Senior Director Software Engineering, Authentication

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.

***Applicants must be authorized to work for any employer in the U.S. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment visa at this time, including CPT/OPT.***

As the Senior Director of Engineering, Authentication, you will lead the strategic vision, development, and execution of mission-critical authentication systems that serve as the secure “front door” for millions of customers and safeguard trillions in financial assets. You will oversee three engineering teams responsible for designing, building, and maintaining high-performance, low-latency authentication solutions that balance robust security with seamless user experiences. This role demands deep technical expertise in scalable distributed systems, a proven track record in cybersecurity, and exceptional leadership skills to drive innovation in a fast-paced, regulated environment. 

WHAT YOU WILL DO:  

• Executes deliverables through subordinate managers and ensures projects are completed on time and within predefined requirements and budgets.  
• Accountable for team performance within assigned projects.  
• Serves as subject matter expertise on multiplatform applications and determines course of action under the direction of systems leadership.  
• Directs the system development lifecycle including the design, coding, testing, documentation, maintenance, and support of proprietary and purchased software systems and applications.  
• Recommends innovation and improvement to policy or procedures. Has the latitude to make decisions affecting mid to long-term operational results.  
• Develops long and short-term business strategies.  
• Responsible for managing operating costs and budget and makes decisions on pay, performance, appraisals, schedules, discipline and hiring.  

WHAT YOU WILL BRING:  
 

• Ten years of software engineering experience  
• 4+ years successfully managing a team(s), including developing, motivating, and directing people as they work.  
• Ability to manage a leadership pipeline by mentoring subordinate managers and nurturing team members. 
• Demonstrable experience building world-class, consumer facing low-latency, high-availability systems 
• Prior experience with identity verification, authentication services, and security tools. 
• Own the end-to-end architecture, development, and scalability of authentication platforms (e.g., MFA, biometrics, OAuth 2.0, risk-based authentication). 
• Drive the roadmap for evolving authentication systems to combat emerging threats (e.g., phishing, credential stuffing) while minimizing user friction. 
• Serve as the senior technical authority for authentication security, ensuring compliance with regulations (e.g., GDPR, PCI-DSS, SOX, FFIEC) and authentication protocols (OAuth 2.0, SAML) 
• Hands-on experience with cloud-native architectures, performance tuning, and observability tools (Datadog, Prometheus). 
• Partner with Cybersecurity and Fraud teams to implement real-time threat detection and response mechanisms conduct rigorous security reviews, penetration testing, and audit preparedness. 
• Optimize systems for low-latency, high-throughput performance in global, active-active cloud environments (AWS/Azure/GCP). 
• Troubleshoot and resolve performance bottlenecks in large-scale distributed systems. 
• Collaborate with Product, UX, and Fraud Prevention teams to align authentication strategies with business goals. 
• Partner with Infrastructure and SRE teams to ensure scalability, reliability, and cost efficiency. 
• Engage with regulators, auditors, and senior executives to communicate technical strategies and risks. 
• Stay ahead of evolving threats (e.g., AI-driven attacks) and emerging technologies (e.g., passkeys, decentralized identity). 
• Sponsor R&D initiatives to pilot cutting-edge solutions (e.g., behavioral biometrics, zero-trust frameworks).  

WHAT WILL SET YOU APART:  

• Bachelor's or master's degree in computer science or related business field.  

What we offer you