Job Description

Your Opportunity

At Schwab, you’re empowered to make an impact on your career. Here, innovative thought meets creative problem solving, helping us “challenge the status quo” and transform the finance industry together.

We believe in the importance of in-office collaboration and fully intend for the selected candidate for this role to work on site in the specified location(s).

The Schwab Technology Services (STS) Research & Development team explores emerging technologies and turns them into practical capabilities that create measurable value across Schwab. We operate at the intersection of innovation and execution—rapidly testing ideas, partnering across the enterprise, and scaling what works.

The Senior Manager, R&D leads a versatile team of engineers responsible for shaping the R&D portfolio, inspiring high-impact experimentation, and translating emerging technology into outcomes. This leader sets a clear vision, creates an environment where people do their best work, and builds strong partnerships across Technology, Product, Risk, Legal/Compliance, etc.

Key Responsibilities:

• Influence the vision and strategy for an R&D portfolio aligned to enterprise priorities, balancing near-term delivery with longer-horizon innovation.
• Lead, coach, and grow a high-performing team—creating clarity, psychological safety, and a culture of learning, experimentation, and shared accountability.
• Champion innovation practices (discovery, prototyping, rapid experimentation) and establish mechanisms to measure value, risk, and feasibility.
• Partner across Technology, Product, and business leaders to identify opportunities, define problem statements, and align on success metrics and adoption pathways.
• Guide technical direction and architecture for prototypes and proof-of-concepts (e.g., generative AI, digital assets, emerging platforms), ensuring engineering excellence and scalable patterns.
• Communicate complex technical concepts and experimentation outcomes to executive and non-technical stakeholders through crisp narratives, demos, and recommendations.
• Represent R&D as a trusted partner—strengthening collaboration, amplifying team impact, and fostering a community of innovation across Schwab.

What you have

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, computer engineering, or a related technical field (advanced degree a plus).
• 8+ years of experience in software engineering and/or applied research, including leading teams delivering prototypes, platforms, or complex technology initiatives.
• 3+ years of people leadership experience with a demonstrated ability to hire, develop, and retain diverse, high-performing teams.
• Strong technical foundation in modern architectures, cloud-native development, and engineering best practices; ability to guide technical decisions without needing to be the primary implementer.
• Experience driving innovation in ambiguous problem spaces—framing hypotheses, designing experiments, and translating learnings into actionable recommendations.
• Demonstrated ability to influence across organizational boundaries and collaborate effectively with Product, Risk, Legal/Compliance, Security, and business stakeholders.
• Excellent communication skills—able to inspire teams, align leaders, and convey technical tradeoffs clearly.

In addition to the salary range, this role is also eligible for bonus or incentive opportunities.