The Debit Card Senior Strategy Lead will serve as the tactical strategist and programmatic support lead for Vanguard's debit card initiative within the Cash & Savings portfolio. This role will support driving the end-to-end strategy, vendor management, operational readiness, and cross-functional alignment required to launch and scale a differentiated debit card experience. The ideal candidate will bring deep and proven expertise in payments, product strategy, and client experience, and will be responsible for translating strategic vision into actionable plans that deliver measurable outcomes.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Ownership
- Define and support the evolution of the strategic product roadmap of debit card capabilities, including spend enablement, client experience, and competitive positioning.
- Support the the Director in cross-functional planning and execution across Personal Investor, Advice / Wealth Management, Finance, Risk, Controls, Legal, Compliance, Technology, Distribution/Marketing, and other cross functional stakeholders.
- Serve as a key Vanguard stakeholder for external vendors for implementation, integration and ongoing tactical vendor management with a focus on network strategy.
- Support the development of the debit card product strategy & value proposition as well as marketing and go-to-market strategies.
Program Management
- Support the development and launch of the debit card as well as ongoing optimization and performance management post-launch.
- Schedule and coordinate governance routines, reporting, and stakeholder alignment.
- Provide guidance and education to the cross-functional teams involved in delivery and optimization.
- Develop, maintain, and support the creation and management of all critical card related processes and business requirements.
Data-Driven Decision Making
- Support the development and maintenance of KPIs to measure success across adoption, usage, client satisfaction, and operational efficiency; identify and report opportunities to the Director and business leads.
- Leverage data and insights to continuously improve product performance and client outcomes.
Go-to-Market Readiness
- Partner with Marketing, Distribution, Enablement, and Fraud teams to ensure scalable, protected, and successful market delivery of the product.
- Collaborate on the development of crew training, client communications, and support model development as well as cross-sell strategies across segments.
- Identify and assist as needed with resolving operational dependencies, including backend processing, and fraud controls.
Strategic Integration
- Support aligning the debit card strategy within the broader Cash & Savings initiatives including Money Movement Enablement, Product Health Scorecard, and Segment Strategy.
- Ensure seamless integration with advice / wealth management and personal investor segments, supporting use case clarity and positioning.
Participates in special projects and performs other duties as assigned
Qualifications
- 8+ years of experience in payments strategy, preferably debit card product management.
- Proven ability to lead complex, cross-functional initiatives with strategic impact.
- Strong understanding of debit card ecosystems, issuer processors, card networks, vendor management, and client experience design.
- Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and analytical skills.
- Experience with fraud prevention, operational risk, and regulatory compliance preferred.
Special Factors
Sponsorship
Vanguard is not offering visa sponsorship for this position.
About Vanguard
At Vanguard, we don't just have a mission-we're on a mission.
To work for the long-term financial wellbeing of our clients. To lead through product and services that transform our clients' lives. To learn and develop our skills as individuals and as a team. From Malvern to Melbourne, our mission drives us forward and inspires us to be our best.
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.