Senior Counsel, Investment Stewardship

Malvern, PA

Vanguard is a leading provider of financial products and services to individual and institutional investors world-wide. In addition, Vanguard is an employer of choice that continually invests in the growth, development and success of its employees (crew members) over the course of their Vanguard careers.

Vanguard’s Office of the General Counsel addresses a wide range of complex and compelling legal and compliance issues. To continue to support its growing business, Vanguard is seeking an attorney in its Investment Stewardship Legal Team. As Senior Counsel, Investment Stewardship, you will provide the organization with legal advice and representation on matters related to Vanguard's business activities and investment products. Additionally, the person in this role will review investment stewardship materials and advise the business on proxy voting activities. Liaises with the business on strategic issues and regulatory matters.

In this role you will

Provide business leaders with legal advice on issues impacting Vanguard's investment stewardship activities and investment product development, and regulatory matters. Ensures that investment stewardship activities, policies, practices, and transactions comply with all relevant laws and regulations.
Draft and negotiate legal documents such as regulatory filings, contracts, agreements, and correspondence of legal significance.
Monitor, analyze, and respond to legislative and regulatory developments related to Vanguard's investment stewardship activities and investment products to ensure they are adequately addressed.
Represent the organization in complex, controversial, significant, or specialized legal proceedings before courts, government agencies, or other authorities so the organization's interests are protected.
Direct the work being performed by outside counsel. Review and evaluate outside counsel invoices.
Maintain high level of expertise in regulatory law, Vanguard’s business and products, and the investment industry. Stays abreast of industry and regulatory developments affecting Vanguard, and maintains affiliations with relevant industry, compliance, and risk associations.
Coach junior staff and helps resolve problems.
Participate in special projects and performs other duties as assigned.

What it takes

Minimum eight years related legal work experience.
Undergraduate degree or equivalent combination of training and experience. Law degree (JD) preferred.
Ability to balance business and legal needs and manage multiple projects at one time.
Exceptional leadership, organizational and interpersonal skills.
Consistent track record of success serving and navigating relationships with internal and/or external parties, including influencing, counseling and negotiating with others.
Ability to communicate, influence, navigate, persuade and build agreement across senior leaders and/or a matrix structure.

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.

Our commitment to equal employment opportunity

Vanguard is an equal opportunity employer. Vanguard is committed to providing all crew members a working environment that is free from discrimination, prejudice and bias. Through this Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy, Vanguard reaffirms its commitment to equal employment opportunity for all applicants and crew members without regard to race, color, national origin or ancestry, religion, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, marital status, veteran or military status. In addition, Vanguard prohibits discrimination based on genetic information, as well as any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law.

Applicants with disabilities may be entitled to reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act and certain state or local laws. A reasonable accommodation is a change in the way things are normally done which will ensure an equal employment opportunity without imposing undue hardship on Vanguard. Please inform careers@vanguard.com if you need assistance completing this application or to otherwise participate in the application process.