Engineering Manager, Fraud Prevention

Vanguard; Charlotte (NC); Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Vanguard's Fraud Prevention Technology division is seeking an Engineering Manager to lead the team that builds and operates the fraud decisioning integration with our debit card processor. You will guide 3-6 engineers, own the delivery roadmap for the integration layer, and write code alongside your team.

The role partners with the Principal Engineer on technical direction, emphasizes low-latency, high-availability services, strict SLAs, and on-call readiness, with hands-on coding expected

Qualifications

• 8+ years in software engineering with 2+ years in a tech lead or engineering management role.
• Strong proficiency in Node.js; working familiarity with Java.
• Experience building low-latency, high-availability services—ideally in payments or financial services.
• Demonstrated ability to balance technical leadership with people management.
• Experience integrating with third-party processors or financial service providers via REST/gRPC APIs and webhooks.
• Familiarity with ETL pipelines and ML/analytics workflows.
• Comfort with AI-assisted development practices and tooling.

Responsibilities

• Lead a team of 3-6 engineers building real-time fraud decisioning services in the debit authorization path.
• Own the integration layer between Vanguard's fraud platform and the debit processor (webhook handling, auth-time enrichment, orchestration).
• Translate architectural direction into executable sprints, designs, and working software.
• Write production code—spending 40-60% of time hands-on in the codebase.
• Drive engineering quality: code reviews, testing strategy, incident response, on-call practices.
• Manage team health: hiring, career development, 1:1s, performance management.
• Partner with the processor's technical team on API contracts, certification, and production readiness.
• Ensure latency, reliability, and compliance requirements for payment authorization.

Skills

Node.js

Java

Fraud decisioning

Payments domain

Team leadership

REST/gRPC APIs

Webhooks

ETL pipelines

ML/Analytics

Latency optimization

SLA management

Tools

Kafka

Kinesis

Redshift

Athena

Git

CI/CD

Job description

Manages and leads a team of technical support staff who design, develop, test, implement, and monitor software and tools. Works with business leaders to define scope and requirements, and plans and executes the development of various systems. Acts as liaison with business sponsors and principals.

ENGINEERING MANAGER

FRAUD PREVENTION | DEBIT FRAUD INTEGRATION

Vanguard | Fraud Prevention Technology

ROLE

Hands-on technical leader responsible for the engineering team that builds and operates Vanguard's fraud decisioning integration with our debit card processor. You will lead 3-6 engineers, own the technical delivery roadmap for the processor integration layer, and write code alongside your team. This role reports into the Fraud Prevention Technology program and partners closely with the Principal Engineer / Architect on technical direction.

Responsibilities

• Lead a team of 3-6 engineers building real-time fraud decisioning services that sit in the debit authorization path
• Own the integration layer between Vanguard's fraud platform and the debit processor (webhook handling, auth-time enrichment, response orchestration)
• Translate architectural direction into executable sprints, technical designs, and working software
• Write production code—expect to spend 40-60% of your time hands-on in the codebase
• Drive engineering quality: code reviews, testing strategy, incident response, and on-call practices
• Manage team health: hiring, career development, 1:1s, performance management
• Partner with the processor's technical team on API contracts, certification, and production readiness
• Ensure the team meets the latency, reliability, and compliance requirements inherent to payment authorization

Qualifications

• 8+ years in software engineering with 2+ years in a tech lead or engineering management role
• Strong proficiency in Node.js; working familiarity with Java
• Experience building low-latency, high-availability services—ideally in a payments, banking, or financial services context
• Demonstrated ability to balance technical leadership with people management
• Experience integrating with third-party processors or financial service providers (REST/gRPC APIs, webhook-driven auth flows)
• Familiarity with ETL pipelines and feature engineering workflows for ML/analytics
• Comfort with AI-assisted development practices and tooling

Preferred

• Direct experience with debit/credit card processor integrations (Marqeta, Galileo, TSYS, Fiserv, or similar)
• Familiarity with payment processing concepts (ISO 8583, authorization flows, network settlement)
• Background in fraud prevention or risk systems
• Experience operating services under strict SLA requirements (sub-100ms p99 latency, 99.99% uptime)
• Familiarity with streaming platforms (Kafka, Kinesis) and feature stores
• Experience with analytics infrastructure (Redshift, Athena, or similar columnar/query engines)

This is a manager-level role with direct reports.

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.