Engineering Functional Lead - Innovation

Brown Brothers Harriman & Co.; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 170,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

Brown Brothers Harriman (BBH) is seeking an Engineering Functional Lead to steer early-stage technical strategy, architecture, and feasibility for new product concepts within Cable 5. You will lead the integration of market intent with feasible technical capabilities, guiding cross-functional teams to align priorities and execution strategies.

The role demands significant experience delivering cloud-based and enterprise-grade B2B solutions, with strong communication to non-technical and

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field (or equivalent experience).
• 10-15 years proven experience leading technical design and architecture for complex, greenfield products.
• Strong experience with modern application architectures (cloud-native, APIs, SaaS platforms, AI/ML).
• Demonstrated ability to estimate complex, multi-layered projects and navigate uncertainty in new technology environments.
• Excellent problem-solving skills with the ability to break down complex systems and identify risks and tradeoffs.
• Intellectual curiosity and creativity, with the proven ability to communicate complex topics to non-technical and senior audiences.
• Experience in Agile frameworks (Scrum, Kanban, SAFe).
• Background in financial modeling for technology investments or product unit economics.

Responsibilities

• Provide a strong engineering point of view during early-stage product design and iteration by translating ambiguous product ideas into concrete technical approaches, connecting market intent with feasible technical capabilities.
• Work collectively within a multidisciplinary group, syncing internal and external participants to keep technical direction aligned.
• Guide multiple concept teams through ambiguity, ensuring clarity on priorities, sequencing, and execution strategy.
• Assess technical implications of concept tests and product direction decisions, translating them into clear architecture strategies.
• Lead structured feasibility assessments to uncover risks, constraints, and dependencies tied to product direction.
• Explain technical choices and the reasoning behind them in clear language for non-technical peers and senior leaders.
• Develop financial models for technical aspects of a product’s business plan, including build cost, operating cost, and unit economics.
• Responsible for the integration into the broader build/operate cost model.
• Partner with internal and external groups to assess the state of technical capabilities across relevant sectors and determine whether our concepts have a differentiated technology-driven right to win.
• Partner with BBH enterprise architecture to ensure alignment and known divergence with broader IT and security standards.
• Support the development of prototypes, technical interfaces, and lightweight implementations to validate product concepts.
• Provide oversight and guidance of external development partners which can align to BBH innovation standards and practices.
• Collaborate closely with fellow Functional Leads (Design, Research Product, etc.) and senior leaders to ensure alignment with technical aspects of each product concept.

Skills

Technical leadership

Cloud architectures

Agile frameworks

Financial modeling

Non-technical communication

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field

Job description

At BBH, Partnership is more than a form of ownership—it’s our approach to business and relationships. We know that supporting your professional and personal goals is the best way to help our clients and advance our business. We take that responsibility seriously. With a 200-year legacy and a shared passion for what’s next, this is the right place to build a fulfilling career.

Brown Brothers Harriman has a long history of transformation and evolution driven by deep expertise, a passion for solving client problems, and smart applications of technology. Our dedicated innovation practice, Cable 5, is responsible for identifying, investigating, and incubating potential future new businesses, applying a disciplined, stage-gated innovation process from idea sourcing to MVP.

We are currently seeking an Engineering Functional Lead (FL) to join the Cable 5 team. This role is responsible for leading early-stage technical strategy, architecture definition, and feasibility validation for new product concepts. The Engineering FL operates at the intersection of business and engineering across early-stage concepts from idea to Product launch. They sit within an innovation design studio charged with deciding whether a product is worth building before code is written. The Engineering FL leads through technical influence in a multidisciplinary group of largely non-technical peers. As a key technical resource in our innovation discipline, this role will also support the exploration of market opportunities and act as a technical advisor in discussions with external fintechs.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide a strong engineering point of view during early-stage product design and iteration by translating ambiguous product ideas into concrete technical approaches, connecting market intent with feasible technical capabilities.
• Work collectively within a multidisciplinary group, syncing internal and external participants to keep technical direction aligned.
• Guide multiple concept teams through ambiguity, ensuring clarity on priorities, sequencing, and execution strategy.
• Assess technical implications of concept tests and product direction decisions, translating them into clear architecture strategies.
• Lead structured feasibility assessments to uncover risks, constraints, and dependencies tied to product direction.
• Explain technical choices and the reasoning behind them in clear language for non-technical peers and senior leaders.
• Develop financial models for technical aspects of a product’s business plan, including build cost, operating cost, and unit economics.
• Responsible for the integration into the broader build/operate cost model.
• Partner with internal and external groups to assess the state of technical capabilities across relevant sectors and determine whether our concepts have a differentiated technology-driven right to win.
• Partner with BBH enterprise architecture to ensure alignment and known divergence with broader IT and security standards.
• Support the development of prototypes, technical interfaces, and lightweight implementations to validate product concepts.
• Provide oversight and guidance of external development partners which can align to BBH innovation standards and practices.
• Collaborate closely with fellow Functional Leads (Design, Research Product, etc.) and senior leaders to ensure alignment with technical aspects of each product concept.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field (or equivalent experience)
• 10-15 years proven experience leading technical design and architecture for complex, greenfield products, ideally with extensive experience delivering cloud-based and/or enterprise-grade B2B solutions
• Strong experience with modern application architectures (cloud-native, APIs, SaaS platforms, AI/ML, Generative AI where applicable)
• Demonstrated ability to estimate complex, multi-layered projects and navigate uncertainty in new technology environments
• Excellent problem-solving skills with the ability to break down complex systems and identify risks and tradeoffs
• Intellectual curiosity and creativity, with the proven ability to communicate complex topics to non-technical and senior audiences
• Comfort working in cross-functional environments alongside concept owners, designers, researchers, and engineers
• Comfort working with abstract concepts, navigating ambiguity, lean testing, and agile ways of working in early-stage concept development.
• Experience in Agile frameworks (Scrum, Kanban, SAFe)
• Background in financial modeling for technology investments or product unit economics
• Industry experience relevant to digital product innovation

Salary Range

Salary Range MA: $170,000-$230,000 base salary + annual target bonus NJ: $170,000-$230,000 base salary + annual target bonus BBH and its affiliates' compensation program includes base salary, discretionary bonuses, and profit-sharing.

The anticipated base salary range(s) shown above are only for the indicated location(s) and may differ in other locations due to cost of living and labor considerations.

Base salaries may vary based on factors such as skill, experience and qualification for the role.

BBH's total rewards package recognizes your contributions with more than just a paycheck—providing you with benefits that enhance your experience at BBH from long-term savings, healthcare, and income protection to professional development opportunities and time off, our programs support your overall well-being.

We value diverse experiences.

We value diverse experiences and transferrable skillsets.

About BBH

Brown Brothers Harriman (BBH) is a premier global financial services firm, known for premium service, specialist expertise, technology solutions and partnership approach to client management. Across Investor Services and Capital Partners, we work with an enviable roster of sophisticated clients who make BBH their first call when they are tackling their hardest challenges. Delivering for our clients and each other energizes us. We believe that how we do our work is just as important as what we do. We are relentless problem solvers who know our best ideas come from collective debate and development—so we are never possessive about our ideas. Every day we come together as a diverse community of smart and caring people to deliver exceptional service and expert advice—creating success that lasts. No matter where you sit in the organization, everyone is empowered to contribute their ideas. BBHers can pick up the phone and call any colleague, and they are happy to help. Expanding your impact beyond your daily role is part of how we operate as trusted partners to one another. We believe stability is a competitive advantage, but being stable means having the knowledge, skill, and discipline to evolve, often—pushing the boundaries of innovation. As a private partnership, every investment we make is in the relationships, technologies, products and development we believe are in the long-term interests of our clients and our people. Our long-tenured leaders are experts in their areas and are actively involved in the day-to-day business, taking the time to provide guidance and mentoring to build the next generation of BBHers. Because we know, our success begins with yours. We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, genetic information, creed, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other protected status under federal, state or local law. Brown Brothers Harriman (BBH) is a global financial services firm known for premium service and specialist expertise. BBH works with leading asset managers, financial institutions, private businesses and their owners, wealthy families, and sophisticated institutional investors. As a private partnership, we are uniquely built to put clients first and create success that lasts. We believe our success starts with yours. At BBH, partnership is more than just a form of ownership—it’s our approach to business and relationships. Every day we come together as a diverse community of smart and caring people to deliver exceptional service and expert advice. Across Investor Services and Capital Partners, we work with an enviable roster of sophisticated clients who make BBH their first call when they are tackling their hardest challenges. No matter where you sit in the organization, everyone is empowered to contribute their ideas and perspective. BBHers can pick up the phone and call any colleague, and they are happy to help – which is why expanding your impact beyond your daily role is part of how we operate as trusted partners to one another. Delivering for our clients and each other energizes us. We believe stability is a competitive advantage, but being stable means having the knowledge, skill, and discipline to evolve, often—pushing the boundaries of innovation. Every investment we make is in the relationships, technologies, products and development we believe are in the long-term interests of our clients and our people. Our long-tenured leaders are experts in their areas and are actively involved in the day-to-day business, taking the time to provide guidance and mentoring to build the next generation of BBHers. With a 200-year legacy and a shared passion for what’s next, this is the right place to build a fulfilling career.

Equal Opportunity Employer

We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, genetic information, creed, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other protected status under federal, state or local law.