Senior Manager, Engineering (AI-Forward Platform Builder, RIA)

At NerdWallet, we're on a mission to bring clarity to all of life's financial decisions — and every great mission needs a team of exceptional Nerds. We've built an inclusive, flexible, and candid culture where you're empowered to grow, take smart risks, and be unapologetically yourself. Whether remote or in-office, we support how you thrive best. We invest in your well-being, development, and ability to make an impact because when one Nerd levels up, we all do. NerdWallet's RIA (Registered Investment Advisory) team builds and operates the platforms that power our financial advisory experiences. They own our lead generation marketplace, content rendering infrastructure, and the systems supporting our wealth management firms' business and website. We're looking for a rare kind of leader: part builder, part operator, and fully obsessed with what's next. Someone who ships fast, thinks in systems, and brings a startup hacker's instinct into a scaled environment. If you've got one eye on the bleeding edge of AI and the other on business outcomes - and you know how to rally a small, scrappy team to punch above its weight - this role was written for you. This role reports to the Senior Director, General Manager. WHERE YOU CAN MAKE AN IMPACT: - Lead a small, high-ownership team of engineers, product managers, and designers - Serve as a hands-on technical force multiplier: architect systems, prototype with emerging AI tools, and model what great building looks like in practice - Identify and deploy AI and automation technologies, including LLMs, agents, and AI-assisted development workflows, to dramatically accelerate how your team ships - Own the roadmap alongside Product and business partners; translate fuzzy business goals into focused, executable technical strategy - Drive pragmatic, high-leverage engineering decisions: choose the right tool for the job, not the trendiest one, and know the difference - Navigate organizational complexity with confidence. You know how to build consensus, move initiatives through cross-functional processes, and get things done without losing your edge - Balance the tension between speed and stability for high-traffic, mission-critical financial systems - Cultivate a culture of curiosity, ownership, and continuous learning - Coach and develop engineers and PMs; give direct, useful feedback and create real growth opportunities at every level - Ensure systems owned by the team meet availability, performance, and security standards with a practical, risk-calibrated approach YOUR EXPERIENCE: - 6+ years of software engineering experience, with meaningful time spent building and shipping in a startup or early-stage environment - 3+ years managing an engineering team, ideally a cross-functional one including product and/or design - 3+ years experience in a Staff level engineering position - Hands on full-stack software engineering skills with experience in modern web systems (NextJS, TypeScript, AWS a strong plus) - Demonstrated history of building and deploying AI-powered systems or integrating LLMs into production products - not just experimenting, but shipping - Genuine hacker mentality: you find the fastest, smartest path to a working solution and have the judgment to know when "good enough" is right and when it isn't - Strong business acumen - you think about ROI, user impact, and revenue, not just technical elegance - Proven ability to operate effectively inside a larger, more process-heavy organization without losing the startup bias for action - Experience building scalable, reliable systems with a pragmatic approach to architecture and technical debt - Strong communicator who can translate between technical and non-technical stakeholders and influence without authority - Comfortable with the compliance and regulatory realities of financial products (or eager to get up to speed quickly) Preferred Qualifications: - Experience in FinTech, regulated industries, or consumer financial products - Track record shipping AI-native features (agents, RAG pipelines, AI-assisted workflows) in a production environment - Experience scaling a team or product through a significant growth inflection WHERE: - This role will be remote (based in the U.S.). - We believe great work can be done anywhere. No matter where you are based, NerdWallet offers benefits and perks to support the physical, financial, and emotional well being of you and your family. WHAT WE OFFER: Work Hard, Stay Balanced (Life’s a series of balancing acts, eh?) - Industry-leading medical, dental, and vision health care plans for employees and their dependents - Rejuvenation Policy – Flexible Vacation Time Off + 11 holidays + holiday company shutdown - New Parent Leave for employees with a newborn child or a child placed with them for adoption or foster care - Mental health support - Paid sabbatical after 5 years for Nerds to recharge, gain knowledge, and pursue their interests - Health and Dependent Care FSA and HSA Plan with monthly NerdWallet contribution - Monthly Wellness Stipend, Cell Phone Stipend, and Wifi Stipend (Only remote Nerds are eligible for the Wifi Stipend) - Work from home equipment stipend and co-working space subsidy (Only remote Nerds are eligible for these stipends) Have Some Fun! (Nerds are fun, too) - Nerd-led group initiatives – Employee Resource Groups for Parents, Diversity, and Inclusion, Women, LGBTQIA, and other communities - Hackathons and team events across all teams and departments - Company-wide events like NerdLove (employee appreciation) and our annual Charity Auction - Our Nerds love to make an impact by paying it forward – Take 8 hours of volunteer time off per quarter and donate to your favorite causes with a company match Plan for your future (And when you retire on your island, remember the little people) - 401K with 4% company match - Be the first to test and benefit from our new financial products and tools - Financial wellness, guidance, and unlimited access to a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) through Northstar - Disability and Life Insurance with employer-paid premiums If you are based in California, we encourage you to read this important information for California residents linked here https://www.nerdwallet.com/privacy-policy. NerdWallet is committed to pursuing and hiring a diverse workforce and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We prohibit discrimination and harassment on the basis of any characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law, so all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment. NerdWallet will consider qualified applicants with a criminal history pursuant to the California Fair Chance Act and the San Francisco Fair Chance Act, which requires this notice https://www.sf.gov/sites/default/files/2022-12/FCO%20poster2020_0.pdf, as well as the Los Angeles Fair Chance Act, which requires this notice https://dcba.lacounty.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/FCOE-Official-Notice-Eng-Final-8.30.2024.pdf. NerdWallet participates in the Department of Homeland Security U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services E-Verify program for all US locations. For more information, please see: - E-Verify Participation Poster (English+Spanish/Español https://www.e-verify.gov/sites/default/files/everify/posters/EVerifyParticipationPoster.pdf) - Right to Work Poster (English) https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/USCIS/Verification/E-Verify/E-Verify_Native_Documents/OSC_Right_to_Work_Poster.pdf / (Spanish/Español) https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/USCIS/Verification/E-Verify/E-Verify_Native_Documents/OSC_Right_to_Work_Poster_ES.pdf #LI-Remote