Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago Innovation & Technology Culture

Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago’s technology culture is mission-driven, collaborative and focused on using modern tools to support the country’s financial system. Technology teams work across the Bank to analyze data, deliver resilient applications and infrastructure, strengthen information security and help the Federal Reserve serve the public through reliable, innovative systems. 

• Technology tied to public purpose: The Chicago Fed positions technology work around a broader mission: using top-of-the-line technologies for greater purpose and supporting the country. Its IT and information security teams help manage the Bank’s data and information assets, including technology connected to the national financial services payment infrastructure. That gives technical employees the opportunity to connect their work to financial stability, public service and the Federal Reserve’s broader mission.
• Data, applications and resilient infrastructure: Technology teams at the Chicago Fed analyze and visualize data, design and deliver resilient applications, services and infrastructure, and support teams across the Bank. The Bank’s technology work spans software engineering, cloud computing, automation, data science and information security, giving employees exposure to both core infrastructure and business-facing technology solutions.
• Analytics, AI and machine learning: The Bank’s technology culture includes advanced analytics and newer technologies. An assistant vice president in information technology, who leads the Application Development and Data Analytics teams that provide solutions across the Bank, describes how his teams move data to more scalable systems, builds dashboards to visualize and understand data, and develops machine-learning models to make predictions and forecasts. The Chicago Fed also notes that IT teams innovate by embracing technologies such as artificial intelligence and the cloud.
• Agile collaboration and internal customer focus: The Application Development team works with internal business areas across the Bank to solve business problems through technology solutions. The assistant VP of IT described the group as an agile team that solicits feedback to deliver the best possible solution. That culture of feedback, collaboration and cross-functional problem-solving reflects the Bank’s broader emphasis on teamwork and service.
• External signals:
  • Technical environment: External reviews describe the Chicago Fed as a positive work environment with learning opportunities, supportive colleagues and strong culture. Employees also cite flexibility to attend seminars, take classes and learn what it takes to do research. (Glassdoor; Indeed)
  • Team and collaboration: Reviewers point to strong team dynamics, open communication, mentorship across levels and friendly, smart coworkers. (Indeed; Glassdoor)
  • Mission-driven technology work: External reviews describe the Bank as a mission-driven organization where employees feel they are contributing to society, reinforcing the public-purpose focus of its technology culture. (Glassdoor; Indeed)

Bottom line: Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago’s technology culture blends modern infrastructure, data analytics, AI and cloud adoption, agile collaboration and mission-driven public service to help technical employees solve real problems that support the financial system.