About Vanguard
More than 50 years ago, John C. Bogle had a vision to start an investment company that did things differently. A company with no external shareholders. Where all the profits were invested back into the business and used to lower costs. Evidently, it was as bold as it was brilliant. To this day, Vanguard Group still has no external shareholders. That means no share prices to protect, and no profits to generate for outside owners.
Today, Vanguard is one of the world’s largest investment management companies, serving more than 50 million investors worldwide. For more than 25 years Vanguard Australia has been supporting individual investors, financial advisers, and superannuation members to achieve their long-term financial goals.
Team Strategic Importance
This role is critical to shaping Vanguard’s investment product strategy in Australia, ensuring research priorities, product development, and governance are aligned locally and globally.
Acting as a central connector across IMG, FAS, PI, Marketing and global PRD, the role ensures high-quality, decision-ready research supports product strategy and approval processes. It directly addresses a key need to strengthen stakeholder alignment and strategic prioritisation across a complex, matrixed environment.
Role Scope & Responsibilities
This is a strategy, research, and leadership role with four core dimensions:
- Strategy & Research Leadership
- Define and prioritise the research agenda aligned to client needs, competitive dynamics, and business strategy
- Lead development of high-quality product research and approval memos for local and global governance forums
- Contribute to discussions with global governance bodies, including the Global Investment Committee
- Team Leadership & Development
- Lead and develop a team of 3 product researchers
- Provide guidance, coaching, and support on research and outputs
- Build capability in strategic thinking, analysis, and communication
- Product Roadmap & Stakeholder Alignment
- Coordinate the product research pipeline underpinning the product roadmap
- Align priorities across IMG, FAS, PI, Marketing and global teams
- Build strong relationships to drive alignment and manage competing priorities
Structure
- Reports to: Head of Investment Product (Australia)
- Direct Reports: 3 (Product Research team)
- Highly matrixed role across local and global stakeholders including IMG, FAS, PI, Marketing and global PRD
Ideal Candidate Profile
Must-Have Capabilities
- Investment and strategy acumen
- Understanding of asset classes, portfolio construction, and product structures
- Ability to translate research insights into product strategy and prioritisation
- Proven ability to produce high-quality, decision-ready governance papers
- Stakeholder Management
- Strong ability to align diverse stakeholders and influence outcomes
- Comfortable operating across a global, matrixed organisation
- Leadership Potential
- Demonstrates ability to lead, coach, and develop others
- Open to candidates stepping up into a people leadership role
Nice-to-Have
- Experience in global asset management environments
- Familiarity with product governance frameworks
- Knowledge of the Australian investment and regulatory environment
Inclusion Statement
Vanguard’s continued commitment to diversity and inclusion is firmly rooted in our culture. Every decision we make to best serve our clients, crew (internally employees are referred to as crew), and communities is guided by one simple statement: “Do the right thing.”
We believe that a critical aspect of doing the right thing requires building diverse, inclusive, and highly effective teams of individuals who are as unique as the clients they serve. We empower our crew to contribute their distinct strengths to achieving Vanguard’s core purpose through our values.
When all crew members feel valued and included, our ability to collaborate and innovate is amplified, and we are united in delivering on Vanguard’s core purpose.
Our core purpose: To take a stand for all investors, to treat them fairly, and to give them the best chance for investment success.
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.
