Senior Strategy Lead, Debit Card

The Vanguard Group, Inc.; United States; Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

Vanguard Group is seeking a senior leader to own and evolve the debit card product strategy, including spend enablement and client experience. You will collaborate with cross-functional teams across Personal Investor, Advice/Wealth Management, Finance, Risk, Legal, Compliance, Technology, and Marketing to drive market-ready outcomes.

You will partner on go-to-market plans, manage vendor relationships, and oversee governance, KPIs, and ongoing optimization post-launch.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in payments strategy, preferably debit card product management.
• Proven ability to lead complex, cross-functional initiatives with strategic impact.
• Strong understanding of debit card ecosystems, issuer processors, card networks, vendor management, and client experience design.
• Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and analytical skills.
• Experience with fraud prevention, operational risk, and regulatory compliance preferred.

Responsibilities

• Define and support the evolution of the strategic product roadmap of debit card capabilities, including spend enablement, client experience, and competitive positioning.
• Support the Director in cross-functional planning and execution across multiple business functions.
• Serve as a key Vanguard stakeholder for external vendors for implementation and ongoing vendor management with a focus on network strategy.
• Support the development of debit card product strategy, value proposition, and go-to-market strategies.
• Support development and launch of the debit card, plus ongoing optimization and performance management post-launch.
• Schedule governance routines, reporting, and stakeholder alignment; provide guidance to cross-functional delivery teams.

Skills

Payments strategy

Debit card product management

Cross-functional leadership

Vendor management

Client experience design

Communication skills

Fraud prevention

Regulatory compliance knowledge

Job description

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Ownership

Define and support the evolution of the strategic product roadmap of debit card capabilities, including spend enablement, client experience, and competitive positioning. Support the the Director in cross-functional planning and execution across Personal Investor, Advice / Wealth Management, Finance, Risk, Controls, Legal, Compliance, Technology, Distribution/Marketing, and other cross functional stakeholders. Serve as a key Vanguard stakeholder for external vendors for implementation, integration and ongoing tactical vendor management with a focus on network strategy. Support the development of the debit card product strategy & value proposition as well as marketing and go-to-market strategies.

Program Management

Support the development and launch of the debit card as well as ongoing optimization and performance management post-launch. Schedule and coordinate governance routines, reporting, and stakeholder alignment. Provide guidance and education to the cross-functional teams involved in delivery and optimization. Develop, maintain, and support the creation and management of all critical card related processes and business requirements.

Data-Driven Decision Making

Support the development and maintenance of KPIs to measure success across adoption, usage, client satisfaction, and operational efficiency; identify and report opportunities to the Director and business leads. Leverage data and insights to continuously improve product performance and client outcomes.

Go-to-Market Readiness

Partner with Marketing, Distribution, Enablement, and Fraud teams to ensure scalable, protected, and successful market delivery of the product. Collaborate on the development of crew training, client communications, and support model development as well as cross-sell strategies across segments. Identify and assist as needed with resolving operational dependencies, including backend processing, and fraud controls.

Strategic Integration

Support aligning the debit card strategy within the broader Cash & Savings initiatives including Money Movement Enablement, Product Health Scorecard, and Segment Strategy. Ensure seamless integration with advice / wealth management and personal investor segments, supporting use case clarity and positioning.

Participates in special projects and performs other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in payments strategy, preferably debit card product management.
• Proven ability to lead complex, cross-functional initiatives with strategic impact.
• Strong understanding of debit card ecosystems, issuer processors, card networks, vendor management, and client experience design.
• Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and analytical skills.
• Experience with fraud prevention, operational risk, and regulatory compliance preferred.

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.