Senior Manager, Application Engineering (Appian Platform)

About Vanguard
Founded in 1975, Vanguard is one of the world's leading investment management companies. The firm offers investments, advice, and retirement services to tens of millions of individual investors around the globe—directly, through workplace plans, and through financial intermediaries.

Vanguard India

Vanguard’s office in India is a significant milestone in our global expansion. We are committed to establishing an enduring technology center in Hyderabad, Telangana and are excited to be adding talent who will focus on Artificial Intelligence (AI), mobile, and cloud-based technologies that drive our business outcomes and deliver a world-class experience for our clients.  

Role Summary

This role leads a team that provides the most senior level IT technical lead services across platforms, while overseeing secure API integration, aligning architecture with user and enterprise goals, and driving software documentation standards.

Responsibilites
1. 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.
2. Provides the most senior level IT technical lead and architecture services and direction for critical software, middleware, or hardware projects on multiple platforms. Provides technical expertise and completes complex development, design, implementation, architecture design specification, and maintenance activities.
3. Leads and ensures the viability of IT deliverables. Provides development and architectural options and approves the team's technical deliverables. Conducts testing, including functionality, technical limitations, and security. Provides production support for products.
4. Identifies potential solutions and approves technical solutions proposed by team members. Elevates complex technical issues to IT experts. Resolves technical problems discovered by testers and internal clients. Responds to and resolves technical issues in a timely manner. Researches issues and performs root cause analysis. Anticipates technology problems and prevents them. Resolves potential technology problems implemented by less experience staff before they cause an issue.
5. Communicates with key stakeholders on project issues and implications. Evaluates the impacts of change requests on technologies and effectively persuades and influences others on ideas.
6. Maintains a current and working knowledge of IT development methodology, architecture design, and technical standards. Mentors IT staff and identifies training needs. As new standards are instituted, ensures their usage by team members. Learns, and applies new technology quickly, and is well versed on the latest technologies and tools supporting software development in the industry. Assists with the creation of strategic product roadmaps.
7. Reviews and approves documentation and diagrams created by IT team members. Writes documentation, including technical standards and processes.
8. Identifies opportunities for continuous quality improvement of technical standards, methodologies, and technologies.
9. Develops code and test artifacts that reuse subroutines or objects, is well structured, backed by automated tests, includes sufficient comments and is easy to maintain. Writes programs, appropriate test artifacts, ad hoc queries, and reports. Employs contemporary software development techniques to ensure tests are implemented in a way that supports automation.
10. Amplifies the productivity of entire team through collaboration, and the implementation of technology frameworks. Learns and applies new technology quickly, and is well versed on the latest technologies and tools supporting software development in the industry. Anticipates technology problems and prevents them. Resolves potential technology problems implemented by less experience staff before they cause an issue.
11. Thoroughly understands and complies with Information Technology and Information Security policies and procedures, and verifies that deliverables meet requirements. Works across organizational lines to improve both IT and Information Security policies and procedures.
12. Maintains a broad understanding of the roles of front, middle and back office, and designs systems to enable efficient business processes while maintaining necessary controls. Maintains a broad understanding of the roles of external partners and designs systems to enable efficient business processes while maintaining necessary controls.
13. Participates in special projects and performs other duties as assigned.
14. Oversee data flow integration between multiple APIs and systems for consistent, secure, and streamlined application performance.
15. Drive cross-functional collaboration across development, UX, and infrastructure teams, aligning systems architecture with end-user needs and enterprise objectives.
16. Establish and govern software documentation standards to ensure clarity, maintainability, and ease of future upgrades.
Qualifications and Skills

• Minimum 10 years of relevant work experience, with at least 5 years in a managerial role with a strong focus on application engineering.
• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in computer science, Software Engineering, or a related field.
• Proven experience delivering complex enterprise technology solutions in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong understanding of software architecture, system design, and modern engineering practices.
• Experience working in Agile delivery environments and leading cross-functional teams.
• Strong expertise in Appian platform development, architecture, and implementation.
• Experience designing and delivering enterprise workflow and business process management solutions.
• Strong understanding of cloud technologies, preferably AWS
• Strong people leadership and team-building capabilities.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to influence technical and business decisions across organizations.
• Strong problem-solving, decision-making, and strategic thinking skills.
• Demonstrated ability to lead through ambiguity and drive successful outcomes
• Appian certification(s) such as Lead Developer, Senior Developer, or Architect.
• AWS certification(s).
• Experience in Financial Services, Wealth Management, FinTech, or other regulated industries.
• Exposure to business process automation, workflow transformation, AI-enabled solutions, or digital transformation initiatives.

Location

This role is based in Hyderabad, Telangana at Vanguard India. Only qualified external applicants will be considered.

Our mission

Vanguard adheres to a simple purpose: To take a stand for all investors, to treat them fairly, and to give them the best chance for investment success.

Our commitment to you 

Vanguard takes the same long-term view of your success—at work and in life—with Benefits and Rewards packages that reflect what you care about, throughout all the phases and stages of your life. Our Total Rewards programs provide you and your loved ones with wellness support for key areas in your life: 

Financial wellness 
We're committed to enabling your financial success and provide competitive offers and programs. 

Physical wellness 
We're committed to providing benefits that support your physical health and wellness. 

Personal wellness 
We're committed to providing resources that help support the full scope of your life. 

How we work

Vanguard has implemented a hybrid working model for most of our employees (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.