Head of Technology, Discover Journeys

The Head of Discover Journeys is responsible for shaping the future of how clients and prospects explore Vanguard’s products and capabilities across the entire discovery lifecycle. This role defines and delivers seamless, intelligent, and omni-channel experiences—spanning Search, Product Exploration, Content Management,  Investment Discovery Tools etc. With Search and marketing rapidly evolving due to Generative AI, this role sits at the intersection of technology, data, and client engagement—leading Vanguard into its next era of digital discovery.

The role leads a global, multi-site organization of senior managers, architects, and engineering teams. Success requires a combination of strategic vision, deep technical expertise, architectural modernization experience, and the ability to deliver in a fast-paced, highly visible environment.

Core Responsibilities

Vision & Technology Strategy

• Define and execute the technology strategy and multi-year roadmap for Discover Journeys.
• Enable clients to seamlessly search, explore product pages, and engage with next-generation discovery experiences.
• Define the future of integrated Search + Chat experiences by shaping the GenAI-driven strategy that combines semantic search, conversational interfaces, and personalized discovery.

Leadership & Organizational Development

• Build, scale, and develop global teams of senior engineering leaders and technical specialists.
• Foster a culture of innovation, high ownership, psychological safety, and continuous improvement.
• Mentor leaders to drive engineering discipline, architectural quality, and operational excellence.

Innovation & Modernization

• Lead modernization from legacy monolithic systems to microservices and composable enterprise architectures.
• Introduce and scale modern patterns including GraphQL BFF, Micro Frontends, and advanced digital experience platforms integrated with Generative AI.
• Drive adoption of intelligent search, omnichannel and real-time content delivery.

Cross-Functional Partnership

• Partner with Product, UX, Data, Marketing, and Cloud Engineering to align technology with business outcomes.
• Ensure compliance, governance, accessibility, and security standards across digital touchpoints.
• Build strong relationships with senior business leaders to influence investment, prioritization, and vision.

Operational Excellence

• Implement data-driven engineering practices to optimize performance, reliability, and developer productivity.
• Establish measurable KPIs tied to client experience, search performance, and journey satisfaction.
• Drive continuous improvement with a focus on automation, quality engineering, and resilient operations

Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive technology leadership experience.
• 5+ years in enterprise architecture, engineering leadership, and large-scale delivery.
• Proven track record in:
  • Search platforms (keyword, semantic, vector)
  • Omni-channel content management
  • Digital experience platforms
  • Cloud-native solutions
  • Microservices and modernization programs
  • Experience with Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) and integrating it with modern API-first architectures is highly preferred.

• Deep expertise in Java, Microservices, GraphQL, Cloud, and web/mobile technologies.
• Strong stakeholder management, strategic planning, and organizational leadership skills.

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.