Director of Direct Indexing Operations

Vanguard; Malvern (Chester County); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work model

Job summary

Vanguard is seeking a Director of Investment Operations to lead the execution and evolution of the operations behind our direct indexing platform, ensuring scalable, accurate, and tax-efficient execution of personalized SMAs. The role partners with portfolio management, technology, client teams, and risk to deliver operational excellence across a highly customized, tax-managed offering.

You will lead a team of about 10, drive a scalable operating model, oversee third-party platforms (Vestmark,

Qualifications

• 10+ years in investment operations.
• Deep understanding of direct indexing, equity SMAs, and tax-managed investing.
• Experience with SMA outsourcing platforms like Vestmark, Advent, BNY Archer, SEI.
• Strong knowledge of trade lifecycle, portfolio accounting, and data management.
• Proven leadership of high-performing teams.
• Strong partnership skills across front office, tech, and risk.

Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day execution across investment operations lifecycle.
• Maintain scalable operating model for high-volume, customized SMA portfolios.
• Oversee data flows across benchmark, security master, tax-lot systems.
• Partner with development/engineering for seamless integration.
• Drive process standardization and automation to scale operations.
• Manage vendor relationships and SLAs.

Skills

Investment operations

Direct indexing

Tax-managed investing

Team leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Undergraduate degree

Tools

Vestmark

Advent

BNY Archer

SEI

Job description

Vanguard is seeking a Director of Investment Operations to lead the execution and evolution of the operations behind our direct indexing platform, ensuring scalable, accurate, and tax-efficient execution of personalized SMAs. The role partners with portfolio management, technology, client teams, and risk to deliver operational excellence across a highly customized, tax-managed offering.

You will lead a team of about 10, drive a scalable operating model, oversee third-party platforms (Vestmark,