Large Market Direct Sales Executive, Investments, West

Vanguard • Sacramento, CA

1d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Large Market Direct Sales Executive, Investments is responsible for driving significant growth in Vanguard’s institutional asset base by developing and converting high-priority strategic relationships and whitespace opportunities. The role owns a defined portfolio of named strategic accounts and serves as the senior investment sales executive responsible for account strategy, enterprise-level opportunity identification, and complex investment sales engagements. Accounts may include large prospective relationships, underpenetrated institutional relationships with significant growth potential, and select large Vanguard recordkeeping relationships with low investment share of wallet.

The executive builds senior- and executive-level relationships and pursues opportunities across defined contribution, defined benefit, corporate, and other institutional assets. The role coordinates with Key Account Consultant Sales, Consultant Relations, Recordkeeping Sales, and other Vanguard partners to develop and execute an integrated approach. It also provides leadership beyond the assigned portfolio by coaching aligned sales resources, sharing market and competitive intelligence, and helping improve the effectiveness of the broader Investment Sales organization.

The position is based on the West Coast, either in Vanguard’s Scottsdale, Arizona office or remotely in a major West Coast metro area. Significant travel throughout the Western United States and broader travel as business needs require. Vanguard uses a hybrid working model for the majority of crew members, supporting flexibility alongside in-person learning, collaboration, and connection.

Requirements

• Undergraduate degree or equivalent combination of training and experience.
• Ten or more years of financial services or institutional investment experience, including substantial demonstrated success in institutional sales, business development, or complex strategic relationship management.
• Proven record of developing and closing large, complex institutional investment opportunities and establishing new relationships with sophisticated institutional organizations.
• Demonstrated success building credibility and relationships with C-suite, investment committee, and other senior institutional decision-makers.
• Extensive knowledge of institutional investment markets, retirement plans, investment products, and the competitive landscape.
• Strong understanding of mutual funds, collective investment trusts (CITs), and broader institutional investment structures and capabilities.
• Ability to originate opportunities and develop business within long-cycle, complex institutional relationships.
• Exceptional executive presence, judgment, negotiation, presentation, and communication skills.
• Advanced strategic account planning, opportunity management, and commercial execution capabilities.
• Ability to lead complex cross-functional teams and influence senior stakeholders without direct authority.
• Demonstrated leadership capabilities, including coaching and developing other sales professionals.
• Series 7 and 63 licenses, or ability to obtain them within 60 days.
• Position based on the West Coast, either in Vanguard’s Scottsdale, Arizona office or remotely in a major West Coast metro area.
• Significant travel throughout the Western United States and broader travel as business needs require.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree, CFA, and/or other relevant advanced professional credentials.

Responsibilities

• Originate, develop, and close complex investment sales opportunities across a defined portfolio of high-priority strategic accounts to achieve institutional sales goals.
• Own the strategy and commercial development of assigned strategic accounts, creating multi-year account plans to deepen relationships, generate opportunities, and increase institutional share of wallet.
• Build senior and executive relationships with institutional buyers and decision-makers, identify their strategic priorities, and position Vanguard’s investment capabilities to meet complex needs.
• Proactively create opportunities and develop institutional whitespace rather than relying primarily on established searches, RFPs, or inbound opportunities.
• Identify opportunities across defined contribution, defined benefit, corporate, and other institutional asset pools.
• Lead complex institutional sales processes, including prospecting, relationship development, RFI/RFP activity, searches, finals, negotiations, decisions, and implementation.
• Coordinate Vanguard investment specialists, Consultant Relations, Key Account Consultant Sales, Recordkeeping Sales, relationship management, and other experts around strategic accounts.
• Maintain senior-level accountability for pipeline quality, progression, and forecasting, including opportunity identification, qualification, next steps, barriers, and conversion strategy.
• Coach aligned sales resources, share market and competitive intelligence, and help improve the broader Investment Sales organization’s effectiveness.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior