Divisional Risk Advisor (Retirement/ERISA)

The Vanguard Group; Malvern (Chester County); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work model

Job summary

Vanguard’s Workplace Solutions division seeks a Senior Divisional Risk Advisor to shape and elevate our ERISA-focused risk program for retirement services. You’ll guide risk strategy, partner with senior leaders, and drive controls across operations, technology, and client service.

You bring eight+ years in risk management within retirement services, strong ERISA and fiduciary knowledge, and a record of leading cross‑functional risk initiatives in a complex, hybrid environment.

Qualifications

• Minimum eight years related work experience with 5 years of experience in risk management within retirement services, trust/custody, or related fiduciary operations, with deep command of ERISA (fiduciary duties, plan operations, fee disclosures), IRS rules, and DOL oversight.
• Hands-on mastery of operational risk frameworks and control assurance (control design, testing, monitoring, reporting). You know what “good” looks like – and how to build it.
• Exceptional communicator and strategic thinker who shapes outcomes through strong judgement, clarity of message, and an ability to bring stakeholders along.
• A natural explorer who asks sharp questions, seeks context, learns fast, and brings external insight into conversation.

Responsibilities

• Lead the divisional risk strategy.
• Set the vision and roadmap for a risk program.
• Design, implement, and continuously evolve risk capabilities, ensuring stakeholders understand priorities, trade-offs, and emerging risk themes.
• Embed ERISA-centric fiduciary risk management.
• Provide authoritative guidance on ERISA fiduciary standards and obligations, IRS requirements, and trust/custody controls to strengthen decision-making across complex business operations and strategies.
• Strengthen controls & assurance. Establish robust risk and control oversight, including adherence to standards, meaningful performance metrics, and executive-ready reporting.
• Advise on control design, monitoring, and assurance; direct targeted testing; identify root causes; and drive effective, timely remediation.
• Advise on change & innovation. Engage early with teams advancing new services, solutions, and operating model changes, and platform enhancements.
• Ensure innovation is supported by thoughtful control design and proactive risk mitigation.
• Provide credible challenge & oversight. Bring an independent perspective to risk acceptance decisions; prioritize existing and emerging risks; enable risk-informed decision making across the division.
• Cultivate a risk-smart culture. Build trusting relationships and serve as a thought partner to business leaders while stewarding adoption of enterprise frameworks and standards.
• Represent the division. Partner with enterprise risk, legal, compliance, audit, and external stakeholders; participate in special projects and industry forums to keep the program current.

Skills

ERISA expertise

Risk management

Stakeholder leadership

Regulatory knowledge

Fiduciary duties

Education

Undergraduate degree

MBA / JD / MS preferred

Job description

The Workplace Solutions mission is simple and bold: deliver investment success to millions of workers participating in employer‑sponsored retirement plans. We do this by designing smart, tailored plans for sponsors and delivering high‑quality participant experiences. Vanguard’s Workplace Solutions team supports defined contribution plan sponsors and participants through recordkeeping, administration, and trust/custody services. Operating at the heart of a complex fiduciary environment—anchored in ERISA and aligned with IRS and DOL requirements,we’re seeking a Senior Divisional Risk Advisor to shape and elevate our risk strategy. In this role, you’ll bring deep ERISA expertise to guide business decisions, build trusted partnerships with senior leaders, and strengthen a control environment that spans operations, technology, and client service. The impact you’ll make: You will be a trusted risk advisor—designing and leading the Workplace Solutions risk program, providing credible and effective challenge, fostering a risk‑smart, forward‑looking culture.

Leveraging Vanguard’s operational and strategic risk frameworks, you’ll align divisional controls with enterprise standards, help teams anticipate emerging risks in retirement services, and ensure we deliver for sponsors and participants with confidence and care.

Responsibilities

• Lead the divisional risk strategy.
• Set the vision and roadmap for a risk program.
• Design, implement, and continuously evolve risk capabilities, ensuring stakeholders understand priorities, trade-offs, and emerging risk themes.
• Embed ERISA‑centric fiduciary risk management.
• Provide authoritative guidance on ERISA fiduciary standards and obligations, IRS requirements, and trust/custody controls to strengthen decision‑making across complex business operations and strategies.
• Strengthen controls & assurance. Establish robust risk and control oversight, including adherence to standards, meaningful performance metrics, and executive‑ready reporting.
• Advise on control design, monitoring, and assurance; direct targeted testing; identify root causes; and drive effective, timely remediation.
• Advise on change & innovation. Engage early with teams advancing new services, solutions, and operating model changes, and platform enhancements (e.g., recordkeeping enhancements, CITs, managed solutions).
• Ensure innovation is supported by thoughtful control design and proactive risk mitigation.
• Provide credible challenge & oversight. Bring an independent perspective to risk acceptance decisions; prioritize existing and emerging risks; enable risk‑informed decision making across the division.
• Cultivate a risk‑smart culture. Build trusting relationships and serve as a thought partner to business leaders while stewarding adoption of enterprise frameworks and standards.
• Represent the division. Partner with enterprise risk, legal, compliance, audit, and external stakeholders; participate in special projects and industry forums to keep the program current.

Qualifications

• Experience & expertise: Minimum eight years related work experience with 5 years of experience in risk management within retirement services, trust/custody, or related fiduciary operations, with deep command of ERISA (fiduciary duties, plan operations, fee disclosures), IRS rules, and DOL oversight.
• Risk frameworks: Hands‑on masterly of operational risk frameworks and control assurance (control design, testing, monitoring, reporting). You know what “good” looks like – and how to build it.
• Influence: Exceptional communicator and strategic thinker who shapes outcomes through strong judgement, clarity of message, and an ability to bring stakeholders along. You build buy‑in across senior leaders while navigating complexity with confidence.
• Curiosity & learning agility: A natural explorer who asks sharp questions, seeks context, learns fast, and brings external insight into conversation. You love understanding why just as much as what.
• Connector & integrator: A savvy dot‑connector who thrives at linking ideas, people, technology, and processes across a complex organization. You spot patterns, anticipate emerging risks and opportunities, and help teams to make risk‑smart decisions with clarity and momentum.
• Leadership: An informal leader who role‑models a culture of investor zeal, inclusion, tenacity, and integrity. You create energy, build trust, and invest deeply in developing the team.
• Education: Undergraduate degree required; graduate degree preferred (e.g., JD, MBA, MS in Risk/Finance).
• Special Factors Sponsorship: Vanguard is not offering visa sponsorship for this position.

About Vanguard

At Vanguard, we don't just have a mission—we're on a mission. To work for the long-term financial wellbeing of our clients. To lead through product and services that transform our clients' lives. To learn and develop our skills as individuals and as a team. From Malvern to Melbourne, our mission drives us forward and inspires us to be our best.

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.