Technical Lead - AWS Engineering - Vanguard

ZipRecruiter; City Of London; Hybrid; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading investment company seeks a Technical Lead - AWS Engineering to manage the Anti-Fraud Engineering team in London or Manchester. You will oversee the design and implementation of fraud detection systems, collaborate globally, and ensure high-quality code practices. Strong experience in AWS and team leadership is essential. The role offers a competitive salary and a hybrid work environment, promoting flexibility and collaboration.

Benefits

Attractive base salary

Annual performance bonus

Partnership bonus

Competitive benefits

Qualifications

• Proven experience in designing and delivering complex systems.
• Experience in line management or team leadership.
• Strong proficiency in AWS and programming languages.

Responsibilities

• Lead design and development of fraud detection systems.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to define technical vision.
• Drive continuous improvement in team processes.

Skills

AWS (Lambda, Glue, ECS, S3)

Python and PySpark

TypeScript and React

Communication skills

Technical design expertise

Education

Experience as a Technical Lead or Senior Engineer

Tools

Terraform

CloudFormation

Job description

Job Description

Vanguard
Technical Lead - AWS Engineering (Anti-Fraud Engineering Team)
Location: London or Manchester (Hybrid)

About Vanguard

Vanguard is an investment company unlike any other. It was founded by Jack Bogle in the US in 1975 on a simple but revolutionary idea: that an investment company should manage its funds solely in the interests of its clients. Jack helped bring investing to the masses with the index fund. Index funds do not pick individual shares or bonds to beat the market. They track the performance of the entire market. Or as Jack put it, "Don\'t look for the needle in the haystack. Just buy the haystack!" We have stood for low-cost, uncomplicated investing ever since. Over the last 45 years people have come round to our way of thinking and more than 50 million investors worldwide now trust us with their money.

About the Role

We are seeking a highly skilled and motivated Technical Lead to drive the development and modernization of our transaction monitoring and fraud detection systems. You will lead a cross-functional engineering team focused on building scalable, secure, and intelligent solutions to detect and prevent fraud and money laundering across our global platforms.

This role includes direct line management of the engineers within the Anti-Fraud Engineering team (currently five), with responsibility for their development, performance, and wellbeing. As the team matures, you will also help shape the team\'s structure and capabilities as business needs evolve.

In return we offer an attractive base salary, annual performance bonus paid in January, Partnership bonus paid in June, and competitive benefits. At Vanguard we work Monday to Friday and our staff in most roles work in the office on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, with Mondays and Fridays working from home.

About the team

The Anti-Fraud Engineering team are an integral part of Vanguard\'s Security, Fraud and Financial Crime capability, providing solutions that protect Vanguard\'s clients and their assets. Our team builds and maintains intelligent, scalable systems that detect and prevent fraudulent activity across Vanguard\'s platforms. These systems help ensure that our clients\' investments remain secure, their identities protected, and their trust in Vanguard upheld.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the design, development, and deployment of a bespoke fraud detection and transaction monitoring system.
• Collaborate with a variety of stakeholders and financial crime experts globally to define a technical vision and strategy for the platform.
• Architect scalable and robust cloud solutions using a variety of in-house and third-party tools.
• Ensure high code quality and engineering best practices through code reviews, mentoring, and technical guidance.
• Own and evolve the technical design of core fraud detection components, ensuring performance, reliability, and maintainability.
• Communicate effectively with stakeholders across engineering, product, and business teams.
• Drive continuous improvement in team processes, tooling, and development workflows.
• Coach and support engineers in their technical growth, fostering a culture of learning and continuous improvement.
• Provide thoughtful line management for the engineering team - including goal setting, career development, performance feedback, and day-to-day support - tailored to individual strengths and aspirations.
• Champion a team culture rooted in trust and technical excellence, where engineers feel empowered to take ownership and grow.

Qualifications

• Proven experience as a Technical Lead or Senior Engineer in designing and delivering complex, high-impact systems within a cross-functional environment.
• Experience in line management or team leadership, with a track record of developing and supporting engineers.
• Strong proficiency in:
• AWS (Lambda, Glue, ECS, S3, etc.)
• Python and PySpark (data pipelines, APIs, automation)
• TypeScript and React (frontend development)
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Demonstrated expertise in technical design and architecture of distributed systems.
• Familiarity with fraud detection models, anomaly detection, and rule-based systems.
• Clear understanding of secure coding practices and data privacy principles.
• Exposure to CI/CD pipelines and infrastructure-as-code tools (e.g., Terraform, CloudFormation).

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.