Senior Protective Intelligence Specialist

Global Risk and Security (GR&S) at Vanguard enables business strategy, protects client and Vanguard interests (e.g., assets and data), and stewards a strong risk culture. Our teams leverage enterprise-wide insights, deep expertise, and trusted advice so that across Vanguard leaders and crew drive faster, stronger, risk-informed decisions.

Within GR&S, the Enterprise Security and Fraud (ES&F) sub-division is responsible for the global protection of Vanguard crew, property, data, and client assets. We are the trusted advisors that protect the pride of Vanguard with state-of-the-art security and fraud capabilities. We are a world-class destination of highly engaged, passionate, and diverse talent 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.

Core Responsibilities

Protective Intelligence & Behavioral Threat Assessment

• Identify, collect, and analyze intelligence related to threats against senior executives, including fixation, grievance, insider risk, and targeted hostility.

• Conduct behavioral threat assessments focused on executive risk, evaluating indicators of intent, capability, and imminence using structured, evidence‑based industry standard methodologies.

• Assess executive exposure related to travel, events, residences, offices, and public appearances.

• Monitor open-source, proprietary, and internal data sources to identify emerging or escalating risks to executives and their families.

• Produce timely, actionable intelligence products that directly inform executive protection posture, resource allocation, and decision‑making.

Direct Support to Executive Protection Operations

• Partner closely with executive protection teams to provide intelligence support for executive travel and event security; protective advance planning; elevated threat or crisis situations; instances of inappropriate approaches or communications.

• Translate intelligence assessments into clear, operationally relevant recommendations for EP leaders and agents.

• Support real-time or near‑real‑time threat monitoring during sensitive executive movements or engagements.

• Serve as a trusted intelligence advisor during high‑risk situations involving executive leadership.

Behavioral Threat Analysis & Tradecraft

• Apply strong intelligence tradecraft, including structured analytic techniques, hypothesis testing, bias mitigation, and confidence assessment.

• Conduct in‑depth analysis of concerning or otherwise inappropriate communications, online behavior, and other indicators relevant to executive targeting.

• Distinguish between credible threats, non‑credible expressions, and noise—providing defensible, well‑reasoned assessments.

• Maintain rigorous standards for sourcing, documentation, validation, and analytic transparency.

Program Development & Capability Building

• Contribute to the design, maturation, and governance of the executive protective intelligence program.

• Help develop and refine: threat assessment frameworks and standards; intelligence workflows and escalation protocols; playbooks for executive‑specific threat scenarios; metrics to measure program effectiveness and impact.

• Identify gaps in executive threat detection, assessment, or response and propose innovative solutions.

• Lead protective intelligence engagements and collaboration with investigations, legal, Crew Relations, and other key internal stakeholders.

Innovation & Continuous Improvement

• Stay current on emerging threats to executives, including trends in fixation, activism, insider risk, and online targeting.

• Explore new tools, data sources, and analytic methods to enhance early detection and assessment of executive threats.

• Contribute to a culture of curiosity, learning, and continuous improvement within the Vanguard physical security organization.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in intelligence studies, security studies, psychology, criminal justice, international relations, or a related field (or equivalent experience).

• Minimum five years of related work experience with three years experience in protective intelligence, executive threat assessment, or a closely related security discipline in a corporate setting.

• Strong understanding of behavioral threat analysis and pathway to violence frameworks as applied to people protection and executive risk (BTAM, WAVR-21, etc).

• Strong open‑source intelligence (OSINT) skills, including the ability to identify, collect, evaluate, and analyze publicly available information to support protective intelligence and threat assessment.

• Proven ability to think critically and assess incomplete, ambiguous, or conflicting information.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to brief senior leaders clearly and calmly.

• High ethical standards and discretion when handling sensitive executive and corporate information.

What Success Looks Like

• Executive threats are identified early and assessed with clarity and confidence.

• Executive protection leaders consistently rely on intelligence to inform posture, planning, and response.

• Threat assessments are clear, defensible, and operationally relevant.

• The executive protective intelligence program becomes more structured, scalable, and impactful over time.

• New tools, processes, or analytic approaches measurably improve executive safety and decision advantage.

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.