Application Engineering Technical Lead - II (AI)

Build the technology changing the world — and change the future of financial advice.

Come lead Vanguard into the new frontier — and build our clients' future with us.

Vanguard's mission is to give every investor the best chance for investment success. Advice is the most direct expression of that mission — the moment where our purpose meets a client's real life, real goals, and real decisions. 

Client Assist - Vanguard's first AI advisor is how we scale that promise to every client we serve. What we build now will define how we connect with our clients - how Vanguard grows and becomes synonymous with Advice.

Come work with us to build the AI Platform of the future and work with: 

AWS Bedrock for model inference
LangGraph for agentic orchestration
Gemini in the multi-model mix
RAG + agent memory so Client Assist learns and grows with every client
MCP (Model Context Protocol) unlocking tools, data, and actions
Arize + Evals so we ship with confidence and measure what matters
Novel interaction patterns reimagining how humans and AI collaborate

You must be hands on - you must always be learning - and you must be willing to lead at the frontier.

Primarily used technical skills:

Node

Typescript

Python

AWS

Bedrock

Core Responsibilities

• Provides expert level IT technical lead services and direction for critical software, middleware, or hardware projects on multiple platforms. Provides technical expertise and completes complex development, design, implementation, architecture design specification, and maintenance activities.
• Ensures the viability of IT deliverables. Recommends development options and approves the team's technical deliverables. Conducts testing, including functionality, technical limitations, and security.
• Identifies potential solutions and approves technical solutions proposed by team members. Elevates complex technical issues to IT experts. Resolves technical problems discovered by testers and internal clients. . Responds to and resolves technical issues in a timely manner. Research issues and performs root cause analysis. Anticipates technology problems and prevents them.
• Communicates with key stakeholders on project issues and implications. Evaluates the impacts of change requests on technologies and effectively persuades and influences others on ideas.
• Maintains a current and working knowledge of IT development methodology, architecture design, and technical standards. Mentors IT staff and identifies training needs. As new standards are instituted, ensures their usage by team members.
• Reviews and approves documentation and diagrams created by IT team members. Writes documentation, including technical standards and processes.
• Identifies opportunities for continuous quality improvement of technical standards, methodologies, and technologies.
• Participates in design, code, and test inspections throughout product life cycle to identify issues. Participates as a technical consultant at other project meetings. Presents technical status and issues at milestone reviews.
• Thoroughly understands and complies with Information Technology and Information Security policies and procedures, and verifies that deliverables meet requirements.
• Participates in special projects and performs other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Minimum of eight years related work experience, with at least three years of development experience.
• Undergraduate degree or equivalent combination of training and experience. Graduate degree preferred.

Special Factors

Sponsorship

About Vanguard

At Vanguard, we don't just have a mission—we're on a mission.

To work for the long-term financial wellbeing of our clients. To lead through product and services that transform our clients' lives. To learn and develop our skills as individuals and as a team. From Malvern to Melbourne, our mission drives us forward and inspires us to be our best.

How We Work

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