Head of Advice Portfolio Construction Technology

We are seeking a senior technology leader to serve as Head of Advice Portfolio Construction Technology—building and scaling the platforms that translate client needs into investment outcomes for millions of investors. This role sits squarely at the intersection of investment domain expertise and modern technology leadership, spanning risk profiling, asset allocation, portfolio construction, and ongoing portfolio management. This is a rare seat for a leader who pairs deep investment acumen with proven engineering leadership.

As Vanguard evolves rules-based toward next-generation, risk-optimization-driven portfolio construction, this leader will build in-house capability—not simply integrate vendors—and shape a multi-year transformation  current scope includes a budget of approximately $25M.

• A high-visibility platform leadership role driving the technology behind personalized advice and wealth management.
• Direct influence over the transition from rules-based to risk-based, optimization-driven portfolio construction.
• A true leader-of-leaders mandate: management of managers, with strong organizational leadership, stakeholder influence, and program delivery at the core.

• The chance to build proprietary, in-house capability rather than depend solely on third-party vendors.

Lead, develop, and inspire a high-performing organization of technologists across approximately 12 full-stack engineering teams; manage a leadership bench that currently includes 4 direct reports and spans PA, NC, TX, and sourcing, with expected expansion into India next year.

• Build a strong leadership bench and cultivate a culture of ownership, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Drive adoption of modern engineering practices (AI-assisted development, CI/CD, observability, resiliency).
• Deliver and evolve platforms that assess client risk tolerance, generate asset allocation and portfolio recommendations, and construct portfolios using both rules-based and risk-based methodologies.
• Advance capabilities in risk-based optimization, tracking-error reduction, securities-selection rationale, and portfolio transition/optimization functions.
• Ensure platforms support a broad range of investment strategies, products, and client segments across equities and fixed income.
• Act as a senior partner to investment, product, and advice leaders, translating investment concepts (risk, allocation, diversification, optimization) into scalable technology solutions.
• Shape technology strategy across advice, portfolio management, and client experience, influencing decisions without direct authority.

• Advance capabilities in risk-based optimization, tracking-error reduction, securities-selection rationale, and portfolio transition /

• Ensure platforms support a broad range of investment strategies, products, and client segments across equities and fixed income.
• Act as a senior partner to investment, product, and advice leaders, translating investment concepts (risk, allocation, diversification,

• Shape technology strategy across advice, portfolio management, and client experience, influencing decisions without direct authority.

• Strong understanding of portfolio construction, asset allocation, and client risk profiling, including the nuances of equities vs. fixed income and risk-based optimization.
• Familiarity with tracking-error reduction, securities-selection rationale, and portfolio transition / optimization functions.
• Experience in the advice sector, portfolio construction, portfolio management, or rebalancing tooling is strongly preferred.
• A CFA or comparable industry certification is a strong plus and a valued signal of deep investment capability (not required).
• Proven experience leading large application engineering…