Risk and reward down under

November 11, 2020/in Culture, Training & education, Voyage to Vanguard 2020, career, colleagues, crew, develop, experience, firm, joined, joined vanguard, know, looking, opportunity, risk, role, sense, started, team, time, vanguard, working /by jortega

Risk and reward down under

In late 2019, after working in a multitude of roles across a variety of financial services organizations, I felt it was time for a change and started exploring my next career move. First and foremost, I wanted to join a firm that ‘made sense’: I had to buy into its purpose, conviction and how it benefited society – all these things were vitally important to me. When I started looking a little deeper into Vanguard, its history, direction and people’s experience of working with and within the firm, things started stacking up. The interview process cemented my interest and upon being offered my role, I was excited at the prospect of working with such a highly respected and regarded organization. So, I took the plunge and in February 2020, I joined Vanguard Investments Australia’s Enterprise Risk Management Team.

Upon starting, I was regularly told to “take the opportunity to get to know Vanguard”. I took some time to really appreciate what was being said. Onboarding at Vanguard is more than simply turning up, being shown your seat, receiving a laptop and being told to ‘get on with it’. People are delighted to have you on the team, want to get to know you and help you find your place. From day one, you’re a valued member of the ‘crew’ and with that established, you can take the opportunity to lay the groundwork to build working relationships that are instrumental to your own and the firm’s success. I’d liken it to being welcomed into a family that incorporates Vanguard’s Clients, Community and Crew. It just makes sense.

One thing I wasn’t prepared for were the many challenges that 2020 was going to throw our way. While I’m as anxious as the next person trying to navigate the ‘new normal’, I’ve also been grateful for both the support and opportunities that Vanguard has provided during these times. For example, a little more than a month into my new role, a request came through to assist with our business’s operations dealing with social distancing and unprecedented market turbulence. I answered the call, and while it took me out of my comfort zone, the experience paid-back tenfold as it provided me with real hands-on insight into how Vanguard works.

I completed my LUMA Human-Centered Design practitioner certification, a course that I had commenced within a month of joining Vanguard. Learning new ways of working are now more important than ever and being provided the opportunity to gain and develop such skills, while getting to know my new colleagues was fantastic. It was a great way to introduce myself and learn about the people I’d be working with going forward.

More recently, I’ve stepped into a leadership role, providing me with a chance to manage a team of my risk colleagues. Again, being provided with another opportunity to develop and showcase my skills has been welcomed. My managers and other specialists have been supportive throughout the experience, and I’ve gained an opportunity to learn, influence and deliver upon Vanguard’s mission both here in Australian and abroad.

Presently, like many of my colleagues, I’ve been working remotely at home, away from the office for many months now. The Vanguard family has helped me and everyone else adapt to these necessary changes with a host of resources, including the provision of the latest collaborative technologies, ensuring that that our home office setup is suitable, and regular formal and informal check-ins with crew. Everyone’s looking out for each other and doing the best they can to pull through this period together. It’s during such challenging times that the true character of a firm becomes apparent, and I for one am glad that I’ve joined Vanguard.

– Jason B.

If you’re seeking an environment where you can make a difference and develop professionally, check out our Data & Analytics and Information Technology & Security career opportunities.

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My first Grace Hopper Celebration

August 19, 2020/in Career opportunities, Voyage to Vanguard Technology /by Ferris

My first Grace Hopper Celebration

Before beginning my technology career at Vanguard, I attended my first immersive conference that celebrated women in technology. The Grace Hopper Celebration is a tribute to Grace Hopper, the aptly named ‘Grandmother of Cobol’, for her pioneering work in the computer programming field. She was truly an inspiration to women and scientists for her innovations and contributions.

I was accustomed to attending lectures at the University of Wisconsin where the number of females in the room, even in a class of two-hundred-fifty, could often be counted on two hands. My university had over forty-five-thousand students and computer science was the largest major, of which women made up only 13% of the total. Women were even less represented in my computer engineering courses. I was excited to make valuable connections with women at the conference in Orlando, Florida.

Surprisingly, my first connection happened on my flight in. I sat next to a woman from Australia who was also attending the conference. After talking with her for a while I discovered she had been a software engineer for over ten years! It was a great start. When I arrived, I was surprised to see that the conference was the exact opposite of my college experience. I was in awe of the sheer number of women who filled up the seven-million square foot conference center. The conference had events for everyone including a three-day career fair, keynote speakers, and breakout sessions to learn about specific technologies. During the career fair portion, I met Vanguard and immediately felt the enthusiasm from the women at the table. This ultimately led to me accepting an offer to join the firm.

Here are my key takeaways from the conference:

1. Empowerment from women supporting women
Before attending this event, I couldn’t imagine the concept of more than twenty-thousand like-minded women coming together to celebrate technology. I hadn’t met such a strong support group since my undergraduate studies, when I joined a computer science club for women. I learned a lot from the women I met in those safe and supportive environments. It feels empowering to hear about both the positive and negative experiences of women navigating their own careers in the technology industry.

2. Taking chances can pay off
Talking to a new company can be daunting, especially when walking into a session where unfamiliar people are discussing foreign concepts. It can even be scary to try and get tickets for the Grace Hopper Celebration! Although it can be unnerving, it is important to take chances and learn as much as possible in those busy three days. I have found that some of the most uncomfortable moments I put myself in were rewarded through the people I met and the opportunities I received.

Man and woman looking at laptop screen

3. There is a lot of room to have fun in computer science
It’s called the Grace Hopper Celebration, after all! The three day event was truly festive and left me with a smile across my face the entire time. I was surrounded by friendly people, fun events and exclusive, company-hosted social gatherings. Some of my favorite parts worth noting include eating crepes under a Ferris wheel, testing out virtual reality games, and printing out my Snapchat bitmoji on a tote bag. There are many chances to connect with others and share experiences.

I am proud to work at a company that prioritizes diversity and inclusion in their recruitment strategy. Vanguard’s commitment to maintaining a diverse and competent team of engineers is apparent in the environment I’ve worked in since joining the staff one year ago. Not only are women accepted here, they are given an opportunity to excel and drive others to succeed as well. I have been fortunate to be led and challenged by two female technical managers during my tenure.

Being a visible female role model in the technology field is a very important aspect of my career. I find so much meaning in establishing relationships that empower other young women to pursue the field of their choice. I think it is invaluable to have someone to look up to who was once on the same path that you are paving. Vanguard has really motivated me by giving me the opportunity to serve as a role model to other women in the industry. I am very excited to attend the Grace Hopper Celebration again this year, to represent all the women in Vanguard technology and to meet other talented women, as well.

-Jessica T.

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Accepting a job offer can be a time of excitement, confusion, and anticipation. When you add in an environment of uncertainty, you may be questioning your decision. We spoke with three crew members who recently joined Vanguard and went through the onboarding process. They explain what to expect and how to ease your transition into a new job.

Valerie F. attended our standard Vanguard orientation, but was transitioned to remote work after just two days in the office.

My manager told me, “I need you to be prepared to work at home.” A big aspect that really helped was being able to understand how to get the appropriate technology access needed for me to do my job virtually. I was able to get everything set up on my mobile device and for this reason, I was able to work from home immediately.

A few other items are worth noting. My manager was already prepared for the situation and had everything ready for me. All department resources were available online, which put me at ease. I was also able to network with my team and others, while they showed me the ropes virtually. I can call anyone, anytime on my laptop.

The situation was a little different for Mike M., who was one of the first crew members to go through a new onboarding process. He had originally received the typical new hire information, but instructions changed along with our new ways of working.

About a week after I received my job offer from Vanguard, the global environment changed. I was wondering what the impact would be and whether or not I would still be able to onboard as planned. I continued to receive normal communications and completed all steps in the pre-hire process.

I did, however, participate in a unique onboarding experience, where new crew came onto campus in small groups at designated times, and practiced social distancing throughout their two-hour orientation. We were provided with the equipment and information needed for a virtual set-up, and then returned home.

As a member of the IT department, Mike went through an IT-specific onboarding program the following day—all virtual.

Hiring manager Nima P. also felt that the onboarding experience was seamless.

Vanguard made it easy for me and my peers. Although I was unable to be on campus to welcome my new crew member, I talked to him the day before orientation. I told him once he was set up, to make sure everything worked before leaving campus. The day of, we spoke on the phone once he had all he needed before heading home. It was perfect.

Valerie and Mike feel integrated into their new teams and have been able to work productively from home.

Mike M.: From my experience, with the level of collaboration and inclusion, this new way of working does not appear to be an issue for crew. Vanguard places a real emphasis on ensuring employees feel connected.

Valerie F.: The team I’m working with has been very accommodating. They regularly check in on me. It’s really great. We meet virtually often and look for ways to drive engagement, collaboration and business results. To me, it doesn’t seem virtual because we see each other regularly. It feels normal.

Valerie also had some advice for those who are encountering this new work environment.

Keep actively learning. Broaden your network. Just because we’re virtual doesn’t mean you can’t talk to people on your floor. I had a video conference with someone that sits two desks over from me, and I’m looking forward to meeting him/her in person. To anyone looking to work at Vanguard, the company goes so far to make sure its clients are taken care of, but also does this with their crew. It’s amazing how much work we’ve been able to accomplish. I’ll look back years from now and think that it was pretty amazing.

Since interviewing these individuals, Vanguard has moved to a 100% virtual onboarding model for the foreseeable future.

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Diverse perspectives in Vanguard’s Investment Management Group

In the spirit of celebrating International Women’s Day, we partnered with women across Vanguard’s Investment Management Group (IMG) to hear their #LifeatVanguard stories. In this series, crew and leaders touch on a variety of meaningful topics, including what drew them to Vanguard, resources used for learning, company culture and advice for women looking to join IMG.

Voyage to Vanguard and first impressions

Agnes H.
Senior Portfolio Manager in the Equity Investment Group

I was attracted to Vanguard as one of the largest asset managers in the industry, as well as its mission-based corporate objective. One of the biggest differences that stands out from where I’ve previously worked is the fact that we are owned by our shareholders, so every decision made at Vanguard is based on aligning with the best interest of our clients.[1]

Tracy R.-W.
Global Portfolio Risk Manager in the Fixed Income Group

When I first became a crew member, I was most surprised by the level to which collaboration and team work was both encouraged and valued. People are genuinely helpful and dedicated to delivering the best possible products and services to our clients. We are mission driven. We are client focused. We are a team.

Learning and development

Peilei C.
Investment Risk Manager in the Risk Management Group

I’m always looking to seek out and utilize every possible resource I can. For example, on market and asset class specific topics, I will read the news and academic papers, but I also like to learn from experts such as our credit analysts, portfolio managers, and traders. On risk topics, tools, and models, I like to keep up with new developments via hands-on application, conferences, and seminars. I also enjoy discussions with my fellow colleagues to shares best practices.

Kelly F.
Investment Analyst in the Investment Strategy Group

I’ve been working on building out my machine learning acumen to supplement my more traditional econometric models. I’ve also been increasing my financial acumen through the pursuit of my Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA®) designation, which will help better frame my research questions. Moving into 2020, I want to improve my presentation skills so I can share my ideas with a variety of audiences to get feedback and new ideas to build the best investment solutions.

Living my best

Samantha C.
Regulatory and Policy Risk Lead in the Risk Management Group

A personal passion for me throughout my Vanguard career has been contributing to our corporate inclusion and diversity efforts. I was a member of the core team that developed, piloted, and scaled the Women’s Initiative into Leadership Success: Invest in Yourself (WILS IIY), which is a monthly educational series for women focused on providing an enterprise-wide perspective on core investment topics. It was a special experience for me to participate as a panelist earlier this year during our first global session with the United Kingdom office.

Ashley W.
Investment Analyst in the Fixed Income Group

I plan ahead as much as possible, especially now that I am a part-time grad student. I map out my days, weeks, and months to ensure I have time for everything that’s important to me, including going to the gym, having dinner with friends and family—and rest! It’s essential to prioritize time to recharge as you can’t go the distance on an empty tank.

Career advice

Adrienne B.
Head of U.S. Equity Investment Risk in the Risk Management Group

My advice to individuals starting their careers is to ask a lot of questions and try to learn as much about the company’s business model as possible. No matter what role you’re in and what your level, being able to connect what you do and its significance to the overall success of the business will help you do a better job and align your contributions to the objectives of the company.

Vernita E.
Head of Equity Index-Europe in the Equity Investment Group

For women looking to join the Investment Management Group, a career in trading and investing is not easy, but nothing worth having generally is. A high level of commitment, patience, resilience, and passion is required . . . have more confidence in yourself, you are that good!

CFA® and Chartered Financial Analyst® are registered trademarks owned by CFA Institute.
[1] Vanguard is client-owned. As a client owner, you own the funds that own Vanguard.

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Family comes first

Kristen shares a personal story about how Vanguard allowed her to focus on family during a difficult time. “While my personal life was turned on its head, a new leader was assigned to my team. I was experiencing changes both at Vanguard and in my personal life. My first one-on-one was conducted through video conference from my parent’s house. It was during that conversation I finally said the words out loud…my mom had cancer. Not knowing how my new leader would respond, I waited. He took a moment and said, “Family comes first,” a concept I heard Vanguard was known for but never experienced firsthand.”

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Charting my own course at Vanguard

I’ve always believed that in order to grow, you must first step outside of your comfort zone. So, in 2015 I decided to take a leap of faith. I had graduated from college in 2013 with an undergraduate degree in Marketing and was working in Media and Advertising Sales. Honestly, I loved it. But, I reached a critical point in my professional career where I felt ready to advance.

I had a decision to make. I could either stay put and hope a promotion opportunity arose in the next 2 years—Or I could take a step back and transition to another company with vast opportunities for advancement and growth.

Somehow, I moved from a career in Media and Advertising Sales to Financial Services. I started my Vanguard journey in Retail Services as a Client Relationship Associate in October 2015, where I spent time servicing our direct Retail investors and learning the ‘ins and outs’ of Vanguard and the financial services industry. Once I was comfortable with my role, I started branching out and seeking opportunities to network and explore career paths. I started saving job postings that interested me and taking note of hiring managers who I wanted to meet. I found this was a great way to demonstrate genuine interest and learn more about the various departments across the organization.

After 10 months as a Client Relationship Associate I moved over to Select Services where I piloted a 3-month internal internship program. The program was an opportunity for Client Relationship Associates to further develop their relationship management skills and expand their investment and business acumen. Furthermore, the internship program established a talent pipeline within Retail Services to facilitate career mobility. After successfully completing my internship, I was hired as a full-time Select Services Investment Professional. In this role I gained exposure to high-net-worth clients and deepened client relationships by pairing investors with Vanguard financial advisors and assisting with asset consolidation. Outside of my normal daily responsibilities, I had opportunities to represent the department and host several “sit-withs” and overviews with senior leaders from across Vanguard who were looking to gain insight into Select’s business model. This was a great opportunity to positively affect change and have an impact on future business decisions. I used these opportunities to showcase my skills and provide meaningful, real-time feedback on daily operations.

Upon joining Select Services, my team leader took a proactive approach in aligning my skill set and career aspirations with department initiatives, such as joining a communication council for our Retail Investor Group. The council’s goal is to maintain an open line of communication amongst client-facing crew, Marketing Managers, and User Experience Designers to ensure Vanguard is providing the best-in-class digital client experience. This was a fulfilling experience because I was viewed as a subject matter expert and I felt that my opinion mattered.

What’s next? At this point, I’ve been at Vanguard for about 2 years and already held two full-time positions and an internship, built a network, and had opportunities to provide value to the business.

Currently, I work as a Senior Relationship Analyst in Retirement Plan Client Services. In this capacity I am now supporting Relationship Managers and helping Vanguard to deepen relationships with our Institutional clients. Learning an entirely different business is challenging, but my Retail acumen and my skill set from my previous career allows me to add value in a unique way.

In short, that “leap” turned out to be a great investment.

-Glover C.

If you’re seeking an environment where you can make a difference and develop professionally, check out our career opportunities at www.vanguardjobs.com.

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Meeting Vanguard at the Grace Hopper conference

September 25, 2019/in Career opportunities, Voyage to Vanguard c2c, call, conference, flight, grace, grace hopper, grace hopper conference, hopper, hopper conference, included, internship, phone, school, september, summer, team, team unicorn, vanguard, warm, work /by fdoerr

Meeting Vanguard at the Grace Hopper conference

It was a Monday evening, unbearably warm and sticky, as Philadelphia tends to be in September. I was at field hockey practice and, coincidently, received a call just as I was checking my phone during a water break. It was the call I had been waiting for: I GOT IT. I got the Vanguard College to Corporate (C2C) IT internship.

The C2C IT Internship checked all of my boxes: mentoring, cutting-edge tech, AND close to home. But it was only September; the summer had just ended, and next summer seemed so far away. The Grace Hopper Conference for Women in Computing was approaching and I had been instructed by faculty at my school, “don’t accept ANY internship offers until after the conference.”

The day that the conference finally came, I woke up very early. My solo journey included a flight delay, gate change, lengthy taxi ride, and an even lengthier trek, in not so comfy shoes, from the lobby of my hotel across the skywalk and through the Orange County Convention Center. I decided my first stop would be the Vanguard booth. After some wandering up and down the long aisles of the massive room, I found it. I spotted Lynn C., a Vanguard rep from my interview day, who greeted me with a big smile and a warm hug. Believe me, I really needed that hug. She asked me my t-shirt size and showed me all the new “swag” they had gotten for the conference. I stood around chatting with crew in Vanguard’s Technology Leadership Program about my flight and where I was staying. They invited me to dinner the following night before I went on my own to explore.

Many of the other companies at the conference had displays that were massive and showy. I waited in a few lines, padfolio in hand filled with fresh print outs of my resume. I fielded questions about Java classes and my previous internship, and along the way collected some rather over-the-top giveaways. By late afternoon, my mind was made up. I had already attended numerous talks by Vanguard representatives at my school, in addition to two Explore IT Days at their headquarters. I had spoken with multiple recruiters on the phone, and spent the day on campus interviewing. I knew the company’s core purpose, and I knew about their strong emphasis on crew. But hearing about it and feeling it are two completely different things. At many of the other companies I felt like a number holding a list of my accomplishments and capabilities. But Vanguard cared about me, a person. After only a few hours at the conference, I accepted my offer with Vanguard.

I spent my summer internship in Vanguard’s Personal Advisor Services. When I met my manager, Judy, she told me I would be a part of Team Unicorn. She assured me that I would come to understand the name after getting to know its members and seeing their work ethic. Lucky for me, I was included in their project and was able to participate in daily ideation, planning, and working sessions. Right away I found myself writing code that will soon go into production, and participated in a biweekly book club and in the teams monthly “game day” during lunch. A mantra of Team Unicorn is “work hard, play hard,” as each team member places high value on maintaining positive interactions with each other. Now that I had my internship, with work that was engaging and a friendly, supportive team, I feel so strongly that I made the right decision at the Grace Hopper Conference last year.

-Stephanie M.

If you enjoyed this post and want to learn more, visit us at this year’s Grace Hopper Conference! And if you’re ready for a more rewarding, engaging, meaningful career, search our opportunities at www.vanguardjobs.com.

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National Intern Day – Recognizing our 2019 summer Vanguard interns

To celebrate National Intern Day, we wanted to recognize some of the interns who have been participating in our College to Corporate (C2C) and MBA Internship Programs. Students from across the country joined us in our Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Arizona offices for an immersive 10 week program. During this time, they became part of a Vanguard team and supported projects and initiatives throughout the company. We asked interns from programs across the business to share what they’ve worked on and what they have taken away from this experience.

Arizona Intern Expo

C2C Advice – Allison F. (AZ)
My internship with Vanguard has been filled with research projects, financial advisor role plays, exploration of the company, hours of advisor shadowing, and asking about a million questions! As I’ve worked to use my time at Vanguard to the fullest, I’ve come to value curiosity more than I would have ever expected. My curiosity has driven me to connect with people and resources at Vanguard to learn more about opportunities to contribute as a fiduciary within the financial planning industry and to develop new skills such as client relationship management, market knowledge, and behavioral coaching. This connection to new knowledge and fresh perspectives has been energizing and extremely rewarding, and has opened my mind to lessons I won’t soon forget.

C2C Business – Brianna M. (AZ)
My experience in the C2C Business Internship has given me the incredible chance to develop myself personally and professionally, in an environment where I was able to take risks, challenge myself, and receive regular feedback.

The projects I worked on over the summer were focused on using Visual Management—digital, physical, and interactive—to create transparency for crew around what is taking place in the Senior Manager and Manager meetings. These projects challenged me to create visual content that aligns to Vanguard’s brand and understand what information is most important to crew. I was able to leverage my marketing background to add an outside perspective and successfully create a sustainable framework for the department. This experience gave me the chance to manage several projects, network effectively and create numerous relationships, and develop leadership skills.

I am extremely grateful to have been an intern at Vanguard. It was very easy to immerse myself into the culture here, largely because of the willingness of the many individuals I interacted with, to assist in giving me the best chance for success.

Pennsylvania Corporate Challenge

C2C Corporate Finance and Accounting – Sarah C. (PA)
I am thankful I had the opportunity to intern with the Global Investment Data Management (GIDM) team on the Equity Trading Floor this summer. I was tasked with designing a new role to combine some of the GIDM Index and Reference teams’ tasks to increase efficiency, broaden investment acumen, and free up time to improve the ways that GIDM provides security and index data to the Equity Index Group. Even in ten short weeks here, I have grown professionally and personally. I developed meaningful relationships, learned and implemented project management best practices, and deepened my knowledge of the systems that ensure accurate and timely data for stakeholders. I have made this summer count by remaining open-minded and self-reflective. The approachability of leaders and the focus on development is genuine at Vanguard, which has encouraged me to truly make the most of every experience this summer.

C2C Investment Management – Tom Z. (PA)
This summer I was placed within Vanguard’s Investment Risk team covering the Quantitative Equity Group. Working with my manager, we have managed to strike what I think is the perfect balance of learning new, intellectually challenging things while also helping solve real-world business problems. In this sense, I have made my time at Vanguard count for both my personal development and the betterment of my team. Going from minimal knowledge about quantitative equity risk management to completing and presenting projects that involve creating frameworks for advanced risk analytics (used in regular meetings, ad-hoc analysis, and presentations to the CIO) has been a truly rewarding experience. These projects have not only helped me develop my technical skills in finance, math, and programming, but have also refined my ability to effectively communicate my project concepts, challenges, and ideas. Overall, my experience at Vanguard has offered me an engaging workplace where I can form terrific professional relationships to help hone and apply the skills I learn.

MBA Internship – Nancy M. (PA)
I have spent my summer working with the International Americas team on developing a competitive intelligence framework for the region. I had the opportunity to learn about various North and South American markets and the complexities Vanguard faces in those countries. Coming from a non-finance background, I valued the opportunity to learn about the asset management industry and gain an international perspective of the company. The MBA Leadership Development Internship Program provided access to senior leadership to ask questions about Vanguard’s strategic priorities and crew member development. I’m happy to come out of my internship experience with a better understanding of how Vanguard is able to play a leading role in global finance and how much they value everyone’s voice.

North Carolina Classroom Central

C2C IT – Abby H. (NC)
This summer, I have been on the Mighty dUX team, which is part of the Enterprise Advice pillar. Our team is working to build a batch application that can check a client’s investment portfolio daily and rebalance them as necessary to best help clients meet their investment goals. I joined dUX right before its first major milestone in development, which meant that I had a very short learning period before I began working on issues vital to the team. This helped me develop my ability to think on my feet and be flexible and adaptable. I learned to take on big challenges and to collaborate with my teammates to quickly and efficiently find solutions to problems as they arose. I enjoyed my internship so much this summer that I applied for a full-time position and will join the 2019 TLP Cadre this fall, so I truly believe that I made it count!

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Serving families who have served for us

I left the military three years ago, nine years after taking my first Oath of Office. Transitioning from serving in an organization that was so core to my identity turned out to be no small task. Over the next two years in business school, I often wondered if I would be able to find that sense of service in my future workplace. When I came to Vanguard after graduation, I quickly found my answer.

VetsConnect Joins Forces with ACP
Shortly after coming aboard, I was asked if I would be interested in working to stand up a new partnership with American Corporate Partners (ACP), a nonprofit aimed at pairing corporate leaders with veterans transitioning to the private sector. The goal of the partnership was to respond to the broader desire of the Vanguard community to more visibly support our nation’s veterans. The VetsConnect / ACP partnership would act as a gateway to connect Vanguard Crew with service members outside the organization.
I had familiarity with ACP, as I had taken part as a protégé (mentee) myself during my transition out of the military. This opportunity would now allow me the chance to give back on the corporate side of the relationship. Needless to say, I was ecstatic.

Crew Respond in a Big Way
Our first priority was to create a community of corporate mentors here at Vanguard. Initially, we were hoping to identify a total of fifty crew members who would like to take part. Within the first day of sign ups we had exceeded our initial goal, and by the end of the week we had more than 90 mentors involved. In fact, after benchmarking against other corporate sign up rates, Vanguard crew were 23x more likely to sign up to mentor a veteran. This tremendous response was an incredible testament to the authenticity of the culture, and I was able to witness firsthand something I had heard a lot about as a new hire: Vanguard’s commitment to mission and willingness to give back.

White House Military Spouses Summit
Several months later, ACP was invited to attend a Military Spouses Summit at the White House. Representing Vanguard, I traveled to Washington DC along with representatives from 45 other businesses to discuss the unique employment challenges that military spouses face. At present, there are more than 600,000 military spouses and 16% (4x the national average) are unemployed. They face a myriad of unique challenges, including a lack of license and certification transferability across state lines and fragmented resumes due to constant relocation and deployments. Our goal was to ask how corporations and non-profits could help. How can we do more? What opportunities exist? The chance to work with corporate partners to address (and continue addressing) these questions is an extremely rewarding experience. For me, it represents an evolution of my desire to serve, aided by the mission and crew of Vanguard. Although I no longer serve on active duty, I’m extremely proud to say that I work at Vanguard, where we serve families who have served for us.

– Bill F.

ACP: https://www.acp-usa.org/

Additional testimonials from ACP protégé’s and Vanguard mentors

“The program helps our organization as it helps veterans – win/win. The matching of protégé to mentor is quite good and the seamless accountability is a big plus!”

“I think the connection is great. I wish I had the same kind of opportunity when I departed active duty back in 2011 and could have skipped some of my early mistakes in my civilian career. You don’t know what you don’t know and it’s easy for veterans just to take the path of least resistance without being challenged by someone who is already there.”

If you’re seeking an environment where you can make a difference and develop professionally, check out our opportunities at www.vanguardjobs.com.

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A conversation with Chief Information Officer, John Marcante

June 26, 2019/in Advice from crew, Day in the Life, Our mission, Voyage to Vanguard career, information, vanguard /by manjunath

A conversation with Chief Information Officer, John Marcante

In this video feature, Vanguard Chief Information Officer, John Marcante, and IT Delivery Manager, Kelly Rumbaugh, sit down for a conversation to discuss their journeys to Vanguard, what excites them about innovative technologies as well as advice for individuals interested in pursuing a career in the industry.