Application Engineer - III

Vanguard; Toronto; Hybrid; CAD 115,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Vanguard is seeking a hands-on, independent full‑stack engineer to take a flagship planning tool from MVP to production‑grade. You’ll build new applications to explore financial and workforce data, and automate reporting that is currently manual.

The role emphasizes AI‑assisted development and close partnership with regional leads across Canada, the UK and Australia. You will own the full stack for IST Strategy and Value projects, including frontend, backend, database and the AWS environment,

Qualifications

• Independent builder capable of taking a product from idea to production.
• Experience building apps with Angular, Java/Spring, REST APIs and SQL databases.
• AWS development experience and cloud-native architectures.
• AI coding tools integrated into a modern development workflow.

Responsibilities

• Own and evolve the flagship planning tool from MVP to production-grade.
• Design, build and ship new apps to explore data and automate reporting.
• Build with AI-assisted development as a core part of the workflow.
• Partner with regional Insight Leads to translate priorities into features.
• Own the full stack — frontend, backend, database and AWS environments.

Skills

Full-stack development

Angular

Java/Spring

REST APIs

SQL databases

AWS

AI-native

Infrastructure as code

Education

Undergraduate degree

Job description

The Role

We are building purpose-built applications that change how Vanguard’s International Technology (IST) leaders plan, fund, and run their organizations. This is a hands‑on engineering role at the center of that build.

Today, much of how IST manages its resource plans, budgets and financial reporting is manual and spreadsheet-driven. IST Strategy and Value is transforming from a traditional PMO into a modern, AI-enabled function - and the applications you build are the engine of that shift. You will take a working MVP of our flagship planning tool, make it production‑grade, and put it in the hands of the teams across IST who rely on it. From there, you will build the next generation of applications that turn our data into insight and replace manual effort with automation.

You will sit within an established technical team for engineering support and career growth, while spending the majority of your time building for IST Strategy and Value. Requirements will come from our regional Insight Leads (who act as product owners across Canada, UK and Australia) so a large part of the role is translating real needs into well‑built software.

What You’ll Do

• Own and grow our flagship tool. Take ownership of our flagship planning application (an existing MVP) and evolve it into a robust, production‑grade tool used across IST.
• Build the next tools. Design, build and ship new applications that make our financial and workforce data easier to explore, and that automate reporting we do today by hand.
• Build with AI. Use AI-assisted development as a core part of how you build
• Partner closely. Partner with our regional Insight Leads to turn priorities into working features; demo early and often.
• Run what you build. Own the full stack for your applications — front end, back end, database and the AWS environment they run in — including scheduled jobs and follow‑up production support.

What We’re Looking For

• Independent builder. A capable full‑stack engineer who can work independently and take a product from idea to production.
• Modern full‑stack development. Experience building applications using Angular (or similar front‑end frameworks), Java/Spring Boot (or equivalent backend technologies), REST APIs, and SQL databases.
• AWS development experience. Comfortable building and supporting cloud‑native solutions in AWS, including serverless or container‑based architectures. Experience with infrastructure‑as‑code and automated deployment pipelines is a plus.
• AI‑native. Uses AI coding tools fluently as part of a modern development workflow.

Nice to have

• Experience with data lakes / data engineering — a significant plus as our data platform matures. (This is not a data‑engineering role, and does not involve building pipelines, but data‑lake fluency will help you build on top of it.)
• Exposure to financial planning, budgeting or workforce/resource planning domains.
• Experience with reporting automation or replacing spreadsheet-based processes.

Core Responsibilities

• Provides senior level system analysis, design, development, and implementation of applications and databases. Integrates third party products.
• Translates technical specifications into code for complex new or enhancement projects for internal clients. Writes programs, develops code, tests artifacts, and produces reports. Employs software development techniques to ensure tests are implemented in a way that support automation.
• Elevates code into the development, test, and production environments on schedule. Provides follow up production support. Submits change control requests and documents.
• Thoroughly understands software development methodology. Thoroughly understands development architecture standards. Trains and mentors staff with less experience. Resolves elevated issues.
• Participates in design, code, and test inspections throughout the life cycle to identify issues. Explains technical considerations at related meetings, including those with internal clients. Performs systems analysis activities.
• Thoroughly understands client business functions and technology needs. Has a broad understanding of Vanguard’s technologies, tools, and applications, including those that interface with business area and systems.
• Interfaces with cross functional team members, and communicates systems issues at the appropriate technical level for each audience.
• Thoroughly understands and complies with Information Technology and Information Security policies and procedures, and verifies that deliverables meet requirements.
• Participates in special projects and performs other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Minimum of five years related work experience, with at least three years of development experience.
• Undergraduate degree or equivalent combination of training and experience.

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.