Location: Hybrid from San Juan, Puerto Rico

General Description

Lead a team of software engineers responsible for the delivery, support, stability, security, and continuous improvement of critical digital banking applications. This role oversees application lifecycle management, production support, software releases, vulnerability remediation, incident management, regulatory compliance, and adoption of engineering best practices to ensure a reliable and secure customer experience.

The Software Engineering Manager serves as a people leader and technical leader, partnering with cross-functional teams across Technology, Information Security, Infrastructure, Digital Channels, and Business units to drive operational excellence, strengthen application resiliency, optimize engineering processes, and support strategic technology initiatives.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Engineering Leadership & Delivery

• Lead and manage a team of software engineers supporting critical customer-facing applications.
• Establish engineering priorities, resource allocation strategies, and execution plans aligned with business objectives.
• Oversee software development, production support, application maintenance, and release management activities.
• Drive engineering excellence through continuous improvement initiatives, process optimization, and adoption of industry best practices.
• Monitor and improve key engineering metrics including deployment frequency, cycle time, deployment time, defect escape rate, change failure rate, and release quality.
• Ensure successful delivery of enhancements, fixes, and strategic technology initiatives while maintaining application stability and performance.
• Collaborate with business and technology stakeholders to define priorities, resolve issues, and deliver value to customers.

Production Support & Service Reliability

• Ensure high availability, resiliency, performance, and reliability of supported applications and platforms.
• Lead incident management efforts and coordinate timely resolution of production issues.
• Support on-call processes and major incident response activities.
• Drive root cause analysis, corrective actions, and preventive measures to minimize service disruptions.
• Monitor operational risks, application health, and system performance metrics to proactively identify improvement opportunities.
• Ensure compliance with established service level agreements and operational standards.

Security, Risk & Compliance

• Lead efforts to identify, prioritize, and remediate application vulnerabilities and security findings.
• Partner with Information Security and Risk Management teams to strengthen application security posture.
• Ensure compliance with internal policies, regulatory requirements, audit recommendations, and technology standards.
• Support secure software development practices, penetration testing activities, SAST/DAST initiatives, and vulnerability management programs.
• Maintain applications, platforms, and supporting technologies up to date with required vendor releases, certificates, security patches, and operating system updates.
• Implement preventive controls and processes to mitigate operational and regulatory risks.

Strategic Initiatives & Technology Transformation

• Support technology modernization and digital transformation initiatives.
• Collaborate across technology teams to implement scalable, secure, and resilient solutions.
• Lead operational transition and knowledge transfer initiatives.
• Identify opportunities for automation, process improvement, and technology optimization.
• Evaluate and promote the adoption of emerging technologies, engineering best practices, and AI-enabled solutions that enhance productivity and operational effectiveness.

Financial & Vendor Management

• Manage operational budgets and technology-related expenses within approved allocations.
• Monitor consulting services, contractor performance, and vendor engagements to ensure effective service delivery.
• Identify and implement cost optimization opportunities while maintaining service quality and operational excellence.
• Support financial planning, forecasting, and resource management activities.

People Leadership

• Lead, coach, develop, and retain engineering talent.
• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, innovation, and continuous learning.
• Define performance expectations and conduct meaningful coaching and performance management discussions.
• Support career development, succession planning, and employee engagement initiatives.
• Promote a positive, inclusive, and high-performing work environment.
• Ensure completion of all managerial, operational, and regulatory responsibilities for the team.

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Information Systems, Software Engineering, or a related field required.

Master’s Degree preferred.

Experience

• Seven (7) years or more of experience in software engineering, application support, technology delivery, or related disciplines.
• Three (3) years or more of leadership experience managing technical teams, engineering initiatives, or technology operations.
• Experience supporting mission-critical production environments and customer-facing digital applications.
• Experience managing software releases, production support, incident management, and application lifecycle activities.
• Experience working in highly regulated environments, preferably within financial services.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Strong knowledge of Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC), Agile methodologies, and DevOps practices.
• Understanding of Site Reliability Engineering (SRE), application support, release management, and continuous delivery principles.
• Experience with application monitoring, observability, and performance management tools.
• Knowledge of cybersecurity principles, vulnerability management, and secure software development practices.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
• Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and relationship-building abilities.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced and dynamic environment.
• Demonstrated leadership, coaching, and team development capabilities.
• Strong organizational, planning, and project management skills.

Important: The candidate must provide evidence of academic preparation or courses related to the job posting, if necessary.

Our hybrid work model benefit applies to certain positions and is subject to changes based on the organizational needs.

Applicants must be authorized to work for any employer in the United States.  This position is not open to applicants who need visa sponsorship or transfer of visa sponsorship at this time.

ABOUT US

Popular is Puerto Rico’s leading financial institution and have been evolving since it was founded over a century ago. From a small bank it has developed into a large corporation that offer a wide variety of services and financial solutions to our customers, with presence in the United States, the Caribbean and Latin America.

As employees, we are dedicated to making our customers dreams come true by offering financial solutions in each stage of their life. Our extensive trajectory demonstrates the resiliency and determination of our employees to innovate, reach for the right solutions and strongly support the communities we serve; therefore, we value their diverse skills, experiences and backgrounds.

We reaffirm our commitment to always offer essential financial services and solutions for our customers and communities, including during emergency situations and/or natural disasters. Popular’s employees are considered essential workers, whose role is critical in the continuity of these important services even under such circumstances. By applying to this position, you acknowledge that Popular may require your services during and immediately after any such events.

If you have a disability or need more information about requesting an accommodation, please contact us at asesorialaboral@popular.com. This email inbox is monitored for such types of requests only. All information you provide will be kept confidential and will be used only to the extent required to provide needed exemptions or reasonable accommodations. Any other correspondence will not receive a response.

Are you ready for a rewarding career?

Popular is an Equal Opportunity Employer, including Disability/Vets
Learn more about us at www.popular.com and keep updated with our latest job postings at www.jobs.popular.com.
Connect with us!
LinkedIn  |   Facebook   |   Twitter   |   Instagram

If you are a California resident, please click here to learn more about your privacy rights.