Betterment is a leading, technology-driven financial services company that offers investing and retirement solutions for retail investors and investment advisors as well as financial wellness solutions, including a 401(k) for small and medium-sized businesses. Our team is passionate about our mission: making people’s lives better. We’re headquartered in NYC and offer hybrid NY-based positions (three days/ week in-office).
About the role
The PDE (Product, Design, Engineering) Operations Manager, you will lead and optimize operations across in our PDE department, which consists of Product, Design, Engineering, Analytics and Technical Program Management. This role is critical in driving alignment, efficiency, and innovation by establishing best practices, streamlining workflows, and enabling cross-functional collaboration. The ideal candidate will possess a deep understanding of product development lifecycles, design processes, engineering practices, and operational frameworks.
As a PDE (Product, Design, Engineering) Operations Manager, you will:
- Help identify, frame, and independently drive initiatives that enhance operational efficiency, scalability, and agility within the PDE org.
- Drive the adoption of tools and technologies to improve collaboration and delivery outcomes, including our task/project management tool.
- Act as a liaison between PDE teams and other organizational units such as Marketing, Sales, HR, and Customer Experience.
- Collaborate on planning and design and execution of marquee PDE events such as onsite and all hands meetings.
- Foster a culture of collaboration and communication across Product, Design and Engineering functions and with other departments at the senior leadership and executive level.
- Build strong relationships with key stakeholders company-wide to ensure a unified approach to achieving organizational goals.
- Collaborate with Product, Design and Engineering exec leadership to inform optimized resource allocation and capacity planning, ensuring teams are appropriately staffed for project demands.
- Optimize vendor relationships and manage contracts for tools and services utilized by PDE teams.
This role is based out of our NYC office. Below we've reflected the base salary range we would offer for this position. Actual salaries may vary depending on factors including but not limited to location, experience, and performance. The range listed is just one component of Betterment’s total compensation package for employees.
- New York City: $125,000 - $145,000
We offer a competitive equity package, health, dental and vision benefits, life and AD&D, short-term and long-term disability insurance, EAP, commuter and parking benefits FSA/HSA, and 401(k) with employer match as well as a flexible PTO policy. This job may also be eligible for variable compensation in the form of a company incentive bonus. For jobs based out of our NYC HQ, we require in office attendance Tuesday through Thursday, weekly.
A day in the life
- Review key metrics and progress on operational initiatives. Collaborate with PDE leadership to identify areas for improvement and outline action steps for enhancing scalability and agility.
- Lead a workshop or training session on optimizing the use of the task/project management tool, ensuring teams understand best practices and are aligned in their usage.
- Meet with a vendor to negotiate terms for a new collaboration tool, addressing potential integration with existing systems.
- Facilitate a meeting with leaders from Marketing, Sales, and Customer Experience to align on upcoming cross-departmental initiatives.
- Work with PDE executives to finalize the agenda and logistics for an upcoming onsite event, focusing on ensuring meaningful outcomes for attendees.
- Draft internal communication that highlights PDE updates and fosters transparency and collaboration across departments.
- Engage in one-on-one conversations with key stakeholders, both within PDE and across the company, to gather feedback and strengthen relationships.
What we’re looking for
- 5+ years of experience in operations management in a product, design, and/or engineering environment.
- Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret data and drive decision-making in the product management and software development space.
- Deep understanding of how high functioning PDE teams operate, with a background in project management.
- An Agile certification.
- Exceptional organizational, communication, and stakeholder management abilities.
- Proficiency in collaboration tools such as Jira, Confluence, Trello, or equivalent platforms.
- Demonstrated expertise in resource planning, prioritization, and risk management.
- Experience in organizational change management, demonstrating the ability to lead teams through transformation initiatives effectively.
- Experience managing or working with distributed teams across different time zones, ensuring seamless communication and collaboration.
Nice to have:
- PMP, PgMP, or similar certification.
We change lives
Join a community of innovators working to transform financial outcomes for real people. Your work will make an impact, always laddering up to our mission: making people's lives better.
We set audacious goals
We set them for the company, our customers, and ourselves—and we won’t stop until we reach them. We don’t just show up; we give our all, then celebrate our wins.
We value all perspectives
When we collaborate, we're at our best. We believe diverse perspectives lead to better outcomes and strive to uphold our supportive and inclusive community.
We invest in you with:
- A competitive suite of benefits, including: medical, dental, and vision insurance; life and AD&D insurance; STD and LTD benefits, including infertility support and World Professional Association for Transgender Health approved benefits; and generous parental leave.
- Flexible paid time off (and encouragement to use it!)
- Meaningful opportunity for community building through our 7 Employee Resource Groups
- Empowerment to own and lead change and affect the business
- Dedicated professional development opportunities
- Lunch from our in-house chef three days a week at our NYC headquarters
What happens next
We’ll take a few weeks to review all applications. If we’d like to spend more time with you, we’ll reach out to arrange next steps, which will include 3-4 sets of meetings with your future colleagues.
In the interview process, we’ll look to learn more about your skills, experiences, capabilities, and motivators. Many of our questions will be aimed at understanding how you might operate here at Betterment. Depending on the role, we may ask you to complete a case study exercise or technical assessments, as we want to collect a robust set of data points to better inform our decisions.
On average, it takes us around 3-5 weeks to make a hiring decision, depending on your availability and sense of urgency. As a best practice, we aim to interview at least 2-3 final round candidates before making a hiring decision. Please note that, as we usually receive an overwhelming number of applications for open positions, we’re unable to offer individual feedback during the interview process.
We recognize that interviewing for a new role is a big deal. We appreciate you considering Betterment as the next step in your career, and our Recruiting Team is here to support and advocate for you through the interview process!
Betterment is dedicated to providing accommodations to candidates upon request. If you need accommodations at any point throughout the interview process, please reach out to your recruiter.
Please note that in any materials you submit, you may redact or remove age-identifying information such as age, date of birth, or dates of school attendance or graduation. You will not be penalized for redacting or removing this information.
Come join us!
We’re an equal opportunity employer and comply with all applicable federal, state, and local fair employment practices laws. We strictly prohibit and do not tolerate discrimination against employees, applicants, or any other covered persons because of race, color, religion, creed, national origin or ancestry, ethnicity, sex, gender (including gender nonconformity and status as a transgender or transsexual individual), sexual orientation, marital status, age, physical or mental disability, citizenship, past, current or prospective service in the uniformed services, predisposing genetic characteristic, domestic violence victim status, arrest records, or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, state or local law.
E-Verify Statement
Betterment participates in E-Verify. We will provide the Social Security Administration, and if necessary, the Department of Homeland Security, with information from each new employee’s Form I-9 to confirm work authorization. Please note that we do not use this information to pre-screen job applicants.
E-Verify Notice
E-Verify Notice (Spanish)
Right to Work Notice
Right to Work Notice (Spanish)
CPRA Language - CA Applicants ONLY
We collect and store personal information for the purposes of candidate tracking (for this role and future opportunities). The information you provide in the course of completing your application will be kept for up to 24 months. We use tools provided by third-party service providers but do not share candidate information for any purpose other than for recruiting. To access the data that is collected, request deletion or to make updates to your candidate profile, please email [email protected].
What We Do
Betterment is the largest independent digital investment advisor in the U.S., offering investing and retirement solutions alongside their everyday services for spending and saving. Using cutting-edge technology, expert advice, automated money management tools, and tax-smart strategies, they empower hundreds of thousands of customers to manage their money—for today, tomorrow, and someday.
Why Work With Us
At Betterment, we revolutionize the way people manage their money through innovative technology and personalized guidance. With a culture of empowerment, endless growth opportunities, and focus on a well-balanced life, working at Betterment means being part of our mission of making people’s lives better.
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