Senior Director, Global Financial Crimes Compliance Governance, Strategy and Change Transformation

Vanguard is seeking a senior leader to manage the Global Financial Crimes Compliance (GFCC) Governance, Strategy and Change Transformation team. Reporting to the AML/BSA Officer and Global Head of Financial Crimes, this role translates the GFCC strategy and Target Operating Model into disciplined, measurable execution across AML, Fraud, Sanctions, Anti-Bribery and Anti-Corruption, and Trade and Fund Surveillance.

The successful candidate will bring strong enterprise leadership, sound judgment and execution discipline. They will align global and regional stakeholders, lead complex change and deliver sustainable outcomes with limited intervention.

• Enterprise Leadership and Execution: Lead, develop, and execute day to day agenda of the GFCC team. Build an inclusive, accountable team that delivers high-quality work on time.

• Advance the GFCC strategy and Target Operating Model: Partner with the Global Head of Financial Crimes and GFCC leaders to drive a multi-year roadmap across people, process, data and technology. Clarify first- and second-line roles, risk ownership and escalation paths, and strengthen global integration.  Manage an integrated portfolio spanning centralization, workflow and platform simplification, case-management modernization, data orchestration and workforce change.

• Shape the AI, data and technology strategy: Partner with Technology, Data, Model Risk, Legal, Privacy and business teams to prioritize governed AI use cases. Strengthen human oversight, evidence, controls and value measurement while advancing common data standards, a single view of client risk and technology simplification.

• Build disciplined portfolio and project management: Maintain a single source of truth for plans, commitments, risks, issues, dependencies, decisions, resources and benefits. Lead initiatives from strategy through implementation, including vendor evaluations and RFI/RFP activity, and escalate risks early with clear recommendations.

• Deliver executive, Board and governance reporting: Create concise, decision-ready reporting for GFCC leaders, executive governance forums, the Enterprise Risk Committee and the Board. Translate complex risk, control and transformation topics into clear insights, recommendations and decisions.

• Strengthen metrics, reporting and risk oversight: Build a global reporting ecosystem that integrates U.S., Europe and Australia performance while preserving regional context. Establish consistent KPI, KRI, SLA and SLO definitions, thresholds, ownership and validation, and lead management reviews with documented follow-through.

• Oversee issues and regulatory change: Maintain a mature issue-management framework with credible milestones, early-warning indicators, evidence standards, contingency plans and timely escalation. Lead horizon scanning, applicability assessments, benchmarking and controlled implementation of relevant U.S. and international developments.

• Maintain examination, audit and assurance readiness: Oversee a forward-looking readiness model for regulatory examinations, Internal Audit, independent testing and validation. Manage evidence, requests, commitments, risk-based assessments, mock exercises, lessons learned and executive dashboards.

• Integrate risk and program management: Connect financial-crimes risk assessments, emerging risks, regulatory obligations, controls, issues, metrics, data and the strategic roadmap so governance bodies have a clear view of exposure, control effectiveness, residual risk and investment needs.

• Build strong enterprise partnerships: Create trusted relationships across GFCC, regional MLRO teams, first-line businesses and operations, Enterprise Fraud, Technology, Data and Analytics, Legal, Privacy, Procurement, Finance, Human Resources, Enterprise Risk and Internal Audit. Engage early, challenge respectfully, resolve dependencies and create shared accountability.

• Experience: At least 12 years of progressively responsible experience in financial services, risk, compliance, governance, strategy, transformation, management consulting, program management or a related field, including leadership of complex cross-functional work in a large, regulated organization.

• Transformation and execution: Demonstrated success translating strategy and regulatory expectations into executable roadmaps, leading concurrent programs and delivering sustainable outcomes through disciplined project and change management. Experience with global teams, shared services, centers of excellence, centralized capabilities or enterprise process transformation is preferred.

• Executive reporting and analytics: Proven ability to develop executive and Board reporting, operational dashboards, KPI/KRI frameworks, threshold reporting and data-driven management routines. Able to turn complex topics into clear insights, recommendations and decisions.

• Risk, controls and regulatory management: Strong experience assessing and escalating risk, strengthening governance and controls, managing issues and remediation, and applying regulatory requirements and industry practices. Direct financial-crimes experience is preferred, though relevant compliance, conduct, operational-risk or regulatory-transformation experience will be considered.

• Technology, data and innovation: Experience using analytics, reporting tools, automation or emerging technology to improve risk management, controls, operating performance or client outcomes. Exposure to AI-enabled transformation, natural-language processing, technology implementation, vendor evaluation or platform modernization is preferred.

• Leadership and partnership: Exceptional executive presence, communication, judgment, influence and relationship-management skills. Able to build trust, balance priorities, allocate resources, challenge constructively, resolve conflict and create shared accountability.

• Education: Bachelor’s degree or an equivalent combination of education and relevant professional experience required. An advanced degree or relevant credentials in financial crimes, fraud, project management, risk, compliance, data, technology or change management are valued but not required.

• Enterprise impact: Help shape and execute Vanguard’s global financial-crimes strategy, governance and future-state operating model.

• Strategic transformation: Lead high-visibility work that modernizes governance, reporting, data, technology, AI-enabled capabilities and workforce delivery while strengthening client protection and risk management.

• Leadership influence: Serve as a trusted partner to the AML/BSA Officer and Global Head of Financial Crimes, GFCC leaders, regional teams, enterprise partners, executive governance forums and the Board.

• Mission and culture: Join a collaborative, mission-driven organization committed to taking a stand for investors, treating them fairly and giving them the best chance for investment success.

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.