Optimization Research Scientist

The Vanguard Group; Malvern (Chester County); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work model

Job summary

The Vanguard Group in Malvern, PA seeks a senior researcher to partner with senior stakeholders, translate questions into optimization problems, and build models for investment decision making. You will work with incomplete data, design evaluation frameworks, and communicate actionable recommendations.

You will apply quantitative modeling, ML, and simulation, collaborate across data science and engineering, and contribute to scalable solutions in real-world settings.

Qualifications

• Experience in applied research and quantitative modeling for decision support.
• Ability to translate ambiguous questions into rigorous analytical approaches.
• Strong partnership skills with senior business stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Partner with senior business and investment stakeholders to uncover high-value opportunities.
• Develop and refine hypotheses, translating problems into optimization frameworks.
• Build models and evaluation approaches to support decision-making in real-world settings.
• Handle incomplete or noisy data, document assumptions, and assess limitations.
• Communicate findings, tradeoffs, and recommendations to leaders with clear next steps.

Skills

Quantitative modeling

Optimization

Machine learning

Python

Data analysis

Stakeholder collaboration

Tools

SageMaker

Databricks

Optimization libraries

Job description

Core Responsibilities

Partner directly with senior business and investment stakeholders to uncover high-value opportunities, develop + iteratively refine hypotheses, and translate ambiguous questions into structured research problems. Formulate complex business and investment challenges as optimization problems, defining objectives, constraints, tradeoffs, decision variables, and measurable success criteria. Build and evaluate quantitative, statistical, machine learning, simulation, and optimization frameworks that support practical decision-making in real-world investment settings. Work with incomplete, noisy, fragmented, or evolving data to create usable research datasets, document assumptions, and assess the implications of data limitations. Design rigorous evaluation approaches, including out-of-sample testing, simulation, backtesting, sensitivity analysis, robustness testing, and constraint validation. Iterate closely with stakeholders, researchers, data scientists, and engineering partners to refine hypotheses, improve frameworks, and move promising research toward scalable implementation. Communicate findings, tradeoffs, assumptions, and recommendations clearly to business leaders, with a focus on decision impact and actionable next steps.

Qualifications: Experience in applied research, quantitative modeling, optimization, and machine learning, with the ability to independently drive ambiguous research efforts from problem discovery through recommendation. Strong ability to partner directly with senior business stakeholders to uncover high-value opportunities, develop hypotheses, and translate loosely defined questions into rigorous analytical or optimization approaches. Experience formulating complex business or investment problems in terms of objectives, constraints, tradeoffs, decision variables, and measurable outcomes. Strong experience building optimization models to support decision‑making in real‑world settings, experience with statistical, machine learning, and deep learning is a plus. Comfort working with incomplete, noisy, fragmented, or evolving data, including the ability to make pragmatic assumptions, document limitations, and keep research moving despite imperfect inputs. Experience designing and interpreting evaluation frameworks using out-of-sample testing, simulation, backtesting, sensitivity analysis, or robustness analysis. Proficiency in Python and comfort working in development environments such as SageMaker, Databricks, or similar platforms; familiarity with optimization libraries, solvers, or computational decision frameworks is valuable. Experience with quantitative finance, systematic workflows, or investment management problems is preferred; participation in the CFA program or related financial education is valuable.

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.

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