Director, Engineering

Betterment•New York City, NY

4d•$245,000 - $280,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Betterment is a leading, technology-driven financial services company that offers investing, savings and retirement solutions for retail investors and investment advisors as well as financial wellness solutions, including a 401(k) for small and medium-sized businesses. Our team is passionate about our mission, to empower people to build wealth with confidence and ease. We’re headquartered in NYC and offer hybrid NY-based positions (four days/ week in-office, with no required office days during the summer and winter holidays). Broker Dealer sits at the core of the Betterment platform. On a typical day, we securely move millions of dollars through our systems, ensuring every transaction passes through a sophisticated set of risk checks to meet strict regulatory requirements. The efficiency, resilience, and intelligence of this platform translate directly into value for our customers. We’re looking for a Director of Engineering to lead this critical organization. You will be a manager-of-managers, accountable for a 30+ person engineering org spanning multiple squads focused on trading, clearing and settlement, record keeping, market data, and related capabilities. You will use your technical background and judgment to guide managers and Senior Staff ICs, make strong engineering decisions, and ensure we deliver reliably and quickly in a highly complex, high-stakes environment. You’ll partner closely with Product, Operations, Compliance/Legal, Risk, and other engineering leaders to scale our platform, uplevel how we work, and support Betterment’s broader investing and trading strategy. Financial services experience is a plus, not a requirement. This role is based out of our NYC office. For jobs based out of our NYC HQ, we require in office attendance Monday through Thursday, weekly. Below we've reflected the base salary range we would offer for this position. Actual salaries may vary depending on factors including but not limited to location, experience, and performance. The range listed is just one component of Betterment’s total compensation package for employees. New York City: $245,000 - $280,000 We offer a competitive equity package, health, dental and vision benefits, life and AD&D, short-term and long-term disability insurance, EAP, commuter and parking benefits FSA/HSA, and 401(k) with employer match as well as a flexible PTO policy. This job may also be eligible for variable compensation in the form of a company incentive bonus. For jobs based out of our NYC HQ, we require in office attendance Monday through Thursday, weekly.

Requirements

Multiple years of experience leading engineering organizations of 30+ people across multiple complex business domains (or larger).
Proven track record as a manager-of-managers, directly managing Engineering Managers and/or Tech Leads who own teams.
Clear examples of delivering complex, multi-team initiatives under tight constraints (time, risk, regulatory, or operational).
Demonstrated ability to re-plan and re-sequence work as new information emerges, and to communicate tradeoffs across scope, quality, and timelines.
Experience evolving engineering processes and rituals, designing and improving systems of work, not just operating within existing ones.
History of improving throughput, predictability, and incident posture through changes in how teams work (e.g., planning, execution, and operational practices).
Strong background as an engineer, with sufficient depth to support a robust technical vision and to engage credibly with Staff+ ICs on key decisions.
Demonstrated ability to build diverse, inclusive teams and to maintain high performance and engagement through periods of change.
Experience working with executives and cross-functional leaders, driving alignment and decisions even without direct authority.
Proficiency running regulated, high-availability systems in complex domains (e.g., fintech, payments, healthcare, or other mission-critical transactional systems).

Nice To Haves

Financial services experience is a plus, not a requirement.

Responsibilities

Lead an organization of 30+ engineers and consultants, including multiple Engineering Managers and Staff+ ICs.
Build and sustain a healthy, high-performing culture grounded in accountability, constructive feedback, and strong coaching loops.
Partner with Product and other stakeholders on prioritization, sequencing, and tradeoffs across new features, risk work, and KTLO, and be accountable for outcomes, not just activity, across the BD roadmap.
Ensure teams deliver iteratively and predictably under real-world constraints, with fewer surprises and clearer visibility into progress.
Partner with Principal Engineers and senior leadership to shape and ratify major engineering decisions, including replatforming efforts, key integrations, and large-scale refactors.
Define, uphold, and evolve engineering standards appropriate for regulated, high-stakes systems: covering observability, reliability, test strategy, and change management.
Build strong, trust-based relationships with Product, Operations, Investing, Compliance, Legal, and other cross-functional partners.
Develop a deep leadership bench and succession plans across your org by hiring, developing, and coaching Engineering Managers and Staff+ ICs, giving them the context, autonomy, and feedback they need to grow.