Investment Product Strategy Specialist

Vanguard•Malvern, PA

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

At Vanguard, we don't just have a mission—we're on a mission. To work for the long-term financial wellbeing of our clients. To lead through product and services that transform our clients' lives. To learn and develop our skills as individuals and as a team. From Malvern to Melbourne, our mission drives us forward and inspires us to be our best. Vanguard has implemented a hybrid working model for the majority of our crew members, designed to capture the benefits of enhanced flexibility while enabling in-person learning, collaboration, and connection. We believe our mission-driven and highly collaborative culture is a critical enabler to support long-term client outcomes and enrich the employee experience. Vanguard, one of the world's leading investment management companies, serves individual investors, institutions, employer-sponsored retirement plans, and financial professionals. We have a diverse and talented crew with a culture that promotes teamwork, along with an unwavering focus on serving our clients' best interests.

Requirements

Undergraduate degree in a business discipline or an equivalent combination of training and experience.
Minimum three years of general experience or three years of industry related experience.
A solid understanding of investment products, markets, and the industry workflow and infrastructure, including the trade execution process (ex. NSCC, custodian bank interrelationships).
Strong relationship management skills.
Proven ability to effectively communicate with external providers, internal business clients and crew members at all levels.
Demonstrated ability to function in a fast paced, ambiguous environment working with multiple and diverse responsibilities.
Perspective, flexibility, and judgement to evaluate issues/problems of high complexity and make sound decisions.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
Detail oriented and able to manage multiple tasks simultaneously.
People oriented, ability to motivate people outside of the reporting structure.
Ability to take ownership of issues, initiate solutions, and follow through to ensure client satisfaction.

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with qualified plan regulations and knowledge of Vanguard's VISTA record keeping platform preferred.

Responsibilities

Exhibits extensive knowledge on investment products.
Fields requests from Sales, Client Services, and Offer/Governance on product offerings.
Assesses and makes decisions independently on whether an investment product can be supported by our record keeping platform.
Acts as a knowledgeable source of information and provides insights about the broad markets and the position of our investment strategies.
Coordinates investment product and trust service responses related to Request for Proposal (RFP) and Request for Information (RFI).
Anticipates client needs and ensures their satisfaction related to the services being provided.
Acquires thorough knowledge and understanding of all relevant legal plan documents.
Maintains effective working relationships with external clients and business partners that includes outside investment management firms, custodian banks, third party accounting providers, and vendors.
Fosters effective communication providing feedback and tracking issues.
Communicates effectively throughout the on boarding and/or off boarding of investments; gathers requirements, consults on risk mitigation and system capabilities, identifies and resolves issues, and coordinates with other Investment Administration teams.
Acts as a liaison and advocate for VWS with respect to investment products and services.
Completes comprehensive impact analysis of issues and recommends solutions.
Resolves issues and elevates material issues independently.
Recognizes opportunities and recommends process improvements to gain efficiencies and ensure quality.
Negotiates with outside fund families for maximum administrative reimbursement available to Vanguard; reconciles and resolves billing to payment discrepancies.
Contributes to idea generation and positioning for our open architecture environment, accentuating our competitive strength, and keeping Vanguard at the industry's leading edge.
Mentors and coaches other crew members, serves as a resource to the department, and shares expertise.
Champions Vanguard Unmatchable Excellence (VUE) efforts.
Participates in divisional and departmental VUE Project Improvement teams.
Initiates VUE process improvement efforts.
Advocates awareness and understanding of risk management practices, sharing ideas and best practices.
Participates in risk assessments as appropriate, effectively monitors risk via dashboard, and identifies and communicates situations that exposes Vanguard to risk.
Participates in special projects and performs other duties as assigned.