Operations Strategy, Planning and Governance Manager

Overview

This role sits at the center of the newly formed European Operations function. The role holder will act as a key strategic leader for Europe Operations, working with senior leadership to design and oversee a new management system (strategy planning, communications and governance) to drive efficient and effective operations across Europe.

Key Responsibilities

The role has three core pillars:

Strategy and Planning

• Acts as the 'glue' for the operations leadership team cadence, ensuring seamless coordination across leadership priorities, governance forums, and decision-making processes.
• Manages the rhythm of the function, including leadership meetings, strategic reviews, and executive communications.
• Provides thought partnership to senior leaders, anticipating needs and enabling effective decision-making.
• Translates strategic priorities into actionable plans, orchestrating activity, monitoring progress and highlighting risks.
• Works with senior leaders on high-priority cross-functional projects.

Governance

• Architects and oversees Europe's system for managing operations, including running the European Operations Council (EOC).
• Builds and maintains a suite of operational management information that cascades throughout the organization.
• Partners with Finance to identify opportunities to drive efficient operations and track Europe's "cost story".

Communications

• Oversees preparation of materials for leadership forums, board updates, and external stakeholder engagements.
• Designs and manages crew communications, including townhalls, written communications and leadership offsites.
• Builds and maintains strong relationships with internal stakeholders, including senior leadership, sponsors, and cross-functional teams.

Qualifications

• Significant amounts of relevant business experience, including strong working knowledge of Vanguard Europe.
• Proven experience in managing senior-level stakeholders.
• Exceptional strategic thinking, communication, and problem-solving skills.
• Demonstrated ability to lead through complexity, drive change, and deliver results under pressure.
• Strong financial acumen.

Special Factors

• Vanguard is not offering visa sponsorship for this position.
• This position is hybrid and would require you to be in the office three days per week

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.

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.

Client-provided location(s): London, United Kingdom

Job ID: Vanguard-176279

Employment Type: FULL_TIME

Posted: 2026-03-19T19:56:29