Senior Solutions Architect

About Advice & Wealth Management

Vanguard’s Advice & Wealth Management organization delivers investor‑centric advice and wealth management services across digital, hybrid, and advisor/relationship manager‑led experiences.

Role Summary

As a Senior Solutions Architect, you are a strategic advisor and technical leader operating at the intersection of business strategy, architecture, and technology delivery. You shape and guide enterprise-scale solutions across the Advice & Wealth Management portfolio, ensuring alignment to business outcomes, architectural integrity, and long-term platform evolution.

You partner with senior business and technology leaders to define future-state solutions, influence strategic direction, and enable delivery teams to execute effectively in complex, evolving environments. You influence direction without direct authority.

What You’ll Do

Architecture Leadership & Strategy

• Provide architectural leadership across large, cross-domain initiatives within and outside of Advice & Wealth Management

• Translate business goals into scalable, secure, and resilient solution architectures

• Ensure alignment to enterprise standards, reference architectures, and platform strategies

Solution Design & Delivery Enablement

• Drive solutioning across key domains including:

  • Advisor desktop and client experience platforms

  • Brokerage and trading integrations

  • Recordkeeping and account lifecycle management

  • Back-office servicing, reconciliation, and operational workflows

• Provide both short-term and long-term architectural guidance to multiple delivery teams

• Ensure solutions balance client and crew experience, scalability, regulatory considerations, and cost

Influence & Partnership

• Act as a trusted advisor to senior business and technology leaders

• Influence architectural direction without formal authority

• Facilitate alignment across complex stakeholder groups and competing priorities

• Communicate trade-offs clearly to enable informed decision-making

Communication & Architecture Craft

• Produce executive-ready artifacts (capability models, system diagrams, solution options)

• Clearly articulate complex tradeoffs to both technical and non-technical audiences

• Enable informed decision-making through structured solution evaluations

Mentorship & Leadership

• Mentor engineers, solution consultants, and architects on solution design and best practices

• Contribute to architecture patterns, reusable designs, and governance processes

• Act as a thought leader driving innovation and continuous improvement

What You’ll Need

Experience & Domain Expertise

• Significant experience (10+ years) in solution architecture, enterprise architecture, or complex system design

• Proven track record leading large-scale, cross-functional initiatives in enterprise environments

• Experience shaping architecture strategy and guiding delivery across multiple teams

• Strong knowledge of Advice, Wealth Management, or regulated financial services domains with depth in one or more of the following:

  • Brokerage and trading systems

  • Recordkeeping platforms (retirement, accounts, positions, transactions)

  • Custody and clearing integrations

  • Back-office operations (reconciliation, servicing, compliance workflows)

Technical & Architectural Skills

• Deep understanding of modern architecture patterns (APIs, event-driven systems, cloud-native design, AI)

• Experience with integration across internal platforms and third-party/vendor ecosystems

• Strong data architecture awareness (data flows, governance, analytics enablement)

Core Leadership Skills

• Exceptional systems thinking and problem framing

• Ability to operate effectively in ambiguity and drive clarity

• Strong executive communication and influencing skills

• Ability to balance strategic vision with pragmatic delivery

Technical & Architectural Perspective

• Experience with modern architecture patterns (APIs, event-driven systems, cloud platforms)

• Understanding of data, integration, and operational resiliency considerations in financial services ecosystems

• Ability to balance architectural rigor with delivery pragmatism

Mindset & Behaviors

• Strategic, outcome-oriented, and intellectually curious

• Comfortable challenging assumptions and driving better solutions

• Collaborative, with a strong ability to build alignment across teams

• Passionate about improving client and crew experiences, and operational efficiency at scale

Why Join Us

• Shape the future of Advice & Wealth Management at enterprise scale

• Influence critical platform decisions and strategic initiatives

• Work at the intersection of business strategy, architecture, and innovation

• Partner with senior leaders on high-impact, high-visibility programs

Special Factors

Sponsorship

Vanguard is not offering visa sponsorship for this position.

About Vanguard

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.

How We Work

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.