Index Design R&D Team Manager, Director

S&P Global, Inc.; New York (NY); On-site; USD 149,000 - 223,000; Full time

Job summary

S&P Dow Jones Indices is seeking an R&D Team Manager to lead a group delivering high-quality index research, design and scalable capabilities. You will translate value stream priorities into a concrete team backlog and guide execution with a bias for client-centric outcomes.

You will balance hands-on domain knowledge with strong leadership, hire and coach team members, and foster disciplined execution while collaborating with Product Management, Commercial, and Index Engineering.

Qualifications

• 8+ years in R&D, portfolio/index design or related technical roles.
• 3+ years directly managing and developing people.
• Deep knowledge of trends in core index, asset, wealth, and capital markets.
• Experience owning team backlogs and delivering in an agile model.
• Experience supporting client or stakeholder engagements with technical expertise.

Responsibilities

• Lead conceptualization, design and analysis of new indices or scalable capabilities.
• Act as technical escalation point and coach, enforcing quality and innovation.
• Seek customer feedback to ensure end-to-end delivery of features.
• Adopt agreed operating standards and agile practices at value stream level.
• Build relationships across R&D, Product and other teams for collaboration.
• Partner with Commercial to deepen client relationships through R&D designs.
• Own resolution of complex technical challenges with hands-on problem solving.

Skills

R&D leadership

Index design

Agile delivery

Stakeholder engagement

Backlog ownership

Education

MBA or equivalent

CFA or PhD desirable

Job description

About the Role

Grade Level (for internal use): 13 The Team S&P Dow Jones Indices is seeking an R&D Team Manager to lead a team of R&D experts responsible for delivering high‑quality index research, design, analysis and scalable capabilities within the Equities & Digital Assets value stream. Reporting to the Head of Equities & Digital Assets Index Design, this role is accountable for translating value stream priorities into an executable team backlog and ensuring consistent, timely delivery of index concepts, while offering invaluable subject matter expertise in support of the team’s work. The R&D Team Manager is first and foremost a people leader - responsible for hiring, developing, coaching, and performance‑managing team members while fostering a high‑performance culture grounded in disciplined execution, collaboration, and client centrism. By balancing hands‑on technical/domain expertise with strong leadership, this role ensures that the team operates effectively, adopts agreed operating standards and agile practices, and continuously improves delivery quality. Working closely with Product Management, Commercial, Index Engineering, and other functional partners, the R&D Team Manager enables effective cross‑functional collaboration and contributes technical expertise to internal and external engagements. Through strong backlog ownership and team leadership, this role plays a critical part in executing the value stream strategy and strengthening S&P DJI’s ability to deliver differentiated, client‑focused index solutions.

Responsibilities

• Lead and contribute to the conceptualization, design and analysis of new indices and/or scalable capabilities that power them, personally driving the highest‑complexity or highest‑risk work while coaching team members to deliver the majority of execution.
• Act as the team’s technical escalation point and methodology coach, setting a high bar for analytical quality and innovation through reviews, mentoring, and selective hands‑on contribution.
• Proactively seek customer feedback to learn and better understand their needs and requirements and ensure end‑to‑end delivery of features.
• Ensure team‑level adoption of agreed operating standards and agile practices as defined at the value stream level.
• Build relationships across R&D, Product and functional teams to ensure ongoing collaboration and success, including identification and support of cross‑product opportunities.
• Partner with Commercial team to develop and deepen relationships with clients and internal/external stakeholders through R&D designs, capabilities, innovation, and best practices.
• Own resolution of complex technical challenges and unblock delivery via expert analysis, design reviews, and hands‑on problem solving where the work requires the highest domain competency.

Team and People Management

• Hiring, onboarding and performance management of team members.
• Develop team members to acquire and grow the skills and capabilities needed for efficient and effective performance.
• Adopt the day‑to‑day backlog prioritization and delivery process as defined by the Head of [Asset Class] Index Design.
• Own team backlog (planning, prioritization, refinement) translating value stream priorities into clear, executable work while ensuring alignment with key stakeholders.
• Inspire and empower team to deliver business outcomes against priorities and OKR’s.
• Set targets for development and growth and lead performance assessment of team members supporting ongoing professional development.
• Participates in value stream performance calibration to ensure consistency, fairness, and alignment with enterprise standards.

Stakeholder & External Engagement

• Contribute technical expertise to internal and external engagements (including client discussions on specific projects) in support of value stream objectives.

Compensation/Benefits Information

(This section is only applicable to US candidates) S&P Global states that the anticipated base salary range for this position is $149,031 to $223,204. Final base salary for this role will be based on the individual’s geographic location, as well as experience level, skill set, training, licenses and certifications. In addition to base compensation, this role is eligible for an annual incentive plan.

What we are looking for

Basic Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in R&D, portfolio/index design, or related technical roles.
• Three plus years’ experience directly managing and developing people.
• Extensive industry knowledge about most impactful trends and future direction of the core index, asset, wealth, and capital market industries.
• Experience owning team backlogs and leading delivery in an agile or iterative operating model.
• Experience supporting client or stakeholder engagements through technical expertise.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced degree, MBA or equivalent experience required.
• CFA or PhD desirable.

We require all external candidates who reach the final stage of our interview process to attend at least one in-person interview, which is ordinarily at your nearest S&P Global office. This must be completed before we can proceed to an offer.

About S&P Global Dow Jones Indices

At S&P Dow Jones Indices, we provide iconic and innovative index solutions backed by unparalleled expertise across the asset‑class spectrum. By bringing transparency to the global capital markets, we empower investors everywhere to make decisions with conviction. We’re the largest global resource for index‑based concepts, data and research, and home to iconic financial market indicators, such as the S&P 500® and the Dow Jones Industrial Average®. More assets are invested in products based upon our indices than any other index provider in the world. With over USD 7.4 trillion in passively managed assets linked to our indices and over USD 11.3 trillion benchmarked to our indices, our solutions are widely considered indispensable in tracking market performance, evaluating portfolios and developing investment strategies. S&P Dow Jones Indices is a division of S&P Global (NYSE: SPGI). S&P Global is the world’s foremost provider of credit ratings, benchmarks, analytics and workflow solutions in the global capital, commodity and automotive markets. With every one of our offerings, we help many of the world’s leading organizations navigate the economic landscape so they can plan for tomorrow, today. For more information, visit www.spglobal.com/spdji.

What’s In It For You?

Our Mission: Advancing Essential Intelligence. Our People: We’re more than 35,000 strong worldwide—so we’re able to understand nuances while having a broad perspective. From finding new ways to measure sustainability to analyzing energy transition across the supply chain to building workflow solutions that make it easy to tap into insight and apply it. We are changing the way people see things and empowering them to make an impact on the world we live in. We’re committed to a more equitable future and to helping our customers find new, sustainable ways of doing business. Join us and help create the critical insights that truly make a difference.

Our Mission

Advancing Essential Intelligence.

Our People

We’re more than 35,000 strong worldwide—so we’re able to understand nuances while having a broad perspective.

Our Values

Integrity, Discovery, Partnership. Throughout our history, the world’s leading organizations have relied on us for the Essential Intelligence they need to make confident decisions about the road ahead. We start with a foundation of integrity in all we do, bring a spirit of discovery to our work, and collaborate in close partnership with each other and our customers to achieve shared goals.

Benefits

• Health & Wellness: Health care coverage designed for the mind and body.
• Flexible Downtime: Generous time off helps keep you energized for your time on.
• Continuous Learning: Access a wealth of resources to grow your career and learn valuable new skills.
• Invest in Your Future: Secure your financial future through competitive pay, retirement planning, a continuing education program with a company‑matched student loan contribution, and financial wellness programs.
• Family Friendly Perks: It’s not just about you. S&P Global has perks for your partners and little ones, too, with some best‑in‑class benefits for families.
• Beyond the Basics: From retail discounts to referral incentive awards—small perks can make a big difference.

For more information on benefits by country visit: https://spgbenefits.com/benefit-summaries

Global Hiring and Opportunity at S&P Global

At S&P Global, we are committed to fostering a connected and engaged workplace where all individuals have access to opportunities based on their skills, experience, and contributions. Our hiring practices emphasize fairness, transparency, and merit, ensuring that we attract and retain top talent. By valuing different perspectives and promoting a culture of respect and collaboration, we drive innovation and power global markets.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Equal Opportunity Employer S&P Global is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to race/ethnicity, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, marital status, military veteran status, unemployment status, or any other status protected by law.

Only electronic job submissions will be considered for employment.

If you need an accommodation during the application process due to a disability, please send an email to:[e-mail] your request will be forwarded to the appropriate person.

US Candidates Only: The EEO is the Law Poster http://www.dol.gov/ofccp/regs/compliance/posters/pdf/eeopost.pdfdescribes discrimination protections under federal law.

Pay Transparency Nondiscrimination Provision - https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/ofccp/pdf/pay-transp_%20English_formattedESQA508c.pdf