Distribution Governance and Oversight Program Lead

This role provides oversight and guidance over the distribution activities carried out by Vanguard’s UK & European businesses, ensuring they operate within the regulations.

This role provides oversight and guidance over the distribution activities carried out by Vanguard’s UK & European businesses, ensuring they operate within the regulations. In addition, this role provides support to the DP for the Distribution Managerial Function (PCF 39) and ultimately the Head of Distribution in his/her discharge of responsibilities.

**In this role you will**:

- Evolves and develops a strong governance and oversight framework that captures all regulatory responsibilities of the Distribution business across both the UK and Europe.
- Provides comprehensive oversight and guidance in respect of the distribution activities carried out by the European branches and will ensure that the branch operates within its regulatory permissions.
- Works closely with key business areas to achieve compliance including (but not limited to) - crew induction and ongoing compliance training, management support and guidance on regulatory requirements, a risk and complaints management process, marketing and sales activities, roles and responsibilities for local market compliance, sample monitoring of activities and recordkeeping and a feedback process.
- Undertakes measurement and reporting to demonstrate branch compliance and risk management. Works to support remediation activity for identified oversight development needs, open audit items and risk mitigation.
- Builds and maintains productive working relationships with various branch and London based team members and other stakeholders both at the executive and operational level. Ensures buy-in from crew and leadership.
- Ensures compliance with the obligations and responsibilities assigned to the Designated Person for Distribution as outlined in the Central Bank of Ireland’s Fund Management Company Guidance (CP86) and the Program of Activity.
- Ensure Service Level Agreements (“SLAs”), as required are maintained with main delegates and reviewed and updated on a periodic basis. Monitor the performance of the main delegates in line with the SLAs in place
- Oversee the distributor oversight framework for Vanguard Funds to include oversight of initial and ongoing due diligence of distributors (and any sub delegations thereafter).
- Oversee arrangements with introducers, intermediaries, platforms and other such relationships
- Provide constructive challenge to all delegates whilst working collaboratively and proactively with Vanguard colleagues in overall risk management in seeking to identify and mitigate risks.
- Provide reporting (periodic and escalation, as required) to Board and executive forums.
- Ad hoc projects as required to enhance the overall distribution framework and other initiatives.

**What it takes**:

- Detailed understanding of how governance frameworks and committee structures operate in a global firm.
- Proven exposure to and experience of governance and managing committees and Boards at a large firm with extensive reporting obligations.
- An understanding of how regulatory requirements work and how regulatory supervision works in the UK and the EU.
- Detailed understanding of the importance of governance materials and how it impacts decision-making.
- Strong organisation and time-keeping skills.
- Detailed understanding of how to write effective papers for executives, committees and Boards.
- An understanding of risk concepts; control standards; and issues management
- Proficient in stakeholder management and an excellent team player
- Competent skills with Microsoft office

**Special Factors**

Vanguard is not offering visa sponsorship for this position.

**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 collab