Overview

Vanguard

Technical Lead – AWS Engineering (Anti-Fraud Engineering Team)

Location: London or Manchester (Hybrid)

About Vanguard

Vanguard is an investment company founded in 1975 on the idea that a company should manage funds in the best interests of its clients. We offer low-cost, uncomplicated investing and have grown to serve more than 50 million investors worldwide.

About the Role

We are seeking a highly skilled and motivated Technical Lead to drive the development and modernization of our transaction monitoring and fraud detection systems. You will lead a cross-functional engineering team focused on building scalable, secure, and intelligent solutions to detect and prevent fraud and money laundering across our global platforms.

This role includes direct line management of the Anti-Fraud Engineering team (currently five), with responsibility for their development, performance, and wellbeing. As the team matures, you will help shape the team’s structure and capabilities as business needs evolve.

In return we offer an attractive base salary, annual performance bonus paid in January, Partnership bonus paid in June, and competitive benefits. Vanguard operates a hybrid working model; most roles involve in-office days on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, with Mondays and Fridays working from home.

About the team

The Anti-Fraud Engineering team is part of Vanguard’s Security, Fraud and Financial Crime capability. We build and maintain intelligent, scalable systems that detect and prevent fraudulent activity across Vanguard’s platforms to protect clients and assets.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the design, development, and deployment of a bespoke fraud detection and transaction monitoring system.
• Collaborate with stakeholders and financial crime experts globally to define a technical vision and strategy for the platform.
• Architect scalable and robust cloud solutions using a mix of in-house and third-party tools.
• Ensure high code quality and engineering best practices through code reviews, mentoring, and technical guidance.
• Own and evolve the technical design of core fraud detection components, ensuring performance, reliability, and maintainability.
• Communicate effectively with stakeholders across engineering, product, and business teams.
• Drive continuous improvement in team processes, tooling, and development workflows.
• Coach and support engineers in their technical growth, fostering a culture of learning and continuous improvement.
• Provide thoughtful line management for the engineering team, including goal setting, career development, performance feedback, and day-to-day support—tailored to individual strengths and aspirations.
• Champion a team culture rooted in trust, inclusion, and technical excellence, where engineers feel empowered to take ownership and grow.

Preferred Qualifications

• Proven experience as a Technical Lead or Senior Engineer in designing and delivering complex, high-impact systems within a cross-functional environment.
• Experience in line management or team leadership, with a track record of developing and supporting engineers.
• Strong proficiency in:
  • AWS (Lambda, Glue, ECS, S3, etc.).
• Python and PySpark (data pipelines, APIs, automation).
• TypeScript and React (frontend development).
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Demonstrated expertise in technical design and architecture of distributed systems.
• Familiarity with fraud detection models, anomaly detection, and rule-based systems.
• Clear understanding of secure coding practices and data privacy principles.
• Exposure to CI/CD pipelines and infrastructure-as-code tools (e.g., Terraform, CloudFormation).

How We Work

Vanguard has implemented a hybrid working model designed to balance flexibility with in-person collaboration. Our mission-driven and collaborative culture supports long-term client outcomes and a positive employee experience.