Technical Lead (Front Office Asset Management Tech Stack)

The Vanguard Group; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

The Vanguard Group in London is seeking a Technical Lead for the Front Office Asset Management tech stack. You will drive the technical roadmap, ensure platform stability, scalability and security while translating business priorities into technology solutions.

You will lead complex initiatives, mentor engineers, and collaborate with product owners, business stakeholders, and vendors to deliver measurable business value. This hybrid role requires in-office presence three days a week.

Qualifications

• Strong hands-on experience in Java and Python.
• Experience with cloud-native architectures on AWS.
• Proven enterprise leadership in complex landscapes.
• Security, resilience, and scalability focus.

Responsibilities

• Provide end-to-end technical leadership across the Front Office application portfolio, ensuring solutions are aligned with business strategy, architectural standards, and operational requirements.
• Lead the design, development, implementation, and support of technology solutions that enable investment, trading, portfolio management, and related business capabilities.
• Partner with Product Owners, business stakeholders, architects, and engineering teams to define application roadmaps and prioritize strategic technology investments.
• Drive modernization initiatives, including cloud adoption, platform simplification, application resiliency, automation, and AI-enabled capabilities.
• Act as the primary technical authority for the application suite, making informed decisions on architecture, design patterns, technology selection, and engineering best practices.
• Manage technical deliveries across multiple concurrent initiatives, ensuring successful execution, risk management, stakeholder communication, and high-quality outcomes.
• Mentor, coach, and develop engineers and technical analysts, fostering a culture of collaboration, continuous learning, accountability, and technical excellence.
• Build strong relationships with business partners and maintain a deep understanding of Front Office processes, investment workflows, and evolving business needs.
• Promote innovation by identifying opportunities to leverage emerging technologies, data-driven insights, AI capabilities, and automation to improve business outcomes and operational efficiency.
• Ensure platforms meet required standards for security, compliance, resiliency, performance, and operational supportability.

Skills

Java

Python

Cloud-native

AWS

API design

DevOps

CI/CD

Leadership

Tools

Claude

Job description

Job Title Technical Lead (Front Office Asset Management Tech Stack)

The successful candidate will serve as the Technical Lead for a suite of Front Office Asset Management applications, partnering closely with business stakeholders, Product Owners, technology teams, and vendors to deliver strategic technology outcomes. The role is responsible for defining and driving the technical roadmap, ensuring platform stability, scalability, security, and alignment with business objectives. The individual will play a key role in translating business priorities into technology solutions, leading complex technical initiatives, and supporting the evolution of the Front Office technology ecosystem.

The Role

• Provide end-to-end technical leadership across the Front Office application portfolio, ensuring solutions are aligned with business strategy, architectural standards, and operational requirements
• Lead the design, development, implementation, and support of technology solutions that enable investment, trading, portfolio management, and related business capabilities
• Partner with Product Owners, business stakeholders, architects, and engineering teams to define application roadmaps and prioritize strategic technology investments
• Drive modernization initiatives, including cloud adoption, platform simplification, application resiliency, automation, and AI-enabled capabilities
• Act as the primary technical authority for the application suite, making informed decisions on architecture, design patterns, technology selection, and engineering best practices
• Manage technical deliveries across multiple concurrent initiatives, ensuring successful execution, risk management, stakeholder communication, and high-quality outcomes
• Mentor, coach, and develop engineers and technical analysts, fostering a culture of collaboration, continuous learning, accountability, and technical excellence
• Build strong relationships with business partners and maintain a deep understanding of Front Office processes, investment workflows, and evolving business needs
• Promote innovation by identifying opportunities to leverage emerging technologies, data-driven insights, AI capabilities, and automation to improve business outcomes and operational efficiency
• Ensure platforms meet required standards for security, compliance, resiliency, performance, and operational supportability

What it takes

• Strong hands-on experience in Java, Python, and modern software engineering practices
• Experience designing and delivering cloud-native solutions using AWS services and architecture patterns
• Understanding of AI and Generative AI technologies, including tools such as Claude, and the ability to identify and implement practical use cases that create business value
• Proven experience leading complex enterprise application landscapes and driving large-scale technology transformation initiatives
• Strong knowledge of software architecture, system integration, API design, application security, DevOps, CI/CD pipelines, and engineering best practices
• Experience working within Front Office, Asset Management, Capital Markets, Investment Management, or related financial services domains
• Demonstrated ability to influence stakeholders, drive consensus, and lead cross-functional teams in a matrixed organization.
• Strong commercial and financial acumen with the ability to balance technology investments, risk, delivery timelines, and business value
• An innovation and outcome-driven mindset, with a track record of solving complex problems and delivering measurable results.
• Exceptional leadership, communication, mentoring, and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to inspire and develop high-performing teams

Special Factors

Vanguard is not offering visa sponsorship for this position

This is a hybrid position and would require you to work in the office 3 days per week (Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday)

Please note that we review applications on a rolling basis and may close this role early if there is a high level of interest.

Why Vanguard?

Vanguard is a different kind of investment company. It was founded in the United States in 1975 on a simple but revolutionary idea: that an investment company should manage its funds solely in the interests of its clients. This is a philosophy that has helped millions of people around the world to achieve their goals with low-cost, uncomplicated investments. It's what we stand for: value to investors.

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: 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. Vanguard, one of the world's leading investment management companies, serves individual investors, institutions, employer-sponsored retirement plans, and financial professionals. We have a diverse and talented crew with a culture that promotes teamwork, along with an unwavering focus on serving our clients' best interests.