Engineering Functional Lead - Innovation

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

Job summary

Brown Brothers Harriman is seeking an Engineering Functional Lead to guide early-stage product concepts through architecture definition and feasibility validation. You will influence design decisions across diverse teams, drive technical strategy, and work closely with external fintech partners to explore market opportunities.

The role emphasizes cloud-based and enterprise-grade B2B solutions, with responsibility for financial modeling and cross-functional collaboration to shape technical

Qualifications

• 10–15 years leading technical design and architecture for complex, greenfield products.
• Experience delivering cloud-based and enterprise-grade B2B solutions.
• Strong experience with modern application architectures (cloud-native, APIs, SaaS).
• Demonstrated ability to estimate complex, multi-layered projects and navigate uncertainty.
• Excellent problem-solving and communication skills with non-technical audiences.

Responsibilities

• Provide a strong engineering point of view during early-stage product design and iteration.
• Lead multidisciplinary teams to align technical direction with product goals.
• Guide concept teams through ambiguity, define priorities and execution strategy.
• Assess technical implications of concept tests and translate into architecture strategies.
• Develop financial models for technical aspects of the product and integrate into cost models.
• Coordinate with BBH enterprise architecture to align with IT and security standards.

Skills

Cloud-native architectures

APIs

AI/ML

Generative AI

SaaS platforms

Agile frameworks

Financial modeling

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or Engineering

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

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 location