Director, Quantitative Software Engineer

Charles Schwab; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) with company match

Paid sabbatical after every 5 years

Paid parental leave

Tuition reimbursement

Health, dental, and vision insurance

Job summary

Charles Schwab is seeking a Director, Quantitative Software Engineer - Research Lead in Chicago to partner with researchers and tech teams to accelerate research, model development, and production delivery.

You will design scalable platforms, transform investment concepts into production-ready solutions, and lead complex initiatives while ensuring reliability and data governance across the enterprise.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, Quantitative Finance, or related field.
• 8+ years of software engineering experience building quantitative applications or data-intensive solutions.
• Experience collaborating with quantitative researchers or investment professionals.
• Experience building scalable data pipelines and analytical platforms.
• Knowledge of data governance, validation, and deployment processes.

Responsibilities

• Lead complex technical initiatives and enable production-ready research platforms.
• Partner with quantitative researchers and investment professionals to accelerate model development.
• Design scalable data platforms and reusable research capabilities.
• Ensure reliability, reproducibility, security, and supportability in deployments.

Skills

Python

Data pipelines

Research platforms

Data visualization

CI/CD

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/Engineering/Math/Quantitative Finance or related field

Tools

Git

Docker

CI/CD tooling

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).

Schwab Technology Services enables the future of how clients manage their money by delivering innovative and reliable technology solutions that support investing, financial planning, and wealth management. Within Schwab Asset Management Technology, you will help advance the platforms, data, and research capabilities that power investment insights and product innovation.

As a Director, Quantitative Software Engineer - Research Lead, you will partner closely with quantitative researchers, investment professionals, and technology teams to accelerate research, model development, and product delivery. You will solve complex technical challenges, design scalable research and data platforms, and transform innovative investment concepts into production-ready solutions. Success in this role requires strong collaboration, analytical thinking, adaptability, and technical leadership as you help build reusable capabilities that improve research effectiveness, support data-driven decisions, and enable the delivery of differentiated investment products across the enterprise.

What you have

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, Quantitative Finance, or a related technical field, or equivalent practical experience
• 8+ years of software engineering experience developing quantitative applications, research platforms, or data-intensive solutions using Python and/or similar languages such as R, Julia, or MATLAB
• Experience partnering directly with quantitative researchers, portfolio managers, or investment professionals
• Experience designing, building, and supporting scalable data pipelines and analytical platforms
• Knowledge of quantitative research workflows, including data acquisition, model development, backtesting, validation, and deployment
• Experience designing data models, data integration solutions, and data storage architectures
• Experience developing data visualization and analytical tools that support research and decision-making
• Experience implementing data governance, lineage tracking, monitoring, and data quality controls
• Experience balancing research flexibility with enterprise standards for reliability, reproducibility, security, and supportability
• Experience with modern software engineering practices, source control, automated testing, containerization, CI/CD, and deployment automation
• Demonstrated ability to lead complex technical initiatives and thrive in ambiguous environments
• Strong verbal and written communication skills

Preferred Qualifications:

• Advanced degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, Quantitative Finance, or a related field
• Experience productionizing quantitative models and research methodologies supporting investment products
• Experience building reusable platforms, frameworks, libraries, or shared services
• Experience applying AI/ML, generative AI, distributed computing, or cloud-native technologies to research and analytics challenges
• Experience influencing technology strategy through investment industry and market insights
• Experience developing visualization, exploratory analytics, or decision-support solutions
• Demonstrated track record of innovation and continuous improvement
• Experience mentoring engineers, researchers, or other technical professionals
• Ability to communicate complex quantitative and technical concepts to diverse audiences
• Demonstrated integrity, sound judgment, and discretion when handling sensitive information

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

What’s in it for you

At Schwab, you’re empowered to shape your future. We champion your growth through meaningful work, continuous learning, and a culture of trust and collaboration—so you can build the skills to make a lasting impact. Our Hybrid Work and Flexibility approach balances our ongoing commitment to workplace flexibility, serving our clients, and our strong belief in the value of being together in person on a regular basis.

We offer a competitive benefits package that takes care of the whole you – both today and in the future:

• 401(k) with company match and Employee stock purchase plan
• Paid time for vacation, volunteering, and 28-day sabbatical after every 5 years of service for eligible positions
• Paid parental leave and family building benefits
• Tuition reimbursement
• Health, dental, and vision insurance