Director of Investment Operations, Personalized Indexing

Responsibilities

• Investment Operations Leadership
• Lead the day-to-day execution across investment operations lifecycle middle & back-office functions (account onboarding, portfolio implementation, reconciliation, reporting , contracting, billing, proxy voting, custody/3 rd party management).
• Maintain a scalable operating model supporting high-volume, highly customized SMA portfolios
• Manage third-party portfolio accounting system.
• Ensure operational processes support ongoing tax management (tax-loss harvesting, tax transitions, and capital gains management) and portfolio customization (ESG screens, restrictions, factor tilts, client-specific constraints)
• Maintain close partnership with development/engineering teams to ensure seamless integration across portfolio management systems, trading platforms, and client reporting tools
• Oversee data flows across benchmark , security master , client restrictions, and tax-lot systems
• Team Management & Development
• Lead and develop a team of ~10 crew members, with a focus on execution quality and continuous improvement
• Establish clear performance expectations aligned to accuracy, timeliness, and client outcomes
• Promote a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and operational excellence
• Operational Risk & Process Improvement
• Work with embedded 1 st line risk partner to i dentify operational risks and implement effective controls to manage
• Drive process standardization and automation to scale operations, streamline workflows, and improve efficiency
• Support development of key performance metrics and operational reporting
• Vendor & Service Provider Coordination
• Manage relationships with third-party vendors
• Establish service-level agreements and monitor performance against operational KPIs
• Resolve escalations and ensure continuity of service
• Client Experience & Delivery
• Enable a seamless onboarding and servicing experience for SMA clients
• Support high-touch client experience through accurate reporting and operational transparency
• Partner with client teams to support complex portfolios (e.g., concentrated stock, transitions, tax-sensitive mandates)
• Represent Operations as subject matter expert in a client facing capacity, including support for conversations with prospective clients, custodian, SMA sponsor platforms, and other 3 rd party partners.
• Key Qualifications
• 10 + years in investment operations
• Deep understanding of direct indexing, equity SMAs , and tax-managed investing , including d irect experience with one or multiple middle and back-office outsourcing platforms used by SMA managers (i.e., Vestmark, Advent, BNY Archer, SEI)
• Strong knowledge of trade lifecycle, portfolio accounting, and data management
• Proven leadership experience managing high-performing operations teams
• Strong partnership skills across front office, technology, and risk
• Undergraduate degree required
• What Makes This Different (Direct Indexing Context)
• Compared to traditional asset management operations, this role requires:
• Mass customization at scale (each portfolio is unique)
• Continuous tax optimization execution, not periodic
• High data complexity (tax lots, restrictions, personalization inputs)
• Tight integration with technology platforms to enable automation
• Client-level precision vs. fund-level processing
• 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 im

Benefits

Additional Information

Role Overview The Director of Investment Operations leads the execution and ongoing evolution of the operations supporting the direct indexing platform, ensuring scalable, accurate , and tax-efficient execution of personalized separately managed accounts (SMAs ). This role partners closely with portfolio management, technology, d ev/engineerin g , client teams, and risk to deliver operational excellence across a highly customized, tax-managed investment offering . This role reports into the Head of Platform Operations. Direct indexing platforms require precision, data integrity, and tax-aware execution at scale, combining portfolio customization, tax-loss harvesting, and high-volume account management. This role joins at an important time as we continue to grow and invest in our operations, technology, and team. We're looking for a leader who can set direction but also stay close to the work and drive execution. Experience leading operational change- especially in outsourced middle- and back-office environments-is important. This person should be able to take high-level priorities and turn them into practical, day-to-day actions across a growing and complex platform.

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