Index Design R&D Team Manager, Director

S&P Dow Jones Indices is hiring an Index Design R&D Team Manager to lead research, design, analysis, and delivery of equity and digital asset indices and related capabilities. The role manages and develops an R&D team, owns its backlog, provides technical expertise, and collaborates with product, commercial, engineering, and client stakeholders.

Responsibilities:

• Lead and contribute to the conceptualization, design and analysis of new indices and/or scalable capabilities that power them, personally driving the highest‑complexity or highest‑risk work while coaching team members to deliver the majority of execution
• Act as the team’s technical escalation point and methodology coach, setting a high bar for analytical quality and innovation through reviews, mentoring, and selective hands‑on contribution
• Proactively seek customer feedback to learn and better understand their needs and requirements and ensure end-to-end delivery of features
• Ensures team‑level adoption of agreed operating standards and agile practices as defined at the value stream level
• Build relationships across R&D, Product and functional teams to ensure ongoing collaboration and success, including identification and support of cross-product opportunities
• Partner with Commercial team to develop and deepen relationships with clients and internal/external stakeholders through R&D designs, capabilities, innovation, and best practices
• Own resolution of complex technical challenges and unblock delivery via expert analysis, design reviews, and hands‑on problem solving where the work requires the highest domain competency
• Hiring, onboarding and performance management of team members
• Develop team members to acquire and grow the skills and capabilities needed for efficient and effective performance
• Adopt the day-to-day backlog prioritization and delivery process as defined by the Head of Equity & Digital Assets Index Design
• Own team backlog (planning, prioritization, refinement) translating value stream priorities into clear, executable work while ensuring alignment with key stakeholders
• Inspire and empower team to deliver business outcomes against priorities and OKR’s
• Set targets for development and growth and lead performance assessment of team members supporting ongoing professional development
• Participates in value stream performance calibration to ensure consistency, fairness, and alignment with enterprise standards
• Contribute technical expertise to internal and external engagements (including client discussions on specific projects) in support of value stream objectives

Requirements:

• 8+ years of experience in R&D, portfolio/index design, or related technical roles
• Three plus years' experience directly managing and developing people
• Extensive industry knowledge about most impactful trends and future direction of the core index, asset, wealth, and capital market industries
• Experience owning team backlogs and leading delivery in an agile or iterative operating model
• Experience supporting client or stakeholder engagements through technical expertise
• Advanced degree, MBA or equivalent experience required
• CFA or PhD desirable