Vice President - Forward Deployed Engineer

00001 Ameriprise Financial Inc; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 242,000 - 333,000; Full time

Job summary

Ameriprise Financial is seeking a VP Forward Deployed Engineer to partner with portfolio management and research teams, designing and deploying AI-enabled tools that enhance investment decisions.

The role combines investment management knowledge with software engineering to translate ideas into scalable technology solutions. Strong Python, cloud, and governance skills are essential for success.

Qualifications

• 10+ years across investment management, quantitative research/strategy, and software or AI engineering.
• Experience working with trading desks, PMs, or researchers preferred.
• Hands-on experience building and shipping LLM-enabled applications (RAG/embeddings, agents).

Responsibilities

• Translate strategies and research priorities into AI-enabled solutions.
• Design and deliver proof-of-concept and production AI capabilities.
• Collaborate with Investments, Technology, Data, Risk and Compliance to meet enterprise standards.
• Influence AI and investment technology roadmaps and adoption.
• Scale prototypes into sustainable enterprise capabilities.

Skills

Investment knowledge

Quantitative analysis

AI engineering

Python development

Cloud infrastructure

Asset classes fluency

Education

CFA/FRM or equivalent

Tools

LangChain

LangGraph

LlamaIndex

Vector databases

Job description

About Our Company

We’re a diversified financial services leader with more than $1.5 trillion in assets under management, administration and advisement as of year-end 2024. Our team of 22,000 people across 19 countries, serves more than 3.5 million individual, small business and institutional clients. We are a longstanding leader in financial planning and advice, a global asset manager and an insurer. Our unwavering focus on our clients and strong financial foundation connects each of our unique businesses – Ameriprise Financial, Columbia Threadneedle Investments and RiverSource Insurance & Annuities. Here, we foster meaningful careers, invest in the future, and make a difference for clients, institutions and communities around the world.

Job Description

The VP-Forward Deployed Engineer operates at the intersection of investment strategy, quantitative analysis and applied artificial intelligence. The position is responsible for partnering closely with portfolio management and investment research teams to identify opportunities, design solutions, and develop, prototype, and deploy LLM-enabled tools that enhance investment decision-making and research processes. Combines investment management knowledge with software engine capabilities to translate investment ideas and research needs into scalable technology solutions.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as a trusted advisor to investment leaders, translating investment strategies, research priorities, and business challenges into innovative AI-enabled solutions that improve investment outcomes and organizational efficiency.
• Drive the design and delivery of proof-of-concept and production-ready AI capabilities, leveraging advanced analytics, machine learning, and LLM technologies to accelerate investment insights and decision-making.
• Partner across Investments, Technology, Data, Risk, and Compliance functions to ensure solutions meet enterprise standards for security, governance, scalability, and regulatory compliance.
• Influence the AI and investment technology roadmap by identifying high-value opportunities, evaluating emerging capabilities, and promoting adoption of innovative solutions across the investment organization.
• Lead the transition of successful prototypes into sustainable enterprise capabilities, partnering with engineering and platform teams to scale solutions and realize long-term business value.

Required Qualifications

• 10+ years of combined experience across investment management, quantitative research/strategy, and hands-on software or AI engineering, with demonstrated success taking investment problems from concept to working solution.
• Direct experience working alongside trading desks, portfolio managers, or investment researchers, with desk strategist, quant strat, or research technologist backgrounds strongly preferred.
• Hands-on experience building and shipping LLM enabled/integrated applications: RAG/embeddings, agentic workflows, prompt engineering, API integration.
• Strong Python development skills producing production-quality code.
• Expertise with cloud infrastructure and modern software practices (CI/CD, version control, API design).
• Fluency in at least one asset class (equities, fixed income, multi-asset, or macro) at a level where you can challenge and contribute to investment discussions, not just support them.
• Track record of delivering secure, auditable AI solutions in a regulated environment, partnering with risk and compliance.

Preferred Qualifications

• Direct experience supporting front-office investment teams (portfolio managers, analysts, researchers, traders).
• Familiarity with agent frameworks and orchestration tools (LangChain, LangGraph, LlamaIndex, MCP) and vector databases.
• Experience building internal copilots, research assistants, or document-intelligence tools.
• CFA, FRM, or equivalent investment credential.
• Track record of shipping AI or analytics solutions that produced measurable, real-world outcomes.

Visa Sponsorship

Applicants must have a valid work authorization that does not now, or in the future, require visa sponsorship for employment in the United States (e.g., H-1B, F-1 CPT, F-1 OPT, TN).

In-Office Collaboration

We are a client-centric, relationship-based business. Working together, in-person, is foundational to how we achieve results. By fostering a culture of face-to-face collaboration, idea sharing, productivity and personal connection, we deliver for our stakeholders — clients, advisors, employees and shareholders. Our employees work in the office at least four (4) days per week, with flexibility to work from home one (1) day per week. Some roles may require additional in-office time or different in-office expectations, and specific requirements will be discussed during the hiring process.

Base Pay Salary

• The estimated base salary for this role is $242,100 - $332,900 / year.
• We also have a competitive and comprehensive benefits program that supports all aspects of your health and well-being, including but not limited to vacation time, sick time, 401(k), and health, dental and life insurances.

Full-Time/Part-Time

Full time Exempt/Non-Exempt Exempt Job Family Group Data Line of Business TECH Technology Ameriprise Financial is an equal opportunity employer.

Equal Opportunity EEO Statement

Ameriprise Financial is an equal opportunity employer. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, ancestry, age, physical or mental disability, medical condition, pregnancy, military status, veteran status, genetic information, citizenship, disability status, marital status, family status or any other basis prohibited by law. We are committed to fostering an inclusive and accessible recruitment process for individuals with disabilities. If you require a reasonable accommodation to participate in the application or interview process, speak to your recruiter to discuss how we can support you.

Corporate History and Values

Since 1894, Ameriprise Financial has helped people feel more confident about their financial future. Guided by strong values and a deep commitment to clients, we've remained a trusted leader in financial planning and advice for more than 130 years. Through our businesses, Ameriprise Financial, Columbia Threadneedle Investments and RiverSource Insurance & Annuities, we deliver advice, investment and protection solutions designed for long-term success. While each business brings distinct capabilities and expertise, all are united by our unwavering focus on clients and a strong financial foundation. For you, that means the opportunity to build a meaningful career in a high-performing, collaborative culture where your expertise can grow, your contributions are valued and your work can make a real impact. As a global financial services company with three complementary businesses, the breadth of our capabilities sets us apart. It also creates unique opportunities for employees to learn, collaborate and grow their careers:

• Ameriprise Financial: Financial planning, advice and wealth management.
• Columbia Threadneedle Investments: Global asset management serving individual, institutional and corporate clients.
• RiverSource Insurance & Annuities: Products and solutions designed to help clients protect and grow their wealth.