Senior Investment Consultant-Non Profit

Job Description

At Vanguard we are taking a stand for institutional investors. Vanguard is one of the world’s largest investment management companies and a recognized employer of choice, and we are seeking a Senior Investment Consultant to join its Nonprofit Investment Advisory team in the Scottsdale, PA location for the Vanguard Institutional Advisory Services (VIAS) group. VIAS provides comprehensive investment advisory services to institutional clients throughout the United States. Those services include asset allocation analysis, investment policy development, portfolio construction, portfolio monitoring, portfolio rebalancing, performance reporting, and investment reviews.

VIAS develops customized portfolio solutions for institutional clients. Clients work closely with a Senior Investment Consultant to support all aspects of their investment decision making. Senior Investment Consultants apply sophisticated financial models to develop strategic asset allocations, address portfolio construction issues, and respond to all client needs. They travel to meet with client investment committees on a regular basis to review their portfolios, discuss the economic environment, and review various investment topics of interest.

In this role, you will

• Serve as the primary point of contact for Vanguard’s largest and most complex clients. Provide portfolio and investment analysis, consulting, and research. Serves as a high-profile internal and external subject matter expert and mentor to less experienced Investment Consultants.
• Serve as senior investment consultant for assigned Institutional Advisory clients, representing Vanguard's advisory capabilities to key decision makers, investment committees, and Board members.
• Work closely with Sales to effectively position Vanguard to prospective clients.
• Advise clients on asset allocation, portfolio construction, and investment selection decisions. Consult with clients in the development or adaptation of investment policy statements. Provide discretionary portfolio management to assigned client base
• Conduct investment reviews for clients’ various asset pools (e.g., market, portfolio, and investment performance, portfolio construction, and asset allocation) and conduct subsequent meetings with clients’ investment committees and boards.
• Keep abreast of investment process and performance of clients’ investments as well as market conditions and developments. Work with colleagues in Vanguard's manager search group to review active fund performance and external subadvisor relationships. Maintain deep awareness of the industry and the competition. Respond to investment-related questions from existing and prospective clients.
• Develop a working understanding of the industries in which clients operate.
  Manage and understand clients’ needs by framing the benefits of our service and approach and pro-actively fulfilling those needs in a way that consistently exceeds client expectations. Continue (on an ongoing basis) to enhance skills.
• Resolves complex client issues related to investment products, services, or processes. Drives the development and implementation of creative solutions that meet or exceed client needs and expectations.
• Consult with clients, integrating our investment strategy with the legal, regulatory, spending and liquidity issues that they face. Develop deep understanding of issues facing nonprofit organizations.
• Develop and deliver targeted client strategies. Articulate Vanguard's points of view on a variety of investment-related research papers/topics published by Vanguard's Investment Strategy Group.
• Serve as a leader, mentor, role model, and technical resource to Investment Analysts.
• Participate in corporate, departmental, and business special projects and perform other duties as assigned.

What it takes

• Undergraduate degree in finance-related field or equivalent combination of training and experience. MBA and/or specialized financial designations such as CFA charter preferred.
• Ten years’ experience in the Financial Services industry or client services preferred.
• Series 6 or 7 required (or ability to obtain in first 60 days).
• Superior technical skills related to investment analysis preferred.
• Experience with endowments and foundations strongly preferred.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, including strong presentation skills.
• Proven experience with external clients and the ability to communicate effectively with a wide range of audiences.

A few reasons why Vanguard Institutional Advisory Services (VIAS) is an amazing career destination

• The Outsourced Chief Investment Officer (OCIO) industry has grown rapidly in recent years and represents a $2T market opportunity in the US
• Our position in the OCIO industry is very competitive – we are one of the 15 largest OCIO providers with ~$70B in AUM across over 1,000 clients ranging from endowments, foundations, defined benefit plans, and corporate accounts
• VIAS has the feel of a boutique advisory firm with the resources of a large investment provider. This helps VIAS deliver two key outcomes for clients: (1) strong investment performance and (2) client satisfaction.
• ~85% of client portfolios met or exceeded the performance of their stated benchmarks over the past ten years
• Our 99% client retention rate and our net promoter scores are some of the highest across many of Vanguard’s different business lines

Special Factors

• Approximately 30% travel required.
• Vanguard is not offering visa sponsorship for this position.
• You should be aware this will designate you as a Fund Access Person and carries with it certain responsibilities and restrictions. For more information see the following article.
• This is considered a covered department under Vanguard's Political Contribution and Fundraising Activity Policy and may be subject to greater restrictions than those set out in the policy. Prior to moving into this position you will be required to disclose all political contributions made within the last two years.

About Vanguard

We are Vanguard. Together, we’re changing the way the world invests.

For us, investing doesn’t just end in value. It starts with values. Because when you invest with courage, when you invest with clarity, and when you invest with care, you can get so much more in return. We invest with purpose – and that’s how we’ve become a global market leader. Here, we grow by doing the right thing for the people we serve. And so can you.

We want to make success accessible to everyone. This is our opportunity. Let’s make it count.

Inclusion Statement

Vanguard’s continued commitment to diversity and inclusion is firmly rooted in our culture. Every decision we make to best serve our clients, crew (internally employees are referred to as crew), and communities is guided by one simple statement: “Do the right thing.”

We believe that a critical aspect of doing the right thing requires building diverse, inclusive, and highly effective teams of individuals who are as unique as the clients they serve. We empower our crew to contribute their distinct strengths to achieving Vanguard’s core purpose through our values.

When all crew members feel valued and included, our ability to collaborate and innovate is amplified, and we are united in delivering on Vanguard's core purpose.

Our core purpose: To take a stand for all investors, to treat them fairly, and to give them the best chance for investment success.

Future of Work

During the pandemic, we transitioned to a work from home model for the majority of our crew and we continue to interview, hire, and on-board future crew remotely.

As we have developed the path forward, we have taken a thoughtful approach that both maximizes the advantages of working remotely and the many benefits of coming together and collaborating in a shared workspace. We believe that in-person interactions among our crew are important for preserving our unique culture and advantageous for the personal development of our crew.

When our Crew return to the office, many will work in our hybrid model. A smaller proportion of our crew will operate in the Work from Home work model (for example, field sales crew); or in the Work from Office model (for example, portfolio managers).

The working model that your role falls into will be communicated to you in the interview process – please do ask if you are unsure. We encourage you to make the decision regarding your job interview and offer knowing which model your role will fall into. We will test and learn as our ways of working evolve and will continue to evaluate working models along the way.