At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead data engineering teams to build innovative data solutions and pipelines.
- Company: Join Vanguard, a leading asset management firm focused on technology and client success.
- Benefits: Attractive salary, performance bonuses, flexible hybrid work model, and career growth opportunities.
- Why this job: Be at the forefront of transforming financial services with cutting-edge data technology.
- Qualifications: Strong leadership and data engineering experience, with excellent communication skills.
- Other info: Collaborative culture with a focus on long-term success and community impact.
The predicted salary is between 43200 - 72000 ÂŁ per year.
Make investing available to all, through world‑class technology. We never stop working to make investing simpler and more successful for our clients. Vanguard is a digital‑first company that relies on technology to effectively serve our 30+ million clients across the world and our 18,000 internal crew. We believe in relentless client focus, doing good for our communities, and focusing on long‑term success for our employees. If you want to be on the frontline of changing the financial services industry, have a deep passion for analytics and technology, and love working with diverse & motivated colleagues, then we’re looking for you to join our team.
About the Head of Data Engineering for CDAO Europe
You will lead two full stack teams of Data, DataOps & MLOps Engineers building storage, transformation and analytical solutions with the Data & Analytics team. You will be working with an experienced team to support data engineers, data scientists, data analysts, business users, machine learning & AI engineers in implementing data pipelines and high‑quality productionisation of ETL/ELT pipelines and complex models. We are modernizing our data foundations to support the AI‑driven future and you will work with partners across Vanguard Europe to deliver our AI‑ready data strategy, designing and implementing our future data technology stack to support Vanguard Europe’s ambitious goals.
In return we offer an attractive base salary, annual performance bonus paid in January, Partnership bonus paid in June, and competitive benefits. At Vanguard we work Monday to Friday and our staff in most roles work in the office on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, with Mondays and Fridays working from home. As one of the world’s largest asset management firms, Vanguard can offer unrivalled career opportunities in Manchester, the UK, and further afield.
About CDAO Europe
You will be key part of the Europe Data & Analytics leadership team and will play a significant role in delivering and implementing solutions across Vanguard Europe. We are a cloud native technology and data team, mostly leveraging AWS, sourcing data from internal and external systems to drive business decisions and direction. You will also have the opportunity to work with the broader enterprise data and analytics organization, bring the best back to Europe and contribute to global best practice.
Core Responsibilities
- Partners with internal and external clients to gain an expert understanding of business functions and informational needs.
- Works closely with other technical and data analytics experts across the business and external vendors to implement data solutions.
- Hires, evaluates, and supervises crew.
- Provides guidance and training as necessary to develop crew.
- Sets performance standards, reviews performance, and makes informed compensation decisions in accordance with all applicable Human Resources policies and procedures.
- Manages and optimises the automation of key ETL (Extract / Transform / Load) and quality assurance processes for large volumes of data.
- Consults with department or function heads on the implementation, transition, and operating plans.
- Executes and adjusts plans for team of Data Engineers.
- Develops a clear understanding of Data Analytics and Management work across Vanguard businesses and how they connect.
- Manages the planning, prioritisation, and execution of data production projects and processes.
- Manages and troubleshoots the design and development of software and processes to support large scale, efficient data pipelines.
- Integrates complex and large scale data from a variety of sources for business partners to generate insight and make decisions.
- Supports dashboarding efforts, data science and engagement projects, and production support as needed.
- Translates business specifications into design specifications and code.
- Responsible for writing complex programs, ad‑hoc queries, and reports.
- Ensures that all code is well structured, includes sufficient documentation and is easy to maintain and reuse.
- Develops and exercises cross‑functional data delivery to support business needs.
- Manages data integrity and quality standards.
- Educates and develops junior data engineers on the team while applying quality control to their work.
- Develops data engineering standards and contributes expertise to other data expert teams across Vanguard.
- Participates in special projects and performs other duties as assigned.
Qualifications we’re looking for
- Strong people leadership experience (teams with more than five people would be advantageous)
- Strong Data/DataOps Engineering experience
- Experience in medium to large business that consume large amounts of data
- Excellent communication and storytelling skills; Ability to articulate complex problems in a simple manner.
- First‑hand experience with Python/Pyspark in building end‑to‑end data pipelines
- Understanding DBA concepts; Prior experience working in/with DevOps or Data Engineers teams; Comfortable with DevOps/SRE thinking.
- Knowledge and experience in designing, implementing, deploying and configuring AWS resources.
- Experience with SCRUM‑Agile mindset and implementation tools such as Jira, Azure DevOps
- DataLake, Lakehouse & EDW methodologies; Data analysis, data modelling, data integration, data warehousing and database design; AWS Stack
- Understanding of GIT, post/pre‑scripting and CI/CD workflow under TDD using Jira/Azure DevOps
- Support multiple environments (Dev, UAT, Prod) and a strong understanding of SDLC concepts.
- Degree qualified in a relevant commercial, analytical or mathematical discipline or equivalent experience
Beneficial but not required skills
- Knowledge of traditional ETL/ELT process and tools (Informatica, Talend, SSIS, Alteryx…)
- Experience working with vendor/3rd party data providers
- Experience in multiple database technologies including Distributed Processing (e.g. Spark, Hadoop, EMR), Traditional RDBMS (MS SQL Server, Oracle, MySQL, PostgreSQL), MPP (Databricks, AWS Redshift, MS Fabric Lakehouse, Teradata, Snowflake, Greenplum, Synapse), NoSQL (DynamoDB); Strong understanding of CDC/CT/Deltas mechanisms.
- Tableau and/or PowerBI exposure
- Understanding of the Financial Services industry, preferably with applicable experience
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.
Senior Manager, Head of Data Engineering in Manchester employer: The Vanguard Group
Contact Detail:
The Vanguard Group Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Senior Manager, Head of Data Engineering in Manchester
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to current employees at Vanguard on LinkedIn or through mutual connections. A friendly chat can give you insider info and might just get your foot in the door.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for the interview by brushing up on your technical skills and understanding of data engineering concepts. Be ready to discuss your past projects and how they relate to Vanguard's goals.
✨Tip Number 3
Show your passion for analytics and technology during interviews. Share examples of how you've used data to drive decisions and improve processes in previous roles.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen by the right people. Plus, it shows you’re serious about joining the Vanguard team.
We think you need these skills to ace Senior Manager, Head of Data Engineering in Manchester
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Application: Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter for the Senior Manager, Head of Data Engineering role. Highlight your experience with data engineering, leadership, and any relevant technologies like AWS or Python. We want to see how your skills align with our mission!
Showcase Your Leadership Skills: Since this role involves managing teams, don’t forget to emphasise your people leadership experience. Share examples of how you've guided teams, set performance standards, and developed crew members. We love seeing how you can inspire others!
Be Clear and Concise: When writing your application, keep it straightforward and to the point. Use clear language to explain your past experiences and how they relate to the job. Remember, we appreciate good communication skills, so make it easy for us to understand your story!
Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to submit your application through our website. It’s the best way to ensure your application gets into the right hands. Plus, you’ll find all the details about the role and our company culture there!
How to prepare for a job interview at The Vanguard Group
✨Know Your Data Inside Out
Make sure you have a solid understanding of data engineering concepts, especially around ETL/ELT processes and AWS resources. Brush up on your Python and Pyspark skills, as you'll likely be asked to discuss how you've built end-to-end data pipelines in the past.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Skills
As a Senior Manager, you'll need to demonstrate strong people leadership experience. Be prepared to share examples of how you've managed teams, set performance standards, and developed crew members. Highlight any experience you have with hiring and training, as this will be crucial for the role.
✨Communicate Clearly and Effectively
Vanguard values excellent communication skills, so practice articulating complex problems in a simple manner. Think about how you can tell a story with your data experiences, making it relatable and easy to understand for your interviewers.
✨Familiarise Yourself with Agile Methodologies
Since the role involves working in a SCRUM-Agile environment, make sure you're comfortable discussing Agile principles and tools like Jira or Azure DevOps. Be ready to explain how you've applied these methodologies in previous projects to optimise data production processes.