Strategy Innovation Manager Jobs in Silver Spring, MD

At Banner Life Insurance Company, we lead with heart and ambition. Every day, we transform purpose into progress, guided by our unwavering commitment to be better for our customers, clients, and communities, not just today but long-term as well. Our people are the driving force behind everything we achieve. Their passion, purpose, and pursuit of innovation empower us to deliver cutting-edge solutions that support those we serve, ensuring we are here for you, here for good and striving for better.

We're a forward-thinking company energized by our work and how we show up for one another. Our culture is built on meaningful impact and genuine enjoyment, because we believe great work and great experiences should go hand in hand.

By offering career development opportunities, comprehensive benefits, and programs that support your wellbeing, we help you thrive personally and professionally. We are here for you, here for good and here for better.

The Manager of Technical Solutions will execute the creation and implementation of cutting-edge digital platforms that align with business strategies and drive the organization's digital transformation. This role will be responsible for engineering and QA leadership, executing innovative solutions, and ensuring delivery coordination across multiple platforms while eliminating technical debt. This role will collaborate across scrum teams to develop scalable, maintainable, and future-ready systems and technologies as well as the reduction of satellite IT.

• Digital Platform Excellence: Lead the development and implementation of Horizon and other digital platforms using microservices, cloud technologies, AI/ML, and DevOps principles. Build scalable, high-performing, secure, and aligned with business goals.
• Scrum Management & Agile Delivery: Lead and guide the scrum team to ensure the delivery of high-quality, architecturally sound solutions. Facilitate the agile development process, ensure the team adheres to sprint goals, and drive continuous improvement within the team. Promote a collaborative and high-performance culture within an agile team.
• Engineering Excellence: Execute a unified engineering design practice that ensures architectural and design standards are followed across all projects. Oversee applying best practices in software development, ensuring performance, stability, and scalability while minimizing risk and preventing technical debt.
• Technical Execution: Guide design reviews, code quality standards, and technical decision-making across the stack.
• Team Leadership & Development: Build, mentor, and retain a diverse, high-performing team of engineers, quality assurance analysts, and other technology professionals. Foster a growth mindset, ensuring teams have the skills and capabilities to deliver innovative solutions.
• Continuous Improvement & Innovation: Promote innovation and transformation by seeking out opportunities to improve processes and platforms in support of the company's business goals.
• Collaboration with Key Stakeholders: Partner with product managers and other scrum teams and stakeholders to ensure alignment between technology and business goals. Execute jointly prioritized product and technology roadmaps that drive efficiency and business transformation.
• IT Cross-functional Collaboration: Partner with teams across the IT organization (including cybersecurity, infrastructure, and PMO) to ensure cohesive, standardized, and architecturally sound technology implementations that deliver value to the business.
• Technical Debt Prevention & Elimination: Ensure that technical debt is actively managed, with clear strategies for preventing its accumulation. Implement practices for tracking, resolving, and preventing technical debt across platforms, aligning with the overall technical strategy.
• Innovation & Emerging Technologies: Stay ahead of the curve by identifying and evaluating emerging technologies that could enhance digital platforms and business capabilities. Lead innovation efforts through proof-of-concept work, piloting new tools and platforms, and exploring ways to incorporate AI, machine learning, and cloud technologies

Education

• Bachelors required or equivalent relevant experience
• Master's Degree Preferred

Experience/Knowledge

• 5+ years of experience leading complex technology initiatives, particularly in digital transformation, platform development, and emerging technologies (cloud, AI/ML, microservices).
• 2+ years of experience in people management, fostering innovation and excellence in high-performing teams preferred.
• Proven experience in engineering excellence, delivery management, and scrum management in agile environments.
• Demonstrated experience driving business transformation and aligning technology strategy with business goals.

Skills

• Demonstrated experience in system development life cycle (SDLC) and in managing end-to-end technology solutions from ideation through to production.
• Knowledge of microservices architecture, cloud solutions, AI/ML, and DevOps.
• Expertise in Agile/Lean development methodologies and Continuous Deployment tools and techniques.
• Ability to lead scrum teams, driving performance, continuous improvement, and delivering high-quality outcomes.
• Demonstrated expertise in risk management and technical governance, ensuring compliance with industry standards and internal policies.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to clearly articulate technical strategies to both business and technical audiences.
• Proven leadership abilities with a focus on innovation, mentoring, and developing talent within teams.
• Ability to navigate a fast-paced, dynamic environment, adapt to changing priorities, and lead teams to success under pressure.

Reports To

• AVP, Digital Technologies & Platforms

Staff

• Team size of approximately 10 (Sr. Engineers, Engineers, QA)

What's in it for you?

The expected hiring compensation range for this position is $127,500 - $165,000 annually. This is a hybrid opportunity working on EST.  

The total compensation package for this position may include other elements, such as a sign-on bonus, long term incentives, and annual bonuses.  This role is eligible to participate in the Annual Incentive Plan. The current target payment for the position is 20% of base salary, modified for corporate and individual performance. Bonuses are pro-rated based on start date.  This role has 20 vacation days and 10 sick days that are accrued on a bi-weekly basis. Employees also have 9 paid holidays throughout the calendar year.

We have a competitive compensation and benefits package focused on your overall wellbeing.  Employee benefits include health, life, and dental insurance; 401K with company match up to 6% as well as a pension package; generous time off; and wellbeing initiatives throughout the year (we like doing fun stuff).  We're big on professional development and we'll support and mentor you in your career progression and expect you to help us pay it forward by helping us develop tomorrow's leaders and growth-focused professionals. We value our teams and our communities and believe in giving back. Enjoy time off to volunteer for those causes that matter most to you!

If hired, employee will be in an "at-will position" and the Company reserves the right to modify base salary (as well as any other discretionary payment or compensation program) at any time, including for reasons related to individual performance, Company or individual department/team performance, and market factors. The Company reserves the right to change benefits plans at any time.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, perform essential job functions, and receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.