build and maintain data processing and inventory workflows, including data ingestion, transformation, and storage
• Write and optimize SQL queries interacting with Azure SQL or similar RDBMS
• Develop robust and maintainable code with strong unit test coverage (TDD experience is advantageous)
• Work with messaging systems such as Kafka or Azure Service Bus for asynchronous processing
• Apply Clean Code principles to ensure maintainable, high-quality codebases
• Independently manage and deliver ADO work items with well-structured solutions
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to enhance system capabilities and drive continuous improvement
  
• Qualifications
• B.S. / M.S. in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field (or equivalent practical experience)
• 5+ years of hands-on software development experience, preferably in backend or platform engineering roles
• Strong hands-on experience in Python development for backend services, data processing, and automation
• Experience building data pipelines / inventory-style workflows (data ingestion, transformation, validation, and persistence)
• Solid understanding of RESTful API development using Python frameworks (e.g., FastAPI, Flask, or similar)
• Good working knowledge of relational databases (Azure SQL preferred) and SQL query optimization
• Experience with unit testing frameworks and exposure to test-driven development
• Familiarity with asynchronous processing using messaging systems such as Kafka or Azure Service Bus
• Understanding of Clean Code principles and sound software design practices
• Working knowledge of Git and Linux/Unix environments
• Basic to intermediate Java experience (Spring Boot or similar) to support existing services
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills
• Ability to work independently with a high degree of ownership and accountability.
  

Nice to Have

• Experience working on platform engineering or shared services teams
• Exposure to inventory management systems or metadata-driven platforms
• Hands-on experience with data modelling, schema design, and data quality validation frameworks
• Familiarity with cloud-native development on Azure (e.g., storage services, compute, messaging)
• Experience building or maintaining developer-facing platforms or internal tools
• Working knowledge of CI/CD pipelines and modern DevOps practices
• Exposure to observability tools (logging, monitoring, alerting) for production systems
• Interest in improving developer productivity, automation, and platform reliability

Our benefits

To help you stay energized, engaged and inspired, we offer a wide range of benefits including a strong retirement plan, tuition reimbursement, comprehensive healthcare, support for working parents and Flexible Time Off (FTO) so you can relax, recharge and be there for the people you care about.

Our hybrid work model

BlackRock’s hybrid work model is designed to enable a culture of collaboration and apprenticeship that enriches the experience of our employees, while supporting flexibility for all. Employees are currently required to work at least 4 days in the office per week, with the flexibility to work from home 1 day a week. Some business groups may require more time in the office due to their roles and responsibilities. We remain focused on increasing the impactful moments that arise when we work together in person – aligned with our commitment to performance and innovation. As a new joiner, you can count on this hybrid model to accelerate your learning and onboarding experience here at BlackRock.

About BlackRock

At BlackRock, we are all connected by one mission: to help more and more people experience financial well-being.  Our clients, and the people they serve, are saving for retirement, paying for their children’s educations, buying homes and starting businesses. Their investments also help to strengthen the global economy: support businesses small and large; finance infrastructure projects that connect and power cities; and facilitate innovations that drive progress.

This mission would not be possible without our smartest investment – the one we make in our employees. It’s why we’re dedicated to creating an environment where our colleagues feel welcomed, valued and supported with networks, benefits and development opportunities to help them thrive.

For additional information on BlackRock, please visit @blackrock | Twitter: @blackrock | LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/blackrock

BlackRock is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer.  We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to age, disability, family status, gender identity, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation and other protected attributes at law.