Household Finance Researcher

We are seeking a researcher to help deepen our understanding of the decisions people make about saving, investing, and retirement.

Team & Opportunity

 The Investment Strategy Group (ISG) is a global team that serves as Vanguard’s in-house research team, with subject matter experts based in North America, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region. The team produce industry-leading papers and publications that help shape perspectives, play a central role in developing Vanguard’s investment and advice methodology, and inform decisions about our investment offerings and strategies. As the Behavioural Economics Team within ISG, we aim to discover, share, and apply breakthrough insights about investor behaviour to drive better decisions and outcomes for all investors.

We are seeking a researcher to help deepen our understanding of the decisions people make about saving, investing, and retirement. Your work will generate thought leadership with applications to Vanguard business, media, public policy, and the academic research community. In this role, you’ll have the opportunity to work with senior business partners to inform Vanguard products and services as well as collaborate on data analysis, surveys and experiments. 

Vanguard has incredible people and an inspiring mission: To take a stand for all investors, to treat them fairly, and to give them the best chance for investment success. If you are interested in making a positive impact on the retirement outcomes of households and have a passion for data, research, and working in teams, this is a great opportunity for you. Vanguard is fully committed to having a diverse and inclusive working environment. This role will be based in London, UK.

In this role, you will:

·        Conduct research that is scientifically rigorous, relevant to millions of investors, timely and impactful. Analyze administrative data, surveys, experiments, third-party and public datasets, distilling data into compelling visualizations and “killer charts” to tell differentiated stories.

·        Help shape Vanguard’s house view on behavioural economics, household finance, retirement savings and spending, investment advice, and public policy. Distill insights into high-impact written materials, including research memos, articles, blog posts, white papers, and academic papers.

·        Serve as an ambassador for Vanguard by presenting your research to a wide range of audiences, from internal business partners to investors, advisors, and industry and academic conferences.

·        Provide consultation services and act as a subject matter expert. Prepare and deliver insight presentations and action recommendations. Communicate complex analytical findings and implications to business partners in ways that inform Vanguard products and services.

·        Conduct rapid data analytics to support Vanguard’s response to media and regulator inquiries.

·        Keep up with latest trends in behavioral economics and retirement, identifying new ways to amplify research rigor and impact. Work with academic partners in research collaborations.

·        Participate in group discussions designed to identify and debate investment issues and potential research projects. Develop recommendations on new research topics or methodology issues.

·        Proactively identify opportunities to enhance team research capabilities, such as new data sources or analytic techniques.

What it takes:

Please do not be put off from applying if you do not meet all the criteria in the below.

·     Advanced degree (Masters or PhD) in Economics, Finance, Psychology, Decision Sciences, or a related quantitative field required. Doctoral degree (PhD) preferred.)

·     Minimum of five years related work experience in research roles or equivalent educational experience

·     Experience conducting, writing, and publishing research on behavioral economics, household finance, retirement, and/or investing strongly preferred. Able to explain complex concepts to non-technical audiences.

·     Proven experience writing code to access, transform, and analyze data. Proficient at analysing large datasets, identifying trends, and assessing the significance of changes.

·     Intellectual curiosity and a passion for generating and pursuing “big ideas” for “aha” insights through research.

·     Team-first orientation and openness to learning new ideas, skills, and ways of working with a diverse set of teammates and stakeholders (e.g., employers, financial advisors and institutions, individual investors, and policymakers).

·     Be capable of producing high-quality analysis to tight deadlines. Excellent time management and organisational skills.

Special Factors

·        Vanguard is not offering visa sponsorship for this position.

·        Role Designation: Certified Person

·        This position is hybrid based in London and would require you to work in the office on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

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.