During my 25-year career, I have worked at only two companies, an industrial company and here at Vanguard. Both have given me incredible on-the-job experience, however, I was recently looking to expand my external perspective. When I discussed this with my leader, he shared his experience attending Wharton’s Advanced Management Program (AMP) and advocated for Vanguard’s support for me. I was ecstatic when he called with the news that I would be sponsored to attend AMP, a five-week class. While excited, I started thinking about logistics. How would I ever be away from my daughter (who is 5 and I’m a single mom) and my job for five whole weeks? With support from family to care for my daughter, my amazing Retail Strategic Support team that stepped up to take on all work, and an extremely loyal leadership team, I was able to use this experience to its fullest potential and focus completely on the program.

Being isolated at home for the last 2 years during the pandemic, it was very daunting walking into Wharton knowing I would be in a classroom setting and living with 53 other people from 34 different countries. However, this proved to be the highlight of the experience. We formed deep friendships sharing our personal and professional experiences with each other and learning more about each other’s cultures.

Over the course of the program, we focused in on three core learning areas. The first was business acumen, which we learned from multiple Wharton professors who focused on Leadership, Marketing, Finance, Operations, and many other core capabilities. We also had multiple executive suite guest lecturers, including Vanguard’s previous CEO Bill McNabb, who everyone in my class was very impressed with and is a role model for building high performing teams and businesses. The conversation reminded me that Vanguard is truly special and unique. The second program area we focused on was individual- and team-based executive coaching. This included a deep dive into the Hogan Assessment on one’s leadership style, which helped me to think about how I can be more strategic in my leadership experiences. The third and last area was experiential learning—taking the classroom work combined with the coaching work and putting it into practice. We made a film about one of our team member’s lives, designed a social enterprise business and pitched it to investors, and even went rowing on the Schuylkill River.

The rowing experience in particular stood out to me. While it was beautiful to row on a sunny and calm day, the experience also came with its stressors. We were tasked with staffing a boat with a new team of people we hadn’t worked with before and were expected to create a high-performing team in a matter of hours; learn to row; and race against other teams. We were able to succeed by:

1) Building a team with a common vision, sense of mission, and set of goals. We sought to find out what we all had in common to bind us together, and what experiences and attributes we individually brought to our group.

2) We focused on two-way communication. We identified our leader, as someone had to be at the front of the boat to set the pace, and we would all be the followers matching that pace. To move the boat forward you must be in sync with the leader. However, the leader needs to know the pace can be kept up with and communication is key, as the rest of the crew sits behind them. We had a great session on the concept of “Followership.” No one is a leader if there aren’t followers, and to be a great leader you need people to want to follow you. Sometimes, though, you need to be the follower too.

3) We celebrated success. While we didn’t get the gold medal, we had fun—and for our team, that was our goal to enjoy the day and our time together while learning.

The experiences at Wharton AMP will stay with me my entire life, and largely through the personal learnings I am putting into action, external perspectives I’m able to share with my team and business, and the new friendships that will become lifelong. Prioritizing my personal development, even after 25 years of working, was the best decision and will make me a better leader and crew member going forward.

— Christina Selby, Principal, Head of Retail Strategic Support

“To me programming is more than an important practical art. It is also a gigantic undertaking in the foundations of knowledge.” – Grace Hopper

Going into the Grace Hopper Celebration (GHC) in 2021, I’d heard good things about the event, but I really didn’t know what to expect. For those who don’t know, the GHC is a chance for women in computing and technology to connect, celebrate each other’s accomplishments, and learn from one another. After attending the conference, I felt that my views had been broadened to think beyond the immediate user group for a technology capability, and instead, to think about how technology impacts the cultural and community landscape.

Rear Admiral Grace Hopper was one of the first women to receive a doctorate degree in mathematics. She joined the Naval Reserve, while working as an assistant professor, during World War II to work in computing and support our wartime efforts. She was the first to devise the theory of machine-independent programming languages, with coding based on words that are compiled into machine language. The programming language that she created using this theory was later extended to create common business-oriented language (COBOL). For these accomplishments and more, she was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. All that to say, she’s an inspiration to many!

“Inspiring” is how I would also describe the speakers during last year’s GHC. Women from all different walks of life and career backgrounds reached an audience of all ages and career stages. I joined a variety of sessions and learned new ideas and insights. Here’s what happened in some of my favorite sessions:

• Joined a “Lighting Talk” on non-traditional paths in the technology industry that lead to working as a Product Owner, Scrum Master, or UX Designer.
• Received a fun “Peek Behind the Curtain,” where Disney shared the wide array of technology they use in their parks (apps, Magic Bands), on the web, in the theater (movies, Pixar, Marvel), and through streaming services (Disney/Disney+).
• Delved into the use of data science and mobile analysis to help in the fight against Covid-19.
• Heard from TikTok COO, Vanessa Pappas, on privacy considerations, how they learn from peers, as well as manage misinformation and hate speech.

While all the sessions were grounded in their use of technology, it was great to see how they touched on so many relevant and timely topics. GHC delivered on its promise to connect, celebrate, and learn! And after the celebration was over, I was granted access to recordings of all the great sessions and plan to continue learning how tech can be used to make a positive impact.

-Kimberly W.

The Vanguard College to Corporate (C2C) Internship program offers students the opportunity to work on real-world challenges, expand their expertise in a particular discipline, and develop a broad understanding of Vanguard’s business. Our interns invest in meaningful work across the enterprise and are an essential part of building a pipeline of talent. National Intern Day is on July 28th and it’s a special day that we would like to dedicate to recognizing and celebrating our future leaders of Vanguard. In this blog, we hear from program managers who partnered closely with our interns this year. Here is what they had to say about their interns’ projects and contributions:

“We gave our intern, Taylor, two big projects this summer as part of a strategic review of the entire fixed income fund market and she created enduring reports for us to use. She has learned so much about the market and created tools that give us significant insights into our competitive position in the marketplace. Not just that, her peers love working with her, with one describing her as a “gem” to partner with.”
– Ben A., Investment Product Strategy Manager

“Interns, Abel and Kevin, spent the summer with Vanguard’s Quantitative Equity Group (QEG) where they played an instrumental role in supporting the QEG business. While they had a chance to get involved in the day-to-day work and monitor portfolios closely, they were also involved in a strategic priority for both QEG Investment Risk and QEG – calibrating constraints for Vanguard’s Global funds. It was a two-month effort that involved strong collaboration between Investment Risk, QEG, and external data vendors to pull a proposal together that will ultimately result in optimal risk taking for the portfolios and investor outcomes.”
– Denis H., Investment Risk Manager

“Our amazing IT interns, Ian, Malcolm, and Mike) have taken a cumbersome, manual process and turned it into an automated tool complete with metrics and historical data. They picked up on the new technology and ran with it. This is saving us hours of work during our disaster recovery tests.”
– Annette S., Disaster Recovery Manager

“My intern, Brittany, brings a positive attitude to work every day! She is creating insightful financial reporting that will be used across our division!”
– Korey M., Finance Manager

“Having an intern has been a true gift to the department and the team!  Our aligned intern, Mikayla, explored potential, future-state efficiency projects and made actionable recommendations to add value to our organization.  It was really a rewarding experience to not only help our intern gain exposure to our industry and organization, but also experience the fruit of that investment through the completion of quality work.  We were overjoyed to hear that our intern had decided to apply to Vanguard formally through our rotational program and we cannot wait to see her as a full-time crew member in 2023!”
– Jim A., Manager, Global Payroll

Interested in an internship with Vanguard? Click here to check out our opportunities!

As a bilingual professional living and working in the US for almost twenty years, it has been an enriching experience to adopt English as a second language and practice public speaking; however, I rarely thought about how heavily I depended on filler words to help me connect phrases. About three months after joining Vanguard, I was asked to participate with my peers on a Town Hall presentation for our department. I was anxious and a bit petrified. One of my leaders mentioned she had noticed my use of “ums” and “uhs” throughout the presentation and shared best practices for improvement. I knew this is something I would continue to focus on both inside and outside of work.

Later, I met a colleague through a networking event at Vanguard, and in his company profile, I noticed he was the President of Toastmasters International and involved with our organization’s local chapter, Vanguard Toastmasters –Voicing Great Ideas. He invited me to come to a Toastmasters meeting as a guest. I immediately connected with their mission of improving public speaking skills, while building leadership and organization skills. Once I signed up to be a member, I started participating in activities such as “Table Topics,” in which you have 1 to 2 minutes to respond to questions selected at random, and taking on roles such as “Ah counter,” where I had to count the number of times members use filler words. Through this experience, I became more self-aware, and developed confidence and poise over time. The warm and friendly environment our club offers was key to making me feel comfortable and encouraged me to improve my skills. I also signed up for the “Pathways” program, which allows members to leverage other competencies, such as project management, leadership development, and online meeting management, just to name a few.

When the pandemic hit, we were afraid of the impact it would have on our club. Thankfully, we have been able to pivot to an “all online” format, where we’ve adapted our style to meet the new norm of presenting virtually, ultimately enhancing our skills further.

I have been a member of Vanguard Toastmasters – Voicing Great Ideas for a few years now, taking on several roles. This experience has helped me advance my career. From interview preparation, to presentation mastery, Toastmasters has trained me to become a better communicator and has allowed me to meet wonderful colleagues. I look forward to our weekly meetings and to seeing all the friendly faces that have supported me over the years.

– Monica D.

Many of our new crew members launch their careers in Client Services, as it provides them an opportunity to see and experience first-hand Vanguard’s unique business model, and how our clients are at the center of everything we do. We recently sat down with crew who have served in our Client Services and Operations group to learn more about what initially attracted them to Vanguard and what keeps them feeling fulfilled in their roles. In this second installment of a three-part series, we highlight the experience of Courtney G.

Tell us about your voyage to Vanguard.

My journey to Vanguard started taking shape early on in my career. After graduating from Arizona State University with a bachelor’s degree in Journalism with an emphasis in Accounting, I held roles at both public and private sector firms. I learned to build and manage cash forecast models and to use the information to deliver on better money management tools and recommendations for successful business results. Although I was developing skills that would support continued career success, I did not feel fulfilled in my work. I wasn’t connecting with people and I wanted to use my knowledge to help others.

I took some time off to evaluate my career objectives and began looking for a better job fit. In my search, I came across Vanguard’s mission statement, “To take a stand for all investors … to treat them fairly … and to give them the best chance for investment success.” At the time, the investment industry was somewhat intimidating to me, but I wanted to learn more. I was quickly drawn to Vanguard’s culture and the meaning behind the company’s mission statement. In December, I will be celebrating five years with Vanguard! Not only have I continued to build my investment acumen through internships and by obtaining additional licenses and credentials, but most importantly, I am making a difference in investors’ lives. As my voyage continues, my passion grows, and I look forward to new opportunities to help others towards their goals of investment success.

Why did you choose to launch your career in Client Services?

The reason I chose to launch my career in Client Services is because it felt like the right space for me to have conversations with clients and talk about something we all think about… retirement! I don’t feel like I am much different from my clients who want to make sure they are saving enough for the future, investing in a way that makes sense, and navigating more complex areas once we’ve reached retirement.

What have been the most rewarding aspects of your role?

The most rewarding aspect of my role is sharing with my clients what makes Vanguard unique. The experience many investors have had before coming to Vanguard consists of focusing on returns and reacting to market volatility. What I’ve found satisfying is having that first conversation with a client about Vanguard’s time-tested methodology for investment success. Helping my client see that outside distractors are not where we focus our energy. Our focus is on our client’s financial goals, a balanced portfolio, keeping costs low, and the discipline to make decisions with confidence. I love sharing the holistic approach of creating a plan to live by so that you aren’t just “hoping” for success but “planning” for success.

Another aspect of my role that I find fulfilling is sharing with my clients that we don’t work on commission at Vanguard. I ensure they know that my fiduciary responsibility is to recommend options that are in their best interest.

How has Vanguard supported your professional development and career advancement?

Vanguard is a company that is goal oriented. From our investment methodology to the career development of crew members, setting goals is in our DNA. I remember just over a year ago, I declared my interest to move into a sales role. I wanted to cultivate relationships with my clients that would have a positive impact on their investment journey. However, I lacked the skillset to transition from a client service role into a sales position.

I discussed my interest in sales with my leader who encouraged me to apply to the “Accelerate to Sales and Advice Program,” which I affectionately refer to today as ASAP. What I loved about ASAP was the opportunity to join a cadre of like-minded peers across Vanguard’s domestic sites who shared a desire to enhance their sales acumen and learn about the Miller Heiman (MH) Framework from the ground up. Over the course of twenty-four weeks, we concentrated on four primary areas of MH: Open, Discover, Satisfy and Close. Here, we go beyond the numbers and graphs, and focus on why investing is important in our clients’ lives. As a sales specialist I earn the privilege to open deeper dialogue with investors and uncover their needs and their deeper needs. The deeper needs or the “Need behind the Need” (NBN) are discovery moments where the client begins to recognize, observe and see things differently. They can also be identified as “Positive Defining Moments” (PDMs) which create authentic connections and bring value to the client experience at Vanguard. This client immersed MH approach takes the focus off the seller and redirects it to the client, where it belongs. The conversations that manifest are impacting our clients’ lives and the way they invest.

The ASAP program was thoughtfully constructed and very rewarding for me. Upon successful completion of these four areas, I launched into a senior sales role that I love. It’s been an exciting journey and I’m humbled to be part of a company that values the development and advancement of their employees, which in turn, creates a better, positive client experience. Thanks to the ASAP program, I have found a deeper passion in my work that creates excitement in my role with every client experience.

Interested in a career in Client Services or Sales? Check out our opportunities today!

Please check out our first installment of this series to learn about Don’s experiences within Vanguard’s Client Services and Operations group.

Tech Elevator is an intensive coding bootcamp which teaches students from diverse backgrounds to become software developers and build necessary career-readiness skills. Vanguard is a corporate partner to Tech Elevator, and together, we are working to create greater access to careers in tech. Through our partnership, we have been able to attract, engage with and hire candidates who have excelled in the program. In this blog, you will hear from two crew members who completed Tech Elevator’s coding bootcamp and are now developers here at Vanguard.

How did you learn about Tech Elevator?

In the fall of 2019, I started to explore options to quickly change my career after feeling unfulfilled in my profession. I had always been interested in software development, and an acquaintance suggested I look at coding bootcamps, a concept completely foreign to me at the time. After researching a number of programs, Tech Elevator really stood out to me because of their transparency, commitment to their students, and their high alumni employment rate. They also had a matchmaking program that helped job candidates network with other companies — this in itself was an intriguing quality as someone who would be looking for a job in the near future. Luckily, Tech Elevator was opening its first cohort in Philadelphia in January of 2020, and after some conversations with the campus director and staff, I chose to enroll.
– Kevin M.

I joined Tech Elevator because of their astonishingly high placement rates for students after graduation, their curriculum, and continued support after graduation.
– Dennis P.

What ultimately led you to decide to pursue an opportunity with Vanguard?

During Tech Elevator’s Matchmaking program, I learned that Vanguard was one of Tech Elevator’s hiring partners. While I knew Vanguard was one of the largest financial institutions in the world, I didn’t realize what they had to offer in terms of culture and sense of community. There appeared to be a great balance between professionalism while still being your authentic self, which was exactly what I was looking for. I also wanted opportunities to learn and grow as a developer, which Vanguard has certainly provided.
– Kevin M.

Prior to interviewing at Vanguard, I researched the organization extensively. Vanguard emphasizes three core values: integrity, focus, and stewardship, all of which are important to me as a military veteran. The interviewing process at Vanguard was very relaxed conversational. I had an opportunity to speak with managers and senior leaders, all of whom were polite and informative. I could see why Vanguard has such a high retention rate. I left the interviews feeling positive and hopeful for an offer to accept.
– Dennis P.

What does your day to day look like since joining Vanguard? What are the most rewarding aspects of your role?

I work on a team of five developers, and we work in two-week sprints. At the beginning of a sprint, each developer is assigned one or more tasks, or “stories,” to complete–this could include research for a future story or coding a piece of functionality for the application we are working on. Every morning we have our daily standup meeting, which is a report on your progress from the previous day and what you plan to work on for the rest of the day. Additionally, we have sprint refinement sessions twice per sprint, and a sprint review at the end of the sprint where we can showcase the work we’ve done.

The most rewarding aspect of my role is the opportunity to increase my knowledge as a developer. Vanguard offers a number of professional development opportunities for those in tech, including certifications and ongoing education. So far in my role, I became an AWS Certified Developer, which was both challenging and rewarding, and have attended a number of Vanguard sponsored courses through PluralSight, an online learning and development platform for those interested in technology. I’m confident this ongoing education will only open doors for further opportunity within the company and my career as a developer.
– Kevin M.

Upon joining Vanguard, I was placed on a new team that was tasked with building an internal application that supports Vanguard advisors. It’s been a pleasurable experience working with crewmembers from my team and collaborating with colleagues across the organization. On average I spend a third of my day in meetings. Outside of those meetings I’m either working on stories for a current sprint, researching, collaborating with others, or learning. Vanguard has provided me with ample learning opportunities. For example, I was recently selected to participate in a pilot for Vanguard’s new IT Divisional Learning Journey Program. And, if a training that would be beneficial to my growth becomes available, all I have to do is request permission to attend.
– Dennis P.

What advice would you share with prospective candidates who are interested in a career in IT?

I would say be prepared to put a lot of time and effort into the learning process and minimize distractions while you are learning to code. In addition to coding bootcamps like Tech Elevator, there are a ton of free resources you can find online, including Free Code Camp and Codecademy. YouTube is an excellent resource as well, as you can find a great explanation for almost any concept. Also, be patient, as there is a lot to learn.
– Kevin M.

If you are interested in pursuing a career in Software Engineering, understand that companies use different tech stacks, but the general idea is the same. Pick a stack and familiarize yourself well enough that if you were hired by a company using a different stack and/or framework(s), you would be more up-to-speed and faster to contribute. Don’t compare yourself to others and remain tenacious. Whether you’re experiencing challenges learning something new or difficulties in the hiring process, it’s important to never give up.
– Dennis P.

Recruiting for MBA students is an extremely competitive landscape. Decisions are based on prior work experience and role compatibility, geographic variances, industry preferences, total compensation, benefits, and more. So, what is it about Vanguard’s MBA Leadership Development Program that has both attracted and retained this high-potential talent?

We took a deeper dive into this question and asked Vanguard crew members who participated in the MBA Leadership Development Program to recap their experience and share what initially attracted them to Vanguard and what keeps them feeling fulfilled in their roles. In this final installment of a three-part series, we highlight the experience of Antonia S.

What was the biggest thing that drew you to Vanguard as you were seeking full-time opportunities?

Company culture and development opportunities are two very important attributes of a post-MBA employer. While recruiting in business school, I was determined to work at a company where employees felt like they were being cared for and actively being developed into their best selves. After 7-8 pre-Super Day information interviews, it was clear that these were genuinely the top reasons crew and leaders not only came to Vanguard, but also why they stay.

Vanguard’s MBA Leadership Development Program is rotational in nature, and also unique in that they solicit the business to understand where the needs are for MBA talent. So one experience can be different from another. What teams were you able to support during your 15 month rotation?

My first rotation in the MBA Leadership Development Program was in Organizational Consulting Services, followed by a rotation in Enterprise Advice, and then our Retail Investor Group. I launched on the Enterprise New Ways of Working team.

What were some roles/responsibilities that your day-to-day consisted of?

In my first rotation, I served as Organizational Effectiveness Consultant on our Organization Consulting Services team. During this rotation, I had a bird’s eye view of what was going on across all 11 of our divisions from an organizational strategy and design perspective. As a result, I had the opportunity to influence organization strategy, design, in-take processes, and training in change management.

Next, I served as an Advice Strategist on our Enterprise Advice – FAS Use Case team in my second rotation. It was in this rotation that I really accelerated my overall investment management acumen, specifically in the financial planning space. Additionally, it was there that I was introduced to the methodology of New Ways of Working. This rotation was also a stretch opportunity for me as I was the only woman of color on my team, did not have extensive technology experience, and the team was headquartered away from Malvern’s main campus.

In my final rotation, I served as a Business Project Manager on our Retail Investor Group’s Blueprint Transformation team. This rotation was unique because the entire team was working from each of our US offices. Consequently, I spent the majority of my time working remotely with crew from our domestic sites implementing strategies around New Ways of Working.

What was the most significant project you worked on?

As I launched into our Project Management Office team for Enterprise New Ways of Working, we were evaluating a new vendor that would provide a tool that gives the enterprise easier access to team intelligence and information. I was able to take this initiative through all phases: research, pilot, testing, and ultimately deploying it into all divisions. I remember how rewarding it felt when the feedback came in from our testing phase, and crew were really enjoying using it. This was an enterprise-wide shift, so to leave an imprint at that scale will always be something I remember.

What was the most impactful takeaway from the rotational program?

Relationship management. This was crucial to understand and build expertise in. Honing my relationship management skills allowed me to get my job done more efficiently, whether I was responsible for building a team, getting a message across to the enterprise, or just checking in with someone. It has allowed for continuous, open, and honest feedback throughout my career at Vanguard, and it has given me access to having a seat at the table to make decisions.

What was the biggest challenge you faced?

For me, it was tackling the infamous ‘imposter syndrome.’ As a career switcher entering into a rotation program, I was truly excited by all of the opportunities I could take part in, so much that I always selected roles that were completely new to me with the hope of developing new skills and experiences. With the steep learning curves that come with each new rotation, you can imagine the frequency and intensity of self-doubt that hit every time. Fortunately, between and post each rotation, participants are given ample time to reflect and engage with their managers and mentors. It was through these intentional engagements that I was able to better recognize and track my personal progress. Additionally, it did not hurt to have great peers and mentors who were also intentional in providing meaningful feedback on my progress and strengths.

What is keeping you fulfilled in your current role at Vanguard?

The Man in the Mirror effect – based on the famous song, which essentially says: If you want the world to be different, if you want it to be a better place, the change needs to start with you—the person in the mirror. In this case, Vanguard is the man/person/organization in the mirror right now. We have been making great strides to change pertinent aspects of our businesses, products, services and culture to continue taking a stand for all investors, giving them the best chance for investment success and doing it in the most inclusive way possible.

One of my most recent memorable experiences was during our company-wide ‘real talk’ sessions hosted by the Vanguard Black Professional Network (VBPN) this past year. Our real talk sessions included topics ranging from social justice reform to white fragility to micro-aggressions in the workplace. In my entire 10+ year professional career, I had never had the opportunity to take part in such triggering, yet vulnerable conversations as these at work. VBPN provided safe and productive environments for members of the Vanguard community to talk about race, social economic status, family background and mental health, all during one of the most traumatic periods of our country’s history. Importantly, these conversations have not stopped there—they have effectively transcended managerial, team, department, and divisional level conversations. Just this past February, our Chief Investment Officer, Greg Davis, emphasized a need for the entire investment management community to do the work required to make our industry a safer and more inclusive environment for everyone. From the most junior crew to the c-suite, it is clear that, while we have a ways to go, Vanguard is making an intentional effort to make this industry a more inclusive place. As a Black woman and leader at Vanguard, this is something that I truly value.

What is one piece of advice that you would give to someone considering joining either our MBA internship or full-time rotational program?

Do the personal reflection work to truly understand the following question: Why Vanguard? Don’t limit your reflection to what you can give or get out of the rotation program, but focus on the impact you can have near and far, local and globally, at an organization such as Vanguard. Think about the community and environments you thrive in most. As a participant in our Leadership Development Rotation Program, you will have access to various people and resources to help you shape and chart the next course in your professional journey.

If you are interested in learning more or applying to our MBA Leadership Development – Internship opportunities, please visit our MBA page.

Please check out our first and second installments of this series to learn about Chantee’s and Jun Oh’s experiences with Vanguard’s MBA Internship Program.

Vanguard supports crew members wishing to further their education and build job-related skills by offering reimbursement for eligible programs through the Vanguard Academic Assistance Plan. The Plan provides reimbursement up to $9,000 per calendar year for tuition, books, and certain credit-based exams for undergraduate and graduate education programs. In 2020, over 600 crew participated in the program.

We congratulated those that recently graduated and shared with them a personal poem.

Though this year has been mostly onscreen
You made it look easy and keen.

You persevered because you’re the best
You made it through—you passed the test!

So don your caps and gowns and don’t be late
Because now it’s time to celebrate.

Vanguard sends congrats and a cheer
To the graduates of 2021—hear hear!

Pictured are a few of our crew who submitted their recent graduation photos.

Recruiting for MBA students is an extremely competitive landscape. Decisions are based on prior work experience and role compatibility, geographic variances, industry preferences, total compensation, benefits, and more. So, what is it about Vanguard’s MBA Leadership Development Program that has both attracted and retained this high-potential talent?

We took a deeper dive into this question and asked Vanguard crew members who participated in the MBA Leadership Development Program to recap their experience and share what initially attracted them to Vanguard and what keeps them feeling fulfilled in their roles. In this second installment of a three-part series, we highlight the experience of Jun Oh Y.

What was the biggest thing that drew you to Vanguard as you were seeking full-time opportunities?

I knew that Vanguard was the right next step for my career when I saw how they treated their crew members. My previous work experience at large financial service firms prior to business school taught me that emphasizing the employee experience in writing and having it embedded in the organization are two different things. With Vanguard, I experienced first-hand the level of support and investment Vanguard was making toward its crew members during my internship, and when it came time to decide where to head after business school, the decision came easily.

Vanguard’s MBA Leadership Development Program is rotational in nature, and also unique in that they solicit the business to understand where the needs are for MBA talent. So one experience can be different from another. What teams were you able to support during your 15 month rotation?

My MBA rotation experience was broad, dynamic, and fulfilling. I couldn’t have asked for a better overall experience. My three rotations were with: Enterprise Advice, Corporate Strategy, and Investment Risk.

What were some roles/responsibilities that your day-to-day consisted of?

While rotating through Enterprise Advice, I worked in Advice Product Strategy and Management, in the financial planning product sleeve. This rotation focused on exploring the applicability of a new scenario planning tool and building a model to better estimate end client usage of our advice products. With a good mix of a broad new subject matter and quantitative analysis, my first rotation helped lay the groundwork for my Vanguard journey.

I further expanded my understanding of Vanguard in my second rotation in Corporate Strategy, where I worked with various teams across the enterprise and divisional level in Data and Analytics, International, our Institutional Investor Group, and Business Development. My second rotation was quite dynamic in coverage and helped me better understand the business, along with our biggest priorities.

To round out my experience, my third rotation was closer to investments in the Risk Management Group, where I was tasked with re-vamping our Reasonably Anticipated Trade Size methodology in our Liquidity Risk Management program.

What was the most significant project you worked on?

When I was working on re-vamping our Reasonably Anticipated Trade Size methodology in our Liquidity Risk Management program, the new methodology was to impact the liquidity classifications across our hundreds of funds and had downstream impact in regulatory reporting as well as how we would look at liquidity risk going forward. Having the chance to contribute to such a highly visible and impactful program was very fulfilling.

What was the most impactful takeaway from the rotational program?

The most impactful takeaway is that we are expected to ask a lot of questions and bring our diverse opinions to the table. The program was designed to bring outside talent in. I believe those in the program should consider the rotations as an opportunity to develop these skills and bring it to their launch roles.

What was the biggest challenge you faced?

Switching between different project methodologies by balancing execution and upfront planning were a challenge. Given the expedited timeline of the rotational program, I initially tried to define an exact scope and specific internal milestones for every engagement. However, with the iterative nature of the larger projects, I came to realize that the flexibility of an agile methodology with consistent involvement from cross functional teams would produce a better, more efficient outcome. Fortunately, the opportunities to practice this skill – identifying which types of projects would most benefit from these two opposing approaches— and becoming proficient in it, ultimately helped me secure my current launch role.

What is keeping you fulfilled in your current role at Vanguard?

The two things that keep me at Vanguard are the people and Vanguard’s attitude toward development. When I was rotating in Enterprise Advice, a fellow crew member mentioned how “unconditional positive regard” helps him work through differences of opinion in meetings. This concept of acceptance and support regardless of opinion, with the acknowledgement that we are all on the same team, neatly summarizes my interactions with my colleagues. It is so refreshing to see how everyone in the room is working toward the common goal, without pretext. Along with such an amiable work environment, Vanguard’s support for learning and development, both in and outside of work, sets it apart. The various support networks and resources we have available helped me further expand not only my subject matter expertise, but also made me feel more like a member of the broader Vanguard family.

What is one piece of advice that you would give to someone considering joining either our MBA internship or full-time rotational program?

Take full advantage of the MBA program network! We have quite a few folks that have gone through the program before us with wonderful nuggets of wisdom to share. I learned a tremendous amount from them and made some great friends in the process.

If you are interested in learning more or applying to our MBA Leadership Development – Internship opportunities, please visit our MBA page .

Please check out our first installment of this series to learn about Chantee’s experience with Vanguard’s MBA Internship Program.

I started my career at Vanguard as a software developer in Information Technology Systems supporting our Retail business just about ten years ago. Within the first few weeks, it was evident how authentically Vanguard holds to its mission, putting clients first in every aspect of the company. What has kept me at Vanguard for these ten years is the opportunity for growth. I am consistently learning new technologies to solve the latest challenges sharing what I have learned with crew members here, and I’ve even presented in various marquee conferences outside of Vanguard.

Within the past few years, Vanguard has started to transition most of our software development into the cloud. With that transition has come a wealth of fresh challenges and opportunities. My team was an early adopter of using data and analytics, speech to text, machine learning, and other cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) tools on Amazon Web Services (AWS) to pave the way for other programs here at Vanguard. Because our team was heavily involved with AWS, I was sent to their largest conference, re:Invent, in 2018 to learn from the brightest minds in the field. After a fully and busy week of panels, events, and discussions with new friends, I returned to my team eager to share my experience, but I had no idea what was in store in the years to come.

My colleague Jeff and I presenting at a conference.

Following re:Invent, my team found itself at the forefront of experimenting more of what AWS has to offer. We started to work directly with a Solutions Architect from AWS who helped us pilot two new services. Once we were successful, so, we shared our learnings with other teams, and strengthened our partnership with AWS. This led to my team being selected to present at re:Invent 2020 to showcase our journey and relationship with AWS.

Presenting at re:Invent was an invaluable experience. Our team planned, prepared, and practiced for several months leading up to the event with our AWS Solutions Architect. Ultimately, we were able to tell our story of how we were implementing new services from AWS to consistently meet the needs of our clients. It was a story that demonstrated the innovative efforts we strive to take while maintaining our client-centered focus.

Being able to represent Vanguard at one of the world’s largest conferences is an opportunity that I never imagined I would have in my career. It’s opportunities like these, and the partnerships I continue to develop, both inside and outside of Vanguard, that encourage me to bring my best and authentic self to work. The ability to innovate and explore ever evolving technology has made each day of my ten-year career as exciting as the first, and I look forward to the future challenges and opportunities that are in store over the next ten and beyond!

-Justin F.