Sr. Manager, Applications Development – Remote

Symetra has an exciting new opportunity to join us as a Senior Manager, Applications Development for our Retirement Division!

About the role

As a Senior Manager of Software Engineering within the Retirement Division, you will lead a team of developers responsible for building, enhancing, and supporting annuity-business applications. These systems include both custom-built and vendor-configured solutions that support Symetra’s core business functions.

In this high-impact role, you'll provide technical direction, oversee software delivery practices, and manage a team of skilled engineers.  You’ll also cultivate strong relationships with Product, internal customers, and external partners, balancing people leadership, technical direction, execution, and strategic partnership.

What you will do

• Provide strategic and technical direction to the engineering team.
• Guide the adoption of modern technologies and drive system-wide improvements.
• Lead delivery across multiple projects, aligning resources with business priorities.
• Improve development processes, tools, and team scalability.
• Attract, develop, and retain top engineering talent through coaching and career planning.
• Foster a collaborative, accountable, and high-performing team culture.
• Partner with business leaders to align technology solutions with strategic goals.
• Serve as the senior engineering partner to Product leadership, bringing an independent engineering perspective to roadmap and PI planning, challenging priorities and assumptions when appropriate, and ensuring commitments appropriately balance customer value, delivery capacity, technical health, quality, and operational risk.
• Maintain a strong understanding of work across engineering teams, ensuring engineers understand the outcomes they are driving, and that engineering investment is producing measurable business and customer value.
• Ensure clear communication, manage expectations, and deliver high-quality outcomes.
• Combine strategic thinking with hands-on technical expertise.
• Mentor future leaders and promote continuous learning and innovation.

Why Work at Symetra

“If you want to work for a company that is always considering its employees while working towards sustainable growth this is that company. Within Symetra, there is always innovation, empowerment, and growth opportunities, all while providing us with a great work/life balance and incredible benefits for a very reasonable cost!” - Cindy J. G., Sr. Product Owner

"Symetra will spoil you.  There aren't many companies that will put as much effort into you being a success as Symetra.  The culture will challenge you but simultaneously put you at ease.  Failure is seen as integral to the learning process so there is less reason to be fearful of it." -  Kerry S., Sr. Systems Analyst

What we offer you

We don’t take a “one-size-fits-all” approach when it comes to our employees. Our programs are designed to make your life better both at work and at home.

• Flexible full-time or hybrid telecommuting arrangements
• Plan for your future with our 401(k) plan and take advantage of immediate vesting and company matching up to 6%
• Paid time away including vacation and sick time, flex days and ten paid holidays
• Give back to your community and double your impact through our company matching
• Want more details? Check out our Symetra Benefits Overview

Compensation

Salary Range: $141,600 – $236,000 plus eligibility for the company annual bonus program.

Qualifications

Who You Are

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related technical field preferred; High school diploma required.
• 9+ years of relevant experience, including 2+ years managing technical teams.
• Proven experience managing teams of 7+ software engineers, Quality Assurance, and Technical Program Managers (TPMs).
• Strong software engineering background with deep technical expertise and hands-on experience in one or more modern programming languages such as C#/.NET, TypeScript, or Python. Able to provide technical leadership, evaluate implementation approaches, and effectively challenge and guide senior engineers.
• Strong understanding of modern cloud architecture and engineering practices, including serverless, event-driven, and containerized solutions, with AWS experience strongly preferred.
• Experience leading teams responsible for API-driven integrations with enterprise and external SaaS platforms; experience within insurance or financial services is a plus.
• Practical experience developing and managing APIs throughout their lifecycle—including design, documentation, deployment, security, monitoring, and scaling—using API management platforms such as Apigee or equivalents.
• Strong data management skills, including SQL and NoSQL databases, operational data store deployment, and GraphQL APIs.
• Solid understanding of software architecture and application lifecycle management, with experience in modern microservices-based patterns such as Event-Driven Architecture.
• Demonstrated success leading multiple engineering teams in close partnership with Product, including influencing roadmaps and PI planning, evaluating delivery commitments against engineering capacity, navigating competing priorities, and constructively challenging decisions when necessary to protect customer value, quality, technical health, and sustainable delivery.
• Exposure to AI/ML integration in software development, with familiarity using Generative AI tools such as GitHub Copilot and embedding AI-driven automation into modern digital solutions.
• Able to travel occasionally to meet the needs of the business.

Travel:

Required Training & Professional Development
All newly hired people leaders with direct reports are required to complete a comprehensive leadership development program within their first year. This program includes both virtual and in-person training. The in-person sessions will take place at Symetra’s corporate headquarters in Bellevue, Washington. Symetra covers all travel and accommodation expenses.

Reasonable Accommodations
Symetra is committed to providing equitable access to all job-related responsibilities, including required travel. If reasonable accommodations are needed for travel, Symetra’s HR department will work to provide appropriate solutions in alignment with individual needs and company policies.

We empower inclusion
At Symetra, we aspire to be the most inclusive insurance company in the country. We're building a place where every employee feels valued, respected, and has opportunities to contribute.
Inclusion is about recognizing our assumptions, considering multiple perspective, and removing barriers. We accept and celebrate diverse experiences, identities, and perspectives, because lifting each other up fuels thought and builds a stronger, more innovative company. We invite you to learn more about our efforts here.
 
Creating a world where more people have access to financial freedom
Symetra is a national financial services company dedicated to helping people achieve their financial goals and feel confident about the future. In our daily work, we're guided by the principles of Value, Transparency and Sustainability. This means we provide products and services people need at a competitive price, we communicate clearly and openly so people understand what they're buying, and we design products--and operate our company--to stand the test of time. We're committed to showing up for our communities, lifting up our employees, and standing up for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). Join our team and help us create a world where more people have access to financial freedom.
For more information about our careers visit: https://symetra.eightfold.ai/careers
 
Work Authorization
Employer work visa sponsorship and support are not provided for this role. Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States at hire and must maintain authorization to work in the United States throughout their employment with our company.
 

Please review Symetra's Remote Network Minimum Requirements:
As a remote-first organization committed to providing a positive experience for both employees and customers, Symetra has the following standards for employees' internet connection:

• Minimum Internet Speed:100 Mbps download and 20 Mbps upload, in alignment with the FCC's definition of "broadband."
• Internet Type:Fiber, Cable (e.g., Comcast, Spectrum), or DSL.
• Not Permissible:Satellite (e.g., Starlink), cellular broadband (hotspot or otherwise), any other wireless technology, or wired dial-up.

When applying to jobs at Symetra you'll be asked to test your internet speed and confirm that your internet connection meets or exceeds Symetra's standard as outlined above.
 

Identity Verification
Symetra is committed to fair and secure hiring practices. For all roles, candidates will be required (after the initial phone screen) to be on video for all interviews. Symetra will take affirmative steps at key points in the process to verify that a candidate is not seeking employment fraudulently, e.g. through use of a false identity.
 
Failure to comply with verification procedures may result in:

• Disqualification from the recruitment process
• Withdrawal of a job offer
• Termination of employment and other criminal and/or civil remedies, if fraud is discovered