Director Data Science

Our vision for the future is based on the idea that transforming financial lives starts by giving our people the freedom to transform their own. We have a flexible work environment, and fluid career paths. We not only encourage but celebrate internal mobility. We also recognize the importance of purpose, well-being, and work-life balance. Within Empower and our communities, we work hard to create a welcoming and inclusive environment, and our associates dedicate thousands of hours to volunteering for causes that matter most to them.

Chart your own path and grow your career while helping more customers achieve financial freedom. Empower Yourself.

The Director Data Science – Innovation Lab is responsible for leading a team of innovators that drive experimentation initiatives on emerging technologies, with a focus on Generative AI, automation, and next-generation software architectures. This role drives rapid prototyping, proof-of-concept (PoC) development, and pilot implementations to explore high-impact innovations for the firm. By fostering a culture of experimentation, the Director ensures that new ideas are rigorously tested for technical feasibility, business value, and scalability.

This position collaborates closely with product, business, and technology teams to identify opportunities, de-risk innovations, and transition successful experiments into production-ready solutions. Additionally, the role oversees a secure and scalable Innovation Lab sandbox to enable fast, low-risk technology exploration. 

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS 

Emerging Technology Experimentation & Prototyping 

• Identify and evaluate emerging technologies (AI/ML, cloud-native solutions, blockchain, quantum computing, etc.) for business impact. 
• Lead rapid prototyping and PoC development, ensuring experiments are structured to test key hypotheses. 
• Design and build proofs of concepts in an Innovation Lab sandbox to facilitate secure, scalable experimentation. 

Software Development & Innovation Best Practices 

• Establish best practices for quick iteration, responsible AI/ML experimentation, emerging tech, and scalable software architectures. 
• Advocate for fail-fast, learn-fast methodologies to accelerate insights from experiments. 
• Develop reusable frameworks and patterns for experimentation to streamline future innovation efforts. 

Collaboration & Stakeholder Engagement 

• Partner with business leaders, product teams, and technology groups to identify and prioritize innovation opportunities. 
• Communicate key learnings and recommendations from experimentation efforts to senior leadership. 
• Engage with external partners, academia, and industry consortiums to stay ahead of technology trends. 

Technical Leadership & Team Development 

• Lead a team of software engineers, AI researchers, and data scientists focused on emerging technology innovation. 
• Mentor engineers on experimental methodologies, modern software development practices, emerging tech and AI/ML capabilities. 
• Foster a culture of continuous learning and technical excellence. 

Education 

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Software Engineering, or related field (or equivalent experience). 

• Advanced degree (MS, PhD) in a relevant field is a plus. 

Experience 

• 12+ years of experience in software engineering and technology leadership roles. 
• Proven track record of leading innovation initiatives and delivering proof-of-concept projects on emerging technologies. 
• Hands-on experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) and modern software architectures (microservices, serverless, event-driven). 
• Expertise in AI/ML, engineering, and rapid prototyping methodologies is highly desirable. 

Registrations/Licenses/Certifications 

• Cloud and AI/ML certifications (e.g., Generative AI, AWS, Azure, etc.) beneficial. 
• Agile, Scrum, or innovation-related certifications a plus. 

 SKILLS/CHARACTERISTICS 

• Strong software engineering expertise with a focus on emerging technologies. 
• Ability to drive fast-paced experimentation while ensuring technical rigor. 
• Excellent communication and storytelling skills to convey complex technology concepts to business leaders. 
• Passion for innovation, problem-solving, and continuous learning. 
• Proven track record in hiring, mentoring, and growing top-tier talent in high-performing technology teams. 

WORKING CONDITIONS 

• Operates in a remote work environment. 
• May involve occasional extended hours to meet project deadlines. 
• Travel up to 15% for industry events, partner engagements, and collaboration opportunities. 

OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES & AUTHORITY 

• Ownership of Innovation Lab technology team in India, experimentation activities, and vendor partnerships. 
• Authority to select and integrate new tools, frameworks, and platforms in alignment with innovation strategy. 
• Member of Innovation Leadership Team, contributing to firmwide innovation strategy and initiatives. 

FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY 

• Helps manage multi-million-dollar innovation budget supporting rapid prototyping, emerging technology research, and experimentation tools. 

INTERNAL & EXTERNAL CONTACTS 

• Collaborates with executives, product managers, data scientists, engineers, and UX designers to drive innovation initiatives. 

We are an equal opportunity employer with a commitment to diversity.  All individuals, regardless of personal characteristics, are encouraged to apply.  All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, pregnancy, religion, physical or mental disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, or any other status protected by applicable state or local law.