Senior Financial Operations Lead

VANGUARD CHARITABLE ENDOWMENT PROGRAM•Malvern, PA

44d

About The Position

The Senior Financial Operations Lead provides operational direction and oversight across complex contribution activity, fee administration, and the relationship management of external financial institutions and strategic financial partners that support day-to-day operations. This role is accountable for ensuring effective risk management, strong internal controls, and operational integrity across high-risk, high-complexity activities. Acting as a subject matter expert and strategic partner, the individual exercises independent judgment within established risk tolerances and collaborates closely with internal Risk, Accounting and Finance teams, and external financial institutions to ensure accurate execution, reconciliation, and compliance. The role partners closely with the Sr. Finance and Brokerage Specialist to provide shared oversight of critical functions and reciprocal coverage.

Requirements

Undergraduate degree or equivalent combination of training and experience.
3-5 years of experience in operations, brokerage, finance, or related financial services roles.
Strong organizational and time management skills with attention to detail.
Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
Excellent problem-solving and decision-making skills, with the demonstrated ability to anticipate the implications of decisions and to balance needs and wishes of the client with compliance rules and boundaries.
Maintains composure and a positive approach in challenging situations; manages conflict effectively and welcomes debate.
Strong risk management mindset with experience implementing and maintaining effective controls.
Proven ability to effectively communicate with a variety of levels of knowledge, skill, and responsibility, able to tailor messaging to various audiences; both written and verbal.
Work independently and in a team environment, with minimal supervision while operating as a trusted partner.
Maintains the highest level of integrity, professionalism, accountability and ethical standards in all activities.
Advanced proficiency in Excel and Microsoft Office products.

Nice To Haves

Experience with Salesforce or other CRM platforms preferred.

Responsibilities

Serve as a subject matter expert on broker‑dealer operations, including brokerage asset transfers, trading workflows, settlement, and exception resolution, ensuring alignment with regulatory, operational, and risk standards.
Provide oversight for complex contributions, including restricted assets, in-kind brokerage assets, inherited IRAs, complex securities, and non-routine transactions.
Own relationships with external financial institutions and strategic financial partners supporting day-to-day financial operations, including issue resolution across cross-functional workflows.
Serve as the escalation point for complex or high-risk contribution and transaction issues requiring cross-functional coordination and resolution, which also includes exception management.
Exercise independent judgment to resolve issues within policy and risk tolerances, escalating material risks as appropriate.
Identify trends, issues, and improvement opportunities to strengthen operational effectiveness and risk posture and make recommendations for policy or process enhancements.
Ensure accurate end-to-end administration of annual, monthly, and quarterly fees, including oversight of timelines, transaction processing, and quality assurance for recurring and concierge-level assessments.
Provide oversight of cash movement, reconciliation, and settlement processes across brokerage, banking, and money movement activities.
Proactively identify and document control gaps, procedures, and risks, and ensure consistent execution of established standards in partnership with Risk.
Drive accountability for mitigation actions and support risk assessments related to new processes, system changes, or volume shifts.
Provide structured knowledge sharing, coaching, and capability uplift through training, documentation, and ongoing support.
Establish and maintain subject matter expertise resources to strengthen team resilience, coverage, and consistency.
Act as a point of continuity for critical operations during leadership or senior coverage gaps.
Synthesize operational, risk, and reconciliation data into insights that inform leadership decision-making and prioritization.
Represent Operations in cross-functional discussions and forums related to brokerage, financial operations, and fees.
Lead or contribute to cross-functional initiatives and special projects that impact Operations.
Partner with technology and automation teams to support enhancements aligned with operational needs.