IT Delivery Manager - AI Platforms

Vanguard; Charlotte (NC); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Vanguard seeks an IT Delivery Manager for the Model Development team to lead and scale cloud-based AI/ML initiatives, including AWS SageMaker and an internal EL S A platform. You will manage a blended onshore/offshore engineering group, turning priorities into concrete plans and delivering transparent, predictable outcomes.

You will partner with engineering, product, and business teams to drive platform adoption, manage risks, and ensure adherence to security standards while delivering

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in IT delivery, engineering management, or program delivery roles.
• Undergraduate degree or equivalent combination of training and experience. Graduate degree preferred.
• Proven people management experience leading engineering or technical teams (required).
• Ownership of end-to-end delivery outcomes (not just coordination or facilitation).
• Strong experience with delivery planning and forecasting, timelines, dependencies, and risks.
• Experience working with Agile delivery teams and tools (e.g., JIRA).
• Excellent leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
• Experience delivering solutions on cloud platforms (primarily AWS; Azure exposure a plus).
• Working experience with AI/ML platforms, preferably SageMaker.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a blended team of engineers, providing coaching and career development while driving accountability for results.
• Own end-to-end delivery of cloud-based and AI/ML platform initiatives, including scaling SageMaker and internal solutions.
• Translate business priorities into actionable delivery plans across a shared services model.
• Establish delivery discipline with planning, tracking, and reporting to ensure predictable outcomes.
• Provide data-driven updates to stakeholders on status, timelines, risks, and progress.
• Partner with engineering, product, and business teams to enable platform adoption and cross-functional execution.
• Identify and mitigate risks, remove blockers, and drive continuous process improvement.
• Monitor delivery performance and align with organizational goals and platform scalability.
• Support operational planning including staffing, resources, and budget considerations.

Skills

People management

Delivery leadership

Agile delivery

JIRA

Stakeholder communication

AWS SageMaker

Education

Undergraduate degree or equivalent

Graduate degree preferred

Tools

AWS SageMaker

Azure exposure

Job description

The Model Development team is responsible for managing and maintaining the implementation of AWS Sagemaker for traditional model development, used in critical systems across Vanguard. The team will also explore, recommend and make available a platform for Small Language Model (SLM) development. Lastly, this team has just released a homegrown Enhanced Learning and Support Agent (ELSA) to bend the support cost curve to enable AI/ML platforms to scale. This role serves as the IT Delivery Manager for the team and is accountable for driving the continued development, delivery, and adoption of these capabilities. As a shared service supporting multiple lines of business, this leader will ensure delivery is well-planned, transparent, and predictable, while fostering strong collaboration across engineering, product, and business stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a blended team of engineers (onshore and offshore), providing coaching, performance management, and career development while driving accountability for results
• Own end-to-end delivery of cloud-based and AI/ML platform initiatives, including continued development and scaling of capabilities such as AWS SageMaker and internally developed solutions
• Translate business and technology priorities into actionable delivery plans, including scope, dependencies, risks, and resource needs across a shared services model supporting multiple lines of business
• Establish and maintain strong delivery discipline through structured planning, tracking, and reporting (e.g., JIRA or similar tools) to ensure predictable and reliable outcomes
• Provide clear, data-driven communication to stakeholders and leadership on delivery status, timelines, risks, and overall progress
• Partner with engineering, product, and business teams to align on priorities, enable platform adoption, and ensure successful execution of cross-functional initiatives
• Proactively identify and mitigate risks, resolve blockers, and drive continuous improvement in delivery processes and team effectiveness
• Monitor and report on delivery performance, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and the scalability of platform capabilities
• Support operational planning, including staffing, resource allocation, and budget considerations
• Ensure adherence to technology, risk, and security standards while delivering high-quality, scalable solutions

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in IT delivery, engineering management, or program delivery roles
• Undergraduate degree or equivalent combination of training and experience. Graduate degree preferred.
• Proven people management experience leading engineering or technical teams (required)
• Demonstrated ownership of end-to-end delivery outcomes (not just coordination or facilitation)
• Strong experience with:
• Delivery planning and forecasting
• Managing timelines, dependencies, and risks
• Communicating delivery status to senior leadership
• Experience working with Agile delivery teams and tools (e.g., JIRA)
• Excellent leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills
• Experience delivering solutions on cloud platforms (primarily AWS; Azure exposure a plus)
• Working experience with AI/ML platforms, preferably SageMaker

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.