Director, Web Applications

Hightower•Chicago, IL

1d•$160,000 - $170,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Founded in 2008, Hightower is a wealth management firm that provides investment, financial and retirement planning services to individuals, foundations and family offices, as well as 401(k) consulting and cash management services to corporations. Hightower’s capital solutions, operational support services, size and scale empower its vibrant community of independent-minded wealth advisors to grow their businesses and help their clients achieve their financial vision. Based in Chicago with advisors across the U.S., we operate as a registered investment advisor (RIA). Your Future Team As the Director of Web Applications, you will lead the team responsible for the firm’s AWS-based web application portfolio, including public-facing websites, client-facing digital experiences, and internal web-based tools that support our advisors and corporate teams. Reporting into Technology leadership, you will set direction and drive execution across both custom development and SaaS/vendor platforms. You’ll partner closely with Marketing, Product, Operations, Security, Compliance, and Data teams to prioritize roadmaps, ensure high-quality delivery, and maintain reliable, secure, and well-supported applications. This role blends people leadership with technical ownership: you’ll manage and grow a team of developers, oversee key vendor relationships, and ensure our web portfolio is consistent, scalable, well-architected, and continuously improving.

Requirements

8–10 years leading teams delivering web applications at scale (public websites, client-facing experiences, and internal tools), with the judgment to make sound technical tradeoffs.
Solid grasp of modern web architectures and delivery practices, including integrations and APIs, identity and access, performance, accessibility, and SEO. Able to guide technical decisions and challenge assumptions.
Experience in wealth management, fintech, or financial services, demonstrating a deep understanding of complex financial data flows, regulatory technical constraints, and the interoperability requirements of industry-standard platforms.
Lead by Example: Proven leadership and exceptional communication skills, with extensive experience managing technical teams while maintaining the ability to lead by example through direct technical contribution.

Responsibilities

Lead technical delivery for the web portfolio, spanning public sites, client-facing experiences, and internal tools.
Align with Product and Marketing on priorities and translate them into executable plans, timelines, and releases.
Drive selection, onboarding, integration, upgrades, renewals, and SLA performance; hold vendors accountable and ensure products meet security, compliance, and user needs.
Hire, coach, and develop a team of developers; establish ways of working.
Set expectations, build execution discipline, and maintain accountability for quality and delivery.
Define and enforce patterns for web development across teams and vendors (architecture guardrails, code quality, testing, security-by-design, documentation, and integration standards) to ensure solutions are maintainable and scalable.

Benefits

Coverage on the first day of employment for medical, dental, and vision insurance
Paid parental leave (16 weeks for primary caregiver and 8 weeks for secondary caregiver)
Mother’s lounge onsite
Flexible PTO plan
In-office Monday through Thursday and work from home on Fridays
Free brand-new gym in the Chicago office
401k matching plan
HSA employer contributions
Student loan assistance
Pet insurance
Base salary of $160,000-$170,000 plus discretionary bonus (exact base salary amount will be dependent on experience)