Asst Director-Engineering

What You'll Do:

This is an exciting opportunity to lead the technology department for the Annuities space in the Retirement & Income Solutions division. This position will partner Annuities leaders, and with leaders from the Pension Solutions and Platform engineering teams, to deliver a transformation of business operations and customer outcomes. This is multi-year transformation from Java and mainframe technologies to cloud-native technologies and critical third-party platforms.  

 

We are looking for an experienced engineering leader to continue to drive our product approach, while also leading

our technology modernization and successfully transforming our organizations. This person will have responsibility for resourcing decisions, budgetary management, partnership with global partners, and act as the primary technology representative for Principal’s Annuities business.  

• Capable of  identifying business growth opportunities enabled by technology and executing them against those opportunities. Assertiveness to drive outcomes and the ability to influence stakeholders to achieve the best outcome for our customers and business.  
• Communicate technical concepts to business stakeholders as well as business objectives to the technical team. Use strong communication skills to collaborate effectively with all stakeholders including customers, senior management and other business leaders. 
• Drive a culture of high quality by setting clear expectations and ensuring teams consistently deliver reliable, secure, and maintainable solutions. Partner closely with product and delivery leaders to build quality into the way work is planned and executed, not inspected at the end. Use data to identify gaps and guide improvement, while coaching engineers to take ownership design and delivery. Raise the bar over time by challenging teams to simplify work, reduce rework, and build pride and accountability in the quality of what they deliver. 
• Create a culture of transparency and clear accountability. Set clear expectations for team members; solicit, synthesize and deliver feedback. Motivate team members to act and engage employees with a compelling mission and vision. Act on performance concerns, coaching up or out. 
• Create and communicate a bold direction that inspires results. Create strategy and paint the picture for others surrounding appropriate principles and practices that result in a stable, valuable delivery system. Understand overall business and technology architecture. Quickly break down complex problems into potential solutions Think globally (across teams, across programs, across business units). Work to create resiliency in both systems and in processes. 
• Evaluate new technology developments. Consult and communicate with business partners to understand business strategy and make recommendations on future technical trends/directions that encompass multiple systems and teams to meet business strategic initiatives. Facilitate strategic discussions and execute tactical plans. Set strategic direction at the portfolio level; able to look ahead 12-24 months. Identify areas of greatest need and create plans to improve them. Consistently influence decision-making at the business level. 
• Model a growth mindset and mentor and coach others. Manage and develop staff in an effective manner to promote individual development, improve retention, and ensure success in a team environment. Raise the performance bar. Recognize people with exceptional talent and willingly move them throughout the organization. Develop the team and leaders and be serious about their role in coaching others. Listen attentively, speak candidly and treat others respectfully. Stay connected to the details, audit frequently and be skeptical when metrics and anecdotes differ. Respectfully differentiate empowerment and challenging decisions. 
• Think long term and don't sacrifice long-term value for short-term results. Act on behalf of the entire company, beyond just team/division. Develop and manage departmental budget, objectives, policies, and procedures. 

Who You Are:

• Bachelor's degree (preference in a computer science, technology, engineering or math-related field) or equivalent experience.
• 8+ years of relevant experience.
• 4+ years of technology leadership experience managing and mentoring direct reports preferred.
• Excellent leadership, problem solving, analytical, and decision-making skills are required.
• Strong oral and written communication skills are necessary.
• Must have an overall knowledge of the organization, as well as broad knowledge of the technology functions of the company. 
• Overnight travel may be required.

Salary Range Information: Salary ranges below reflect targeted base salaries. Non-sales positions have the opportunity to participate in a bonus program. Sales positions are eligible for sales incentives, and in some instances a bonus plan, whereby total compensation may far exceed base salary depending on individual performance. Actual compensation for all roles will be based upon geographic location, work experience, education, licensure requirements and/or skill level and will be finalized at the time of offer. Salary Range: $145000 - $170000 / year Time Off Program: Flexible Time Off (FTO) is provided to salaried (exempt) employees and provides the opportunity to take time away from the office with pay for vacation, personal or short-term illness. Employees don’t accrue a bank of time off under FTO and there is no set number of days provided. Pension Eligible: Yes Additional Information:

Work Environment

This role offers in-office and hybrid (blending at least three office days in a typical workweek), in Des Moines, IA. You’ll work with your leader to figure out which option may align best based on several factors.

Hours

This role will partner with our global teams and has an expectation for flexibility in your work schedule to have a regular start time around 7:30-8:00 am CST a few days a week.  

Work Authorization/Sponsorship

At this time, we're not considering candidates that need any type of immigration sponsorship now or in the future or those needing work authorization for this role. (This includes, but is not limited to students on F1-OPT, F1-CPT, J-1, etc.) 

Nonimmigrant Workers and  Green Card for Employment-Based Immigrants

Investment Code of Ethics

For Principal Global Investors positions, you’ll need to follow an Investment Code of Ethics related to personal and business conduct as well as personal trading activities for you and members of your household. These same requirements may also apply to other positions across the organization.

Experience Principal

At Principal, we value connecting on both a personal and professional level. Together, we’re imagining a more purpose-led future for financial services – and that starts with you. Our success depends on the unique experiences, backgrounds, and talents of our employees. And we support our employees the same way we support our customers: with comprehensive, competitive benefit offerings crafted to protect their physical, financial, and social well-being. Check out our  careers site to learn more about our purpose, values and benefits.

Principal is an Equal Opportunity Employer

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.

Posting Window: We will accept applications for 3 full days following the Original Posting Date, after which the posting may remain open or be removed based upon applications received. If we choose to post the job again, we will accept additional applications for at least 1 full day following the Most Recently Posted Date. Please submit applications in a timely manner as there is no guarantee the posting will be available beyond the applicable deadline. Date First Posted (TTF): 6/2/2026 Latest Post Date: Careers - US: 6/2/2026

LinkedIn Hashtag

: #LI-EW1