Technology R&D Lead Engineer

trustage; United States; On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

TruStage seeks a Lead, Technology R&D Engineer to design, develop and validate 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

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, engineering, or related technical field, or equivalent combination of education and 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 including modern frontend frameworks, backend development, REST/GraphQL APIs, and relational and non-relational databases.

Responsibilities

• 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.
• Lead technical validation of emerging technologies and provide clear recommendations.

Skills

Technical leadership

Mentorship

Stakeholder communication

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor's degree in computer science or engineering

Tools

REST/GraphQL APIs

Full-stack development

Relational databases

Non-relational databases

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 develop