Strategic Market Development Consultant

Strategic Market Development is Vanguard’s enterprise capability for navigating disruptive change and next-horizon opportunities that will define the long-term future for Vanguard and our clients. The team helps senior leaders anticipate and assess emerging market, competitive, and technology shifts, surface enterprise implications and choices, and mobilize the company around the most consequential opportunities. This often includes enterprise capability-building, internal innovation, and engagement with external industry and ecosystem partners. 

Strategic Market Development works hand-in-hand with business and technology leaders to accelerate Vanguard’s most ambitious initiatives. This is a fast-paced environment for ambitious professionals looking to do the best work of their careers. If you are equally happy driving work independently and working collaboratively, thrive in complexity and ambiguity, have a track record of extraordinary achievement, and bring deep expertise in financial services or financial technology, we want to hear from you. 

Responsibilities: 

• Identify, validate, and advance next-horizon opportunities that shape Vanguard’s future. 
• Lead competitive strategy and scenario planning to anticipate market shifts, breakthrough technologies, and evolving client needs.  
• Monitor industry, investor, and innovation trends to develop hypothesis and help senior leaders “see around corners” to prepare for emerging opportunities and threats. 
• Partner with Vanguard’s Strategic Consulting team and Strategic Business Development team to help drive enterprise-level strategy and initiatives that position the firm for long-term resilience and success. 
• Collaborate across Vanguard to advance high-impact technology and digital product incubation efforts. 
• Synthesize complex and ambiguous data into actionable recommendations; deliver compelling materials and presentations to the firm’s most senior leadership.  
• Develop creative and technology-enabled solutions that enable new ways of working. 

Qualifications: 

• Broad Operational & Analytical Skillset: You’re as comfortable analyzing complex data or performing deep research as you are rolling up your sleeves as a front-line operator driving a project. 
• Technical Fluency: You can understand and evaluate novel technologies and assess real-world applicability. You leverage those technologies in your own work, consistently finding smarter ways to deliver.
• First-Principles Thinker: You are skilled at breaking down ambiguous, open-ended problems and synthesizing insights from technology, market trends, and client behavior. 
• Ownership & Proactivity: You are a self-starter with an innate drive to tackle challenges and deliver results without waiting for direction. 
• High EQ and Collaboration: You excel at managing complex stakeholder groups and navigating differing views dispassionately in high-stakes settings. You’ll be working with senior executives, business leaders, technical teams, and external partners, often acting as the connective bond among them. 
• Proven Track Record: We look for a demonstrated track record of extraordinary achievement, whether in prior roles, academics, or other endeavors.  
• Domain Expertise: Deep subject matter expertise in financial services and/or financial technology is a significant advantage.  
• Five years related experience. 
• Undergraduate degree or equivalent combination of training and experience. 

Special Factors

Sponsorship

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.