Senior Solutions Architect

Vanguard
Vanguard

IT

Malvern, PA, USA

Posted on Jun 30, 2026

    About Advice & Wealth Management

    Vanguard’s Advice & Wealth Management organization delivers investor‑centric advice and wealth management services across digital, hybrid, and advisor/relationship manager‑led experiences.

    Role Summary

    As a Senior Solutions Architect, you are a strategic advisor and technical leader operating at the intersection of business strategy, architecture, and technology delivery. You shape and guide enterprise-scale solutions across the Advice & Wealth Management portfolio, ensuring alignment to business outcomes, architectural integrity, and long-term platform evolution.

    You partner with senior business and technology leaders to define future-state solutions, influence strategic direction, and enable delivery teams to execute effectively in complex, evolving environments. You influence direction without direct authority.

    What You’ll Do

    Architecture Leadership & Strategy

    • Provide architectural leadership across large, cross-domain initiatives within and outside of Advice & Wealth Management

    • Translate business goals into scalable, secure, and resilient solution architectures

    • Ensure alignment to enterprise standards, reference architectures, and platform strategies

    Solution Design & Delivery Enablement

    • Drive solutioning across key domains including:

      • Advisor desktop and client experience platforms

      • Brokerage and trading integrations

      • Recordkeeping and account lifecycle management

      • Back-office servicing, reconciliation, and operational workflows

    • Provide both short-term and long-term architectural guidance to multiple delivery teams

    • Ensure solutions balance client and crew experience, scalability, regulatory considerations, and cost

    Influence & Partnership

    • Act as a trusted advisor to senior business and technology leaders

    • Influence architectural direction without formal authority

    • Facilitate alignment across complex stakeholder groups and competing priorities

    • Communicate trade-offs clearly to enable informed decision-making

    Communication & Architecture Craft

    • Produce executive-ready artifacts (capability models, system diagrams, solution options)

    • Clearly articulate complex tradeoffs to both technical and non-technical audiences

    • Enable informed decision-making through structured solution evaluations

    Mentorship & Leadership

    • Mentor engineers, solution consultants, and architects on solution design and best practices

    • Contribute to architecture patterns, reusable designs, and governance processes

    • Act as a thought leader driving innovation and continuous improvement

    What You’ll Need

    Experience & Domain Expertise

    • Significant experience (10+ years) in solution architecture, enterprise architecture, or complex system design

    • Proven track record leading large-scale, cross-functional initiatives in enterprise environments

    • Experience shaping architecture strategy and guiding delivery across multiple teams

    • Strong knowledge of Advice, Wealth Management, or regulated financial services domains with depth in one or more of the following:

      • Brokerage and trading systems

      • Recordkeeping platforms (retirement, accounts, positions, transactions)

      • Custody and clearing integrations

      • Back-office operations (reconciliation, servicing, compliance workflows)

    Technical & Architectural Skills

    • Deep understanding of modern architecture patterns (APIs, event-driven systems, cloud-native design, AI)

    • Experience with integration across internal platforms and third-party/vendor ecosystems

    • Strong data architecture awareness (data flows, governance, analytics enablement)

    Core Leadership Skills

    • Exceptional systems thinking and problem framing

    • Ability to operate effectively in ambiguity and drive clarity

    • Strong executive communication and influencing skills

    • Ability to balance strategic vision with pragmatic delivery

    Technical & Architectural Perspective

    • Experience with modern architecture patterns (APIs, event-driven systems, cloud platforms)

    • Understanding of data, integration, and operational resiliency considerations in financial services ecosystems

    • Ability to balance architectural rigor with delivery pragmatism

    Mindset & Behaviors

    • Strategic, outcome-oriented, and intellectually curious

    • Comfortable challenging assumptions and driving better solutions

    • Collaborative, with a strong ability to build alignment across teams

    • Passionate about improving client and crew experiences, and operational efficiency at scale

    Why Join Us

    • Shape the future of Advice & Wealth Management at enterprise scale

    • Influence critical platform decisions and strategic initiatives

    • Work at the intersection of business strategy, architecture, and innovation

    • Partner with senior leaders on high-impact, high-visibility programs

    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.