Lead Data Scientist - Investment Management Fintech Strategies (IMFS)

Lead Data Scientist - Investment Management Fintech Strategies (IMFS) Investment Management Fintech Strategies (IMFS) is a global team headquartered in Malvern, Pennsylvania. We partner with investment teams to explore and apply new technologies that can improve investment performance, strengthen decision-making, and help capital markets work better for Vanguard's investors.

Our work spans advanced analytics and AI/ML, new data sources, market structure and liquidity research, and building scalable platforms and tools that move from experimentation into production.

Responsibilities: Own end-to-end research using large-scale historical data: form hypotheses, run analyses, develop models, and translate results into insights that can improve portfolio construction and trading decisions. Identify and solve market-impact problems across microstructure, fund flows, and liquidity dynamics-surfacing risks and opportunities tied to execution quality and market impact.

Design and lead the evolution of core research tooling, including the back-testing framework and signal libraries, to enable repeatable, high-quality experimentation. Apply AI/ML thoughtfully in financial markets, staying current on emerging techniques and evaluating what is practical, robust, and scalable in real-world market environments.

Raise the bar on engineering quality by mentoring quant strategists and data scientists on production-grade code, data pipelines, and research-to-production best practices. Partner with technology to integrate models into production systems, monitor live performance, and iterate based on market feedback and measured outcomes.

Represent Vanguard externally by contributing to industry discussions and thought leadership in areas relevant to AI/ML, systematic research, trading, and market structure.

Qualifications: 5+ years leading or driving advanced data science work, including back-testing, simulation, and statistical modeling in complex problem spaces. Master's or PhD in machine learning, data science, financial engineering, computer science, or related quantitative discipline. Strong end-to-end data science capability: problem framing → research design → modeling → validation → deployment partnership.

Proficiency in Python and common ML libraries; experience collaborating with data engineering and bringing models into production. Demonstrated ability to apply AI/ML to solve complex technical problems through collaboration, creativity, and disciplined research. Comfortable partnering with senior leaders-communicating tradeoffs, impact, and value in a clear, decision-oriented way.

Special Factors Sponsorship Vanguard is not offering visa sponsorship for this position. About Vanguard At Vanguard, we don't just have a mission-we're on a mission. To work for the long-term financial wellbeing of our clients.

To lead through product and services that transform our clients' lives. To learn and develop our skills as individuals and as a team. From Malvern to Melbourne, our mission drives us forward and inspires us to be our best.

How We Work Vanguard has implemented a hybrid working model for the majority of our crew members, designed to capture the benefits of enhanced flexibility while enabling in-person learning, collaboration, and connection. We believe our mission-driven and highly collaborative culture is a critical enabler to support long-term client outcomes and enrich the employee experience.

Vanguard, one of the world's leading investment management companies, serves individual investors, institutions, employer-sponsored retirement plans, and financial professionals. We have a diverse and talented crew with a culture that promotes teamwork, along with an unwavering focus on serving our clients' best interests.

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