Senior Risk Advisor, Debit Card & Digital Payments

The Senior Risk Advisor, Debit Card & Digital Payments, provides risk advisory support for Vanguard’s payment capabilities, including debit card programs, real‑time payments, and digital payment models. This role partners closely with product, operations, technology, legal, compliance, and third‑party providers (e.g., card processors, sponsor banks, and networks) to ensure new payment capabilities are designed, launched, and scaled in a risk‑smart, compliant, and operationally resilient manner.

The role helps shape risk management strategy for transactional products, influencing executive‑level decision‑making through strategic risk assessments and close partnership with senior stakeholders. It provides operational risk expertise, guidance, oversight, and assurance services to enterprise and divisional partners and supports the development and maintenance of divisional risk frameworks to enable effective risk identification, mitigation, and ongoing governance for payment and transactional products.

Core Responsibilities

• Provide risk guidance, oversight, and assurance services to enterprise and divisional partners based on Vanguard’s operational and strategic risk framework, with a focus on transactional and payment‑related risks. Ensures the development and implementation of effective divisional risk controls across card programs and digital payment capabilities.

• Lead and assist the business in the development, implementation, and management of longer‑term risk management strategies aligned to new and evolving payment capabilities, including next‑generation payment rails and enabling technologies, in accordance with department objectives and enterprise risk policies.

• Develop and maintain strong relationships with enterprise and divisional stakeholders to understand ongoing and evolving risk needs related to transactional products. Act as a trusted thought partner to the business, balancing innovation, customer experience, and risk management.

• Ability to translate complex, technical risk considerations—including payments operations, fraud, transaction monitoring, and regulatory expectations—into clear, decision‑oriented guidance for senior leaders.

• Lead and manage the efficiency and effectiveness of risk management within the business. Set measurable goals and evaluate opportunities to raise standards, increase quality, and strengthen overall risk management practices related to payment operations. Measure success in identifying, assessing, and managing payments‑related risk exposure and advise on prioritization of existing and emerging risks.

• Experience partnering with cross‑functional teams (product, technology, operations, legal, compliance) and third‑party vendors to support the design, launch, and ongoing oversight of payment products in complex, highly regulated environments.

• Demonstrated familiarity with payments ecosystems, including debit card programs, money movement, real‑time payments, and digital payment models, across issuer, processor, network, and/or sponsor bank environments.

• Working knowledge of consumer protection, payments, and transaction‑related regulations (e.g., Reg E, dispute handling, error resolution, fraud and scam management).

• Work with the business to mitigate risk and optimize process efficiency across debit card and digital payment operations. Apply deep industry and technical risk expertise to design effective controls spanning KYC, transaction monitoring, fraud and scam prevention, dispute processes, risk tolerances, and limits. Provide consultative support as new products, services, processes, and procedures are developed.

• Assess the design and effectiveness of existing controls supporting payment products and transaction flows, leveraging industry best practices to recommend enhancements as needed. Apply enterprise risk management concepts consistently when evaluating and communicating payment‑related risk exposures.

• Participate in special projects and perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Minimum of eight years related work experience in payments risk or digital payments, with hands‑on involvement in debit card programs and/or transactional product launches.

• Undergraduate degree or equivalent combination of training and experience. Graduate degree preferred.

• Strong understanding of debit card and payments ecosystems, including issuer, processor, network, and sponsor bank models, and associated third‑party risk considerations.

• Demonstrated experience providing risk advisory support across payments operations, including fraud prevention, transaction monitoring, dispute handling, and consumer protection.

• Proven ability to partner effectively with product, technology, operations, legal, and compliance teams to drive sound risk decisions in regulated environments.

• Ability to clearly communicate complex payments and risk topics to senior stakeholders and support execution through influence rather than authority.

• Graduate degree preferred.

• Relevant payments or risk certifications (e.g., NACHA) a plus.

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.