Director, Application Engineer

About this role

Are you interested in building innovative technology that shapes the financial markets? Do you like working at the speed of a startup, but want to solve some of the world’s most complex problems? Do you want to work with, and learn from, hands-on leaders in technology and finance?

At BlackRock, we are looking for Software Engineers who like to innovate and solve complex problems. We recognize that strength comes from diversity, and will embrace your unique skills, curiosity, drive, and passion while giving you the opportunity to grow technically and as an individual.

With over USD $10 trillion of assets, we have an exceptional responsibility: our technology empowers millions of investors to save for retirement, pay for college, buy a home, and improve their financial wellbeing.

As an engineering director at BlackRock, you'll work for a leading financial company and be part of a team creating next-generation technology.

What is Aladdin Engineering?

• Our development teams sit inside Aladdin Engineering. We collaboratively build the next generation technology that changes the way information, people, and technology intersect for global investment firms. We build and package tools that manage trillions in assets and support millions of financial instruments. We perform risk calculations and process millions of transactions for thousands of users every day worldwide.

Which team will you be in?

• You will be working as an engineering team lead in our core Private Markets technology team. Your team is part of the wider team responsible for engineering our Private Markets platform using a Java microservice architecture. This platform supports hundreds of client businesses, managing and analyzing their portfolios.

Being a member of Aladdin you will be:

• Tenacious: Work in a fast paced and highly complex environment,
• Creative problem solver: Analyze multiple solutions and deploy technologies in a flexible way.
• Great teammate: Think and work collaboratively and communicate effectively.
• Fast learner: Pick up new concepts and apply them quickly.

Your Responsibilities

• To always be inquisitive, enthusiastic and open to quickly learning the business and our systems.
• Provide strategic leadership to build a high-performance engineering team. You will grow technology leaders and connect the team to Aladdin Engineering’s mission and outcomes. You will nurture engineering culture and ultimately drive execution.
• Lead the engineering team across multiple high-visibility firm initiatives.
• Grow your technical knowledge and leadership skills to become one of the most productive technology teams at BlackRock; be an inspiring leader across the entire engineering organization
• Deliver high efficiency, high availability, concurrent and fault tolerant software systems.
• Collaborate with product managers, designers, and other partners to understand requirements and translate them into technical specifications.
• Design, develop, and implement secure, scalable, and reliable micro-services to deliver applications built on Java technologies.
• Stay abreast of industry trends and emerging technologies to drive innovation and maintain a competitive edge.
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to developers, fostering a culture of learning and growth within the team.

Ideally, you should have…

• 8+ years of combined enterprise leadership and technical experience in Financial Services or Technology running an engineering team.
• Expertise in Java, distributed technologies, horizontal scale architecture.
• In-depth experience in building Java microservice applications.
• Several years’ worth of experience in running Agile teams and can show your passion to improve yourself and your squads
• Successful deliveries of technology focused products through the entire product development lifecycle.
• Showcase high-level designs & blueprints along with the business value that these have achieved in your experience
• Strong communication, presentation (written and verbal), and interpersonal skills, with direct experience of managing a diverse team of people.
• Experience designing, building, and deploying scalable micro-services using API-First principles using at least one of REST/gRPC.
• Motivated to work in a highly professional environment where best-practices and attention to detail are highly valued, and security and stability are built into everything you do.
• Deep experience taking technical designs and translating them into measurable stories for your squad.
• Familiarity with Azure DevOps is advantageous.
• Goal setting, in alignment with Business, Technology and BlackRock goals.
• An interest in finance and technology, backed by real-work experience, ideally in an API-First setting.
• A desire to work with your colleagues to build the best software you can, move quickly and demonstrate excellence.
• Excellent problem-solving skills and attention to detail.
• Exposure to Docker, Kubernetes and cloud services in an enterprise environment is beneficial.
• Experience in message brokers such as Kafka is a plus.
• Friendly, positive, and can-do attitude.

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 and Affirmative Action Employer.  We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, protected veteran status, and other statuses protected by law.

BlackRock will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records in a manner consistent with the requirements of the law, including any applicable fair chance law.