Technology R&D Lead Engineer

TruStage Insurance Agency, LLC; Northern (KY); On-site; USD 125,000 - 188,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical

Dental

Vision

Employee Assistance Program

Life Insurance

Disability Plans

Parental Leave

Paid Time Off

401k

Tuition Reimbursement

Job summary

TruStage is seeking a Lead, Technology R&D Engineer to steer the design, development, and validation of emerging tech, translating research into scalable prototypes and pilot-ready capabilities. You will drive execution across the R&D lifecycle, partnering with AI, Automation, and Innovation Enablement teams to turn insights into business value.

Responsibilities include designing prototypes, leading PoCs, building full-stack solutions, evaluating technologies, and guiding production handoffs

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, engineering, or related field.
• 7+ years of software engineering, product development, or emerging technology roles.
• Hands-on full-stack development experience with modern frontend frameworks, backend development, REST or GraphQL APIs, and databases.
• Strong experience with modern development frameworks, cloud platforms, system architecture, Git, CI/CD and collaborative workflows.
• Familiarity with AI/ML, automation, data-driven systems, and AI-assisted development tools.

Responsibilities

• Lead design and development of prototypes, proofs-of-concept, and pilot solutions.
• Build full-stack prototypes independently when needed.
• Translate research objectives into scalable architectures and implementation approaches.
• Ensure solutions are secure, scalable, and aligned with enterprise architecture.
• Mentor Engineers to enhance technical capability and development practices.
• Lead evaluation of technologies and vendor assessments for R&D investments.

Skills

Full-stack development

AI/ML familiarity

Cloud platforms

Azure/Azure AI

Prototyping

CI/CD

Cross-team collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in computer science, engineering, or related field

Tools

Azure

Azure OpenAI Service

Microsoft Fabric

Power Platform

Git

Job description

At TruStage, we’re on a mission to make a brighter financial future accessible to everyone. We put people first, and work hand in hand with employees and customers to create a diverse and inclusive environment. Passionate about building insurance and financial services solutions, we push the boundaries of what’s possible. We need you to help us shape what’s next. You’ll be encouraged to share your experiences, ideas and skills to help others take control of their financial future. Join a team that has received numerous awards for being a top place to work: TruStage awards and recognition

Job Summary

The Lead, Technology R&D Engineer leads the design, development, and validation of emerging technology solutions, translating research into scalable prototypes and pilot-ready capabilities. This role drives technical execution across the R&D lifecycle, from experimentation through pilot deployment, ensuring solutions are feasible, valuable, and aligned to enterprise strategy. The Lead Engineer partners across AI, Automation, and Innovation Enablement teams to accelerate the transition of R&D outputs into business impact. The role starts with enterprise problems, not product demos, and applies emerging or mature technology where it can unlock measurable business value.

Job Responsibilities

R&D Solution Design and Delivery

• Start with enterprise problems and work backward to technology solutions
• Lead the design and development of prototypes, proofs-of-concept, and pilot solutions
• Build full-stack prototypes independently when needed
• Translate research objectives into scalable technical architectures and implementation approaches
• Design with scalability, supportability, and integration patterns in mind
• Ensure solutions are technically sound, secure, and aligned with enterprise architecture

Technology Evaluation and Innovation Pipeline Support

• Identify high-impact problems and make the case for R&D investment
• Evaluate emerging technologies for business applicability and integration potential
• Evaluate mature technologies applied in new ways, not only emerging tools
• Lead build-vs-buy analysis, vendor assessments, and platform evaluations
• Contribute to shaping the R&D pipeline and prioritization of opportunities
• Align technical exploration to enterprise strategy and innovation objectives

Experimentation and Technology Validation

• Decompose ambiguous business challenges into data questions, technology hypotheses, and prototype plans
• Define experiment design, success criteria, and evaluation frameworks
• Lead technical validation of emerging technologies, identifying strengths, risks, and limitations
• Synthesize findings into clear recommendations on whether to advance, pivot, or discontinue initiatives

AI, Data, and Platform Enablement

• Use AI-assisted development tools as a natural part of daily engineering workflow
• Embed AI/ML capabilities into prototypes and pilot solutions where appropriate
• Support outcome measurement and production handoff planning for successful pilots

Pilot Deployment and Transition to Production

• Engage compliance, risk, legal, and information security early in solution development
• Lead the transition of successful prototypes into pilot implementations
• Partner with engineering, product, and platform teams to support scaling into production environments
• Ensure alignment with governance, compliance, and operational requirements

Technical Leadership and Mentorship

• Provide technical leadership across R&D initiatives, guiding design and development decisions
• Set technical direction and create effective code review practices
• Mentor and coach Engineers to enhance technical capability, execution quality, independent problem-solving, and sound technical judgment
• Mentor across experience levels and working styles, including asynchronous collaboration
• Establish best practices for experimentation, rapid prototyping, and iterative development

Stakeholder Communication and Enablement

• Communicate technical findings, insights, and tradeoffs to both technical and business stakeholders
• Explain technology decisions through business outcomes, risks, and tradeoffs
• Support decision‑making by translating complex concepts into actionable recommendations

The above statement of duties is not intended to be all inclusive and other duties will be assigned from time to time.

Job Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, engineering, or related technical field, or equivalent combination of education and/or related professional work experience
• 7 years of experience in software engineering, product development, or emerging technology roles
• Demonstrated experience developing prototypes, proofs‑of‑concept, pilot solutions, or production‑ready capabilities
• Hands‑on full‑stack development experience sufficient to build working prototypes independently, including modern frontend frameworks, backend development, REST or GraphQL APIs, and relational and non‑relational databases
• Strong experience with modern development frameworks, cloud platforms, system architecture, Git, CI/CD concepts, and collaborative development workflows
• Strong familiarity with the Microsoft technology ecosystem, including Azure cloud services, Azure AI, Azure OpenAI Service, Microsoft Fabric, Power Platform, and related tooling
• Experience assessing Microsoft‑native solutions, external alternatives, vendor offerings, build‑vs‑buy options, platform evaluations, or technology strategy work against business and technical requirements
• Familiarity with AI/ML, automation, data‑driven systems, and AI‑assisted development tools for code generation, pair programming, testing, debugging, and technical analysis
• Direct experience working with data across multiple enterprise systems
• Experience operating in regulated environments preferred, with strong awareness of privacy, model governance, AI ethics, compliance, risk, auditability, and data governance expectations
• Proven ability to work across technical and business teams to deliver outcomes, support operational handoff, and partner with engineering, product, or platform teams
• Demonstrated experience mentoring engineers, researchers, or early‑career technologists through code reviews, design discussions, and technical coaching
• Strong communication skills with the ability to translate technical insights, decisions, risks, and tradeoffs into business value
• Strong analytical, problem‑solving, and decision‑making skills
• Strong problem‑first thinking, curiosity, self‑direction, and comfort with ambiguity
• Preferred: exposure to graph databases, knowledge graphs, network analysis, applied analytics, open‑source contributions, technical writing, or innovation‑focused team environments

At this time, we’re not considering applicants that need any type of immigration sponsorship (additional work authorization or permanent work authorization) now or in the future to work in the United States. This includes, but IS NOT LIMITED TO: F1-OPT, F1-CPT, H-1B, TN, L-1, J-1, etc #LI-SW

TruStage may process applicant information using an Artificial Intelligence (AI) tool. This tool automatically generates a screening score based how well applicant information matches the requirements and qualifications for the position. TruStage recruiters use the screening score as a guide to further evaluate candidates; the score is one component of an application review and does not automatically determine whether a candidate moves forward. Candidates may choose to opt out of this process.

Compensation may vary based on the job level, your geographic work location, position incentive plan and exemption status.

Base Salary Range: $125,100.00 - $187,700.00

At TruStage, we believe a sound, inclusive benefits program is of vital importance, along with a flexible workplace that allows for work-life balance, career growth and retirement assistance. In addition to your base pay, your position may be eligible for an annual incentive (bonus) plan.

• medical
• dental
• vision
• employee assistance program
• life insurance
• disability plans
• parental leave
• paid time off
• 401k
• tuition reimbursement

just to name a few.

Beyond pay and benefits, we also recognize that flexibility, including working in a place you prefer, is essential to caring for our employees. We will continue to strive to offer flexibility and invest in technology and other tools that will make hybrid working normal rather than an exception, so that when “life happens,” you can focus on what’s most important.

Accommodation request

TruStage is a place where everyone can bring their best self and thrive. If you need application or interview process accommodations, please contact the accessibility department.

We’re on a mission to make a brighter financial future accessible to everyone. Dedicated to helping more people — in more ways — make confident financial decisions at every stage. And we’re committed to delivering on this belief, together. Creating opportunities beside our partners, members of our communities and our employees.