Morningstar

Senior Manager of Software Engineering

Morningstar$147K — $226K *
Information Technology
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 8+ years of software engineering experience, including 5+ years leading engineering teams with direct people management responsibility.
  • Strong technical depth in distributed systems including architecture, API design, and operational risks.
  • Proficiency with Java, Spring Boot, REST APIs, and AWS cloud-native development, with front-end experience in JavaScript/TypeScript frameworks.
  • Experience delivering complex projects that involve multiple engineering teams and cross-functional collaboration.
  • Knowledge of AI-assisted engineering practices, including coding agents and maintaining engineering standards.
  • Familiarity with modern software practices like CI/CD, automated testing, and secure SDLC.
  • Proven track record in mentoring engineers and cultivating technical leadership.

Responsibilities

  • Lead North America engineering teams for Morningstar Plan Advantage and Fiduciary Services.
  • Hire, coach, and mentor engineers, fostering a culture of accountability and continuous learning.
  • Establish technical leadership practices, including decision-making and engineering expectations.
  • Drive improvements in engineering practices through automation and operational excellence.
  • Guide transition to agentic engineering where engineers define context, verify outcomes, and maintain accountability.
  • Ensure successful execution of cross-team initiatives by managing dependencies and removing blockers.
  • Collaborate with Product Management to set priorities and align engineering efforts with business objectives.

Benefits

  • 100% 401k match up to 6% of salary
  • Comprehensive health benefits including potential HSA contributions
  • Trust-Based Time Off and 6-week Paid Sabbatical Program
  • Competitive Paid Parental Leave and Family Caregiving Leave
  • Leadership coaching and formal mentorship opportunities
  • Annual Flex Stipend for personal education and well-being
  • Paid volunteering days and charitable matching gifts program
Full Job Description

The Job Responsibilities:

Team Leadership

  • Lead the North America engineering teams supporting Morningstar Plan Advantage and Fiduciary Services.
  • Hire, coach, and develop technical leads and engineers while fostering a culture of ownership, accountability, and continuous learning.

Technical Leadership

  • Provide technical leadership by establishing clear ownership, decision-making practices, architecture and design review standards, and consistent engineering expectations while enabling technical leads and teams to operate independently and deliver predictably.
  • Continuously improve how engineering teams build and operate software by adopting modern development practices, automation, and operational excellence.

AI-Native Engineering

  • Lead teams through the shift from AI-assisted to agentic engineering — engineers set direction, build the context and guardrails agents work within, and verify outcomes rather than producing the implementation themselves.
  • Own the engineering environment that makes agent-authored work trustworthy: context, standards enforced through automated checks, and feedback that catches defects before human review. Accountability for what ships stays with engineers — AI-generated work doesnt reduce or transfer it.
  • Measure whether its working — cycle time across the full delivery lifecycle rather than coding alone, rework rate on agent-authored work, and no compromise in quality, security, compliance, or accessibility.

Delivery & Cross-functional Execution

  • Own successful execution of initiatives that span multiple applications and engineering teams by driving alignment, managing dependencies, removing blockers, and maintaining delivery momentum.
  • Partner closely with Product Management to shape roadmaps, clarify priorities, and balance near-term needs with platform modernization.
  • Build strong working relationships across engineering and product organizations, encouraging direct communication, shared ownership, and collaborative problem solving.

The Qualifications:

  • 8+ years of software engineering experience, including 5+ years leading engineering teams with direct people management responsibility.
  • Strong technical depth in distributed systems, including service architecture, API design, data consistency, resiliency, and performance, with the ability to review designs and identify scalability and operational risks.
  • Hands-on proficiency with Java, Spring Boot, REST APIs, and cloud-native development on AWS, with enough front-end depth in modern component-based JavaScript/TypeScript frameworks to review full-stack designs end to end, and the ability to review architecture, designs, and code and provide technical guidance to engineering teams.
  • Demonstrated experience delivering complex initiatives spanning multiple engineering teams and applications, driving execution, managing dependencies, and resolving cross-team technical challenges.
  • Experience adopting AI-assisted engineering practices including coding agents, AI-assisted code reviews, testing, and documentation with the ability to establish appropriate guardrails, verification practices, and engineering standards while maintaining high standards for quality, security, and engineering judgment.
  • Working knowledge of modern software engineering practices, including CI/CD, automated testing, observability, SLOs, secure SDLC, and cloud-native operational practices.
  • Experience developing engineers and technical leads with a track record of growing individuals into broader technical and leadership responsibilities.
  • Demonstrated ability to build collaborative engineering teams and foster a culture of ownership, accountability, continuous improvement, and direct cross-functional communication.
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to influence technical decisions, navigate ambiguity, and build trusted partnerships across groups.
  • Bachelors degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.

Compensation and Benefits

At Morningstar we believe people are at their best when they are at their healthiest. Thats why we champion your wellness through a wide range of programs that support all stages of your personal and professional life. Here are some examples of the offerings we provide:

  • Financial Health

    • 100% 401k match up to 6% of salary

    • Stock Ownership Potential

    • Company provided life insurance - 1x salary + commission

  • Physical Health

    • Comprehensive health benefits(medical/dental/vision)including potential premium discounts and company-provided HSA contributions (up to $500-$2,000 annually) for specific plansand coverages

    • Additional medical Wellness Incentives - up to $300-$600 annual

    • Company-provided long- and short-termdisabilityinsurance

  • Emotional Health

    • Trust-Based Time Off

    • 6-week Paid Sabbatical Program

    • 6-Week Paid Family Caregiving Leave

    • Competitive 8-24 Week Paid Parental Leave

    • Adoption Assistance

    • Leadership Coaching & FormalMentorshipOpportunities

    • Annual Flex Stipend - $1000 annually to cover personal education & well-being expenses

    • Tuition Reimbursement

  • Social Health

    • Charitable Matching Gifts program

    • Dollars for Doers volunteer program

    • Paid volunteering days

    • 15+ Employee Resource & Affinity Groups

Total Cash Compensation Range

$147,550.00-226,233.33

Inclusive of annual base salary and target incentive

Morningstars hybrid work environment gives you the opportunity to collaborate in-person each week as weve found that were at our best when were purposely together on a regular basis. In most of our locations, our hybrid work model is four days in-office each week. A range of other benefits are also available to enhance flexibility as needs change. No matter where you are, youll have tools and resources to engage meaningfully with your global colleagues.

002_MstarAssocLLC Morningstar Investment Management LLC Legal Entity

About Morningstar

Morningstar, Inc. is a leading provider of independent investment research in North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia. The company offers an extensive line of products and services for individual investors, financial advisors, asset managers, and retirement plan providers and sponsors. Morningstar provides data on approximately 530,000 investment offerings, including stocks, mutual funds, and similar vehicles, along with real-time global market data on more than 18 million equities, indexes, futures, options, commodities, and precious metals, in addition to foreign exchange and Treasury markets. Morningstar also offers investment management services through its investment advisory subsidiaries, with more than $200 billion in assets under advisement and management as of December 31, 2020. The company has operations in 29 countries.
Learn more about Morningstar
Size
10,038 employees
Market Cap
$9 billion
Industry
Net Income
$223.6 million
Founded
1984
5 Year Trend
+16.3%
Revenue
$1.3 billion
NASDAQ

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