Tag Archive for: technology
My passion for IT and my love for tackling problems drives me to work at solving the gender gap in the IT industry. When I came to the U.S. in 2006 after living in India for most of my life, I was surprised by how few women pursued careers in technology compared to the women in India. In my research, two things stood out: 1) Young girls shy away from tech and 2) women who took a break from their IT career found it difficult to return to work as they were turned away by many organizations.
At Vanguard, I found the perfect platform to tackle these challenges. As a member of the IT Women’s Initiative for Leadership Success (WILS) crew resource group, I helped organize in-person workshops in partnership with TechGirlz. TechGirlz is a nonprofit program to encourage middle-school girls to consider technology fields by exposing them to fun workshops. I also conceptualized and executed a new talent attraction program at Vanguard called Re-booters. Re-booters is an application engineer return-to-work program to refresh women’s tech skills and provide them with an opportunity to re-enter the workforce.
Vanguard’s commitment to invest in their employees and create an inclusive culture aligns with one of my guiding principles to help others grow and to solve problems. The leaders at Vanguard ensure that every voice is heard, every passion is supported, and no idea is considered small. Vanguard has not only equipped me with the tools to get to the bottom of problems but also empowered me to pursue my passions to address issues that can make a difference in someone’s life.
-Madhu M.
Interested in Technology at Vanguard?
Hear directly from our tech crew here, and be sure to check out these opportunities.
My passion for IT and my love for tackling problems drives me to work at solving the gender gap in the IT industry. When I came to the U.S. in 2006 after living in India for most of my life, I was surprised by how few women pursued careers in technology compared to the women in India. In my research, two things stood out: 1) Young girls shy away from tech and 2) women who took a break from their IT career found it difficult to return to work as they were turned away by many organizations.
At Vanguard, I found the perfect platform to tackle these challenges. As a member of the IT Women’s Initiative for Leadership Success (WILS) crew resource group, I helped organize in-person workshops in partnership with TechGirlz. TechGirlz is a nonprofit program to encourage middle-school girls to consider technology fields by exposing them to fun workshops. I also conceptualized and executed a new talent attraction program at Vanguard called Re-booters. Re-booters is an application engineer return-to-work program to refresh women’s tech skills and provide them with an opportunity to re-enter the workforce.
Vanguard’s commitment to invest in their employees and create an inclusive culture aligns with one of my guiding principles to help others grow and to solve problems. The leaders at Vanguard ensure that every voice is heard, every passion is supported, and no idea is considered small. Vanguard has not only equipped me with the tools to get to the bottom of problems but also empowered me to pursue my passions to address issues that can make a difference in someone’s life.
-Madhu M.
Interested in Technology at Vanguard?
Hear directly from our tech crew here, and be sure to check out these opportunities.
“Code is art,” a mentor once told me. Software engineering gives you immense creative freedom. And at Vanguard, teams have autonomy to choose how they want to build their systems and applications – from languages like Java, Typescript, and Python, to AWS Cloud features such as SageMaker, Aurora, and Lambda. You design, architect, and build infrastructure tailored to solve your problem. You fine tune the technologies with your code and make use of the conveniences and features. It’s impossible to be bored! As a senior application engineer, my enthusiasm stems from the capable and contemporary technology we use to deliver solutions for our business, which translates to value for our clients. A culture of engineering Engineering culture on a diverse team, like ours, brings great collaboration and new ways of overcoming challenges. We work in a high-energy environment with some of the aspects of a lean startup. Vanguard empowers engineers with the flexibility to pursue solutions while learning and experimenting at the same time. We’re also encouraged to explore internal tech opportunities, so you can rotate into the roles that interest you most. Working in the cloud Vanguard is modernizing legacy technology, migrating many applications to the public cloud. Particularly interesting are some of the AWS features used by my team, such as S3, SNS, SQS, Lambda, Step Functions, DynamoDB, ECS, Cloudformation, and Cloudwatch. Data encryption and security play major roles. Additionally, we design with high availability and disaster recovery in mind. You gain a sense of how meaningful the modernization goals are when an application can be retired, and the replacement performs better at a lower cost. So, at Vanguard, “code is art” is a reality. When I started working at Vanguard as a junior developer, I had no experience with many of the technologies which were being used for the project I joined. I felt a little intimidated. However, the other developers and technical lead on my team got me up-to-speed and set me up for success. From my earliest days to today, my motivation to learn and navigate Vanguard’s vast technological landscape continues to fuel my passion. Vanguard strives to be the best place to work in IT – and you can feel it. -Scott M.
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:
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.
My career journey at Vanguard
To start out, I have two pieces of advice for anyone reading this blog: 1) Take risks in your career – this means doing what may feel uncomfortable at times; and 2) Re-invest in and re-invent your skills multiple times throughout your career journey. You’ll see that throughout my career at Vanguard, I’ve been fortunate to have had various assignments and rotations across multiple departments and divisions. Taking risks and investing in my development has helped me become the business leader that I am today.
While growing up, I was always fascinated by the way things work, and I decided to pursue my undergrad in Engineering. When I launched my career at Vanguard in 2000, I started as part of the firm’s Technology Leadership Program (TLP), where I completed several rotations in IT that led to people leadership and program management opportunities. I also spent time in Vanguard’s Strategy, Product, Marketing, and Communications (SPMC) division, and the Investment Management division. In 2018, I joined the Global Risk & Security (GR&S) division as the Head of Risk for Europe in London, which my family and I thoroughly enjoyed, until I returned to the US to oversee the Global Investment Risk Management Group.
In 2021, I was asked to the take over the CISO (Chief Information Security Officer) role and head up our Enterprise Security and Fraud (ES&F) subdivision within GR&S. The CISO role has been the most exciting and rewarding role within my career thus far. In ES&F, we have the responsibility of protecting the data and assets of our over 30 million clients. Our clients place their trust in Vanguard and expect us to safeguard their dreams for the future – like saving for retirement or their children’s or grandchildren’s education or down payment on a house. And what drives our success are the over 900 incredibly talented and dedicated individuals that are passionate about protecting the enterprise and our clients day in and day out.
Vanguard’s new presence in Dallas
We are so excited to be expanding our Enterprise Security and Fraud team’s presence within GR&S to Dallas. We know that Dallas is a hub with high growth and core strategic talent; this brings a great opportunity to create a team with new people and opportunities for career development. We will be hiring critical roles in Identity and Access Management, Cyber Security Operations, Global Security and Fraud, Global Enterprise Security and Security Architecture & Engineering.
Why Global Risk and Security?
We in GR&S are the trusted advisors that protect the pride of Vanguard. We are the best in-class security and fraud organization protecting our investors by staying ahead of evolving threats. We encompass a group of highly engaged, passionate, and diverse talent who are expected to continuously learn and develop in an ever-changing security landscape. Our crew are our greatest resource – by joining our team, you will build collaborative, long-term relationships and enjoy a suite of benefits that includes comprehensive health and wellness care, work-life balance, and an investment in your future at its core.
Click here to view our Global Risk and Security opportunities in Dallas!
“Every crew member is in a different place when it comes to their needs, wants, and thoughts on how their employer should support them from a benefits perspective. To navigate these differences, we think through our crew members’ own journeys on an individual level to truly understand how they experience our benefits program, which helps us identify where we might – or might not – be meeting their needs today.” -Amy W., Benefits Manager
Benefits and Well-Being
Healthcare
Financial
Wellbeing/Lifestyle
“Helping our diverse crew members thrive means that our benefits strategy needs to be an evolution to meet changing needs and preferences. The program is built on a strong foundation of core benefits like health care, time off and retirement, but also includes many other value-based benefits like education assistance, enhanced mental health support, and solutions to aid caregivers. Our intention is to ensure each program aligns to one of our guiding principles – whether it’s offering a specific digital tool to improve user experience, or simply because it’s the right thing to do for our crew. Crew feedback is an important part of this process as it helps us shape our benefits program, now and into the future.” -Amy W., Benefits Manager
Your identity plays a significant role in how you lead. Recognizing and acknowledging your cultural background within your identity shapes your leadership style. Embracing the fact that there are celebrated business leaders from every culture, we can internalize and appreciate there isn’t only one way to be successful. This is the first step to accepting and evolving your personal gifts as a leader. For example, as an Asian female raised by traditional Taiwanese parents, I honed the skill of compromise early in life. Growing up in the U.S., I had many opportunities to practice finding common ground between Eastern values emphasizing collectivism and Western values emphasizing individualism. I am wired to hold and optimize opposing concepts in the same space. As a business leader, I have used this skill time and again to solve seemingly intractable problems with multiple stakeholders. One of the most important practices in leadership is self-reflection. Through the self-reflection process, you find out all about yourself – the good and the bad. If you don’t accept all you are, you can’t use all you have. There are many aspects of yourself that are there for you to bring to everything you do. Your cultural background is an integral part of who you are. Self-reflection opens the door to discover places you may have overlooked in yourself. This helps you to love your uniqueness. There is, after all, no one like you. You have a perspective that only you can offer and contribute to others. As leaders, we need to look for opportunities to leverage our identity in whatever we do for our business. It could be as simple as tapping into our personal and professional networks to source diverse clients. Who we are is who we know, and that’s powerful. When we combine our individual networks, we cover a lot of people! For example, Vanguard’s Leadership and Engagement for Asian Professionals (LEAP) Crew Resource Group partnered with ASCEND (a US- based, nationwide Asian professional organization) to co-produce an informative webinar featuring two of our own leaders on investing in these uncertain times. Organizations like this help to expand our network and reach new clients. Our cultural identity is a wonderful tool to further business goals. As managers, we are charged with creating the right environment and equipping our team to drive business results. It is corporate culture that creates those outcomes. Research proves there are better solutions and more creative, collaborative results when you have a diverse group of people. Bringing our identity to the table is not only the right thing to do, it is also an appreciated one that is good for business. Our clients care about the culture in the corporations they are affiliated with. In my role leading a team of investment consultants who advise our Institutional pension clients, I not only represent, but also discuss our corporate diversity and inclusion efforts. Embracing your cultural background is not just letting people know who you are, it also includes finding out who they are and how you can work best together. It’s often easy to hide your true self, creating an artificial line of demarcation between work and personal. Too often your personal identity is not accepted as part of your business identity. Getting to know others can allow you to see more of who you are. Being vulnerable and open to sharing your personal story and inviting others to share theirs becomes a powerful and expansive give and take. Leaders should tell their story, as well as listen to the stories of others. There are plenty of appropriate avenues through informal conversations, blogs, and social events, whether virtual or in person. Just remember that while listening, you should be willing to really hear what the other person is saying. A good tool for understanding your leadership style and learning about those of others is the Deloitte Business Chemistry types. Like Myers Briggs, it talks about different characteristics within four primary categories: Driver, Pioneer, Integrator, and Guardian. This tool provides greater insight into your style, and also helps us understand the behavior of those with different styles. Remember that whether you’re conscious of it or not, all parts of you, including your culture, show up in all you do. For example, I am a Pioneer and an Integrator. This makes a lot of sense to me. Being part of an immigrant generation is a crucial part of my identity. When my family came to this country, we had nothing and had to pioneer new ways to do things. As a middle child, I was always keeping the peace, trying to integrate everyone and find compromise. The person I have become because of my background and culture is reflected in my business dealings. Today, my leadership sponsors the Open Architecture effort, connecting investment professionals and information technology. In addition, I find innovative ways to craft win-win pricing proposals for clients and Vanguard, and I bring a differentiated perspective to building our pension advisory business. Throughout my career, I have found adaptation to be an evolutionary necessity, but rejecting who you are in the process is a mistake. My cultural heritage and personal background are strengths that I leverage daily. -Jean L. Jean is a co-lead of LEAP and a Principal and Department Head in Institutional Advisory Services, where she leads a team of investment professionals. She embraced and manifested her own cultural differences to rise through the Investment Management Group Division leading teams in the Fixed Income Group, Risk Management Group, and Global Investors Shared Services. Jean has been an active member of LEAP since its inception – as co-lead for the Leadership and Professional Development sub-team, sponsor of all three LEAP Leadership conferences, and an active member of the Advisory Board.
I graduated from Stevens Institute of Technology in 2002 with a Computer Engineering degree. The Institute was very close to Wall Street, and upon graduation, many of my classmates received offers from top Wall Street firms and investment banks. I too fell into the allure of working on Wall Street. I received a few offers from some of the top firms in New York—and I also received one from Vanguard, who was making it a priority to recruit from my school at the time. However, this was when the dot-com bubble burst and most of the Wall Street firms rescinded their offers for all of my classmates including me. Vanguard was the only firm that honored their commitment and did not rescind their offer. I am thankful to this day. At Vanguard, I have the opportunity to do what I always dreamt of doing and much, much more at a firm where doing right by clients and crew is the guiding principle. I joined Vanguard as a software engineer and never looked back. At the time, all I wanted to do was to apply what I had learned in school to real life problems, but didn’t have much thought about where I applied them. As time went on, I realized how fortunate I was to be at Vanguard, whose main mission was to help people all over the world reach their financial dreams. Knowing you’re doing well for others is incredibly rewarding. I got the best of both worlds: I could apply my passion in technology and apply it at a company whose mission is to lift people up. I also got to work on our trading systems, sales systems, mobility (iOS) systems, customer relationship management systems and so on, all while learning about and applying analytics to everything we did.
From a career perspective, Vanguard invested in my professional development. Today, I’m the Head of AI & Machine Learning for Enterprise Advice. focused on artificial intelligence and data science. About 7 years ago, with the advent of big data technology and infrastructure, I started to focus on advanced analytics and data science exclusively. I saw an opportunity to use data science and artificial intelligence to provide better, more personalized, and smarter services to our investors.
Vanguard now wants to do for financial advice what we did for Exchange Traded Funds and mutual funds: make top notch, holistic advice accessible to anyone who needs it at an incredibly low price. That’s where my team comes in. I now help lead our advanced analytics and artificial intelligence team for Vanguard’s advice program. My department is comprised of data engineers, data scientists and artificial intelligence and machine learning scientists who collaborate closely with our investment experts and economists. And they come from diverse educational backgrounds—some have computer science or engineering backgrounds, while others studied physics or statistics.
In order to create highly personalized advice experiences, we seek to incorporate behavioral economics to better personalize the advice needed. To that end we are utilizing artificial intelligence and other data science techniques on a variety of financial advice projects. Our goal is to create experiences and services that will help more people than ever before reach their financial goals. My team is directly empowering Vanguard’s mission and I personally feel inspired every day to come to work. Being able to learn about cutting edge technology in artificial intelligence and data science and use it to help as many people as possible is extremely rewarding.
Investing is complex, and sometimes, it’s a challenge for people to know how to make wise investment and financial decisions. Vanguard is committed to giving investors all over the world a fair shake, and is investing in services—such as advice—to do so. I am passionate about trail blazing artificial intelligence and machine learning at Vanguard, which is enabling us to fulfill our mission and help millions of people all over the world reach financial independence.
Now, who will join us on this noble mission?
-Amir A.
To view opportunities available on Amir’s team, please click here.
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.
Sharon is an IT recruiter with 10+ years of experience recruiting talent for a vast array of IT positions, including Developers, Project Managers, AI/ML Engineers, Architects, Technical Leads, and Systems Administrators. In this blog, she shares tips on how to standout in an interview and make a lasting, positive impression.
1. Research the company using more than just their career site. Utilize career search sites such as The Muse and LinkedIn to read blogs, watch employee videos, and get up-to-date on company news. This will convey to your recruiter that you are interested and have done your homework. It can also help you determine if the company is really a fit and can help ideate questions for your interview.
2. Develop a strong LinkedIn profile. Connect with others in the industry, and find employees that work on the team you are targeting. Research has found that up to 97% of recruiters and employers use LinkedIn to discover talent. LinkedIn is also the ultimate personal branding tool.
3. If you have a technology listed on your resume be ready to discuss your experience. Recruiters want to hear examples that show you are proficient and meet the requirements of the role.
4. Provide a portfolio and relevant certifications. This will give a clear illustration of your experience and quality of work.
5. Display your enthusiasm and passion for the role. We are interviewing multiple individuals, often with similar experience and skills, and we want to hire someone who truly wants to bring value.
6. Maintain professionalism and be confident. Avoid filler words such as “um”, “like”, “kind of”, and “you know”. For in-person interviews, make a great first impression with neat attire and offer a strong handshake to everyone you meet. Keep electronics off and tucked away.
7. Send a thank you note to those involved in your interview process. An email is nice, but a hand written note goes a long way! Ask the coordinator for contact information or the manager at the end of the interview.
8. Keep in mind the interview starts the moment you enter the building and doesn’t end until you leave. You never know who you will encounter in the elevator or lobby.
More careers blogs you may have missed
Meeting Vanguard at the Grace Hopper conference
Learn how Stephanie made her decision to accept an internship offer after spending time with Vanguard at the Grace Hopper Conference.
A different kind of investment
In this blog, IT developer Elijah A. writes about how Vanguard has invested in his professional development.
Inclusion – It’s More Than a Policy
Hear from crew about their thoughts on LGBTQ+ inclusion at Vanguard, and learn about the Human Rights Campaign’s (HRC) Corporate Equality Index—and how we stacked up.
How Vanguard Became My Home Away From Home
IT crew member Dan K. reflects on his nine years at Vanguard and the advice he picked up from his leaders along the way.
Solving Problems and Innovating through Data Science
Driven by Vanguard’s mission, crew member Amir shares his career journey through technology and data science in this careers blog.