Chief Architect - End User Technologies
Vanguard is seeking a Chief Architect / Distinguished Engineer to define and drive the future of End User Technology at enterprise scale. This is a rare, high impact individual contributor role for a deeply technical leader who combines hands on engineering credibility with the ability to set multi-year architectural direction, establish durable standards, and lead complex modernization across a heterogeneous end user ecosystem.
You will operate as a technical force multiplier across Workplace Engineering—defining the end user technology “north star,” resolving the most complex systemic challenges, and raising the engineering bar through mentorship, architectural rigor, and automation first practices.
Responsibilities:
Enterprise End User Technology Strategy & Roadmap
- Own and evolve the 3-year Workplace technology roadmap spanning endpoints, mobility, virtualization, and productivity/collaboration platforms—ensuring solutions integrate cleanly across domains and deliver measurable outcomes for crew productivity, experience, and risk posture.
- Drive modernization outcomes aligned to Vanguard’s strategic initiatives (e.g., Windows 11 adoption, cloud VDI modernization, MDM platform modernization/migration, and Workplace AI / Copilot enablement).
Technical Architecture Leadership
- Define and maintain reference architectures, patterns, and guardrails across the end user technology ecosystem, including: Windows endpoints and modern management (e.g., Intune strategy, governance, and operating model) macOS management at scale (e.g., Jamf or equivalent) Mobility platforms and modern mobility strategies (e.g., Workspace ONE and/or next-generation MDM approaches) Virtualization and VDI modernization (cloud-hosted virtual desktops and legacy retirement strategies) Productivity ecosystems (Microsoft 365, plus interoperability with Google where required)
- Lead hands-on proof-of-concepts and deep technical evaluations for emerging capabilities; translate findings into pragmatic standards, adoption plans, and operational models.
Platform Governance, Standards, and Decision Quality
- Establish and run governance that prevents platform drift and enables safe acceleration, including configuration standards and guardrails RBAC/tagging strategy and separation of duties peer review/sign-off processes change control and release validation across the Workplace domain
- Provide architecture review, technical risk identification, and design validation for production changes before they ship.
Technical Escalation & Reliability Leadership
- Serve as the highest-level escalation point for complex, cross-domain end-user technology failures and systemic issues (identity/device compliance edge cases, policy conflicts, virtualization performance, M365 service health/controls, etc.).
- Drive root-cause analysis and ensure outcomes become repeatable engineering improvements (automation, instrumentation, standards)
Engineering Excellence & Automation-First Operating Model
- Set expectations for engineering rigor and durability, including code-driven configuration and infrastructure/policy-as-code patterns where practical CI/CD-enabled workflows where appropriate versioning, automated validation, and observability across endpoint + productivity platforms
- Champion scripting and automation for compliance, reporting, and operational efficiency (PowerShell, Python, Bash—whatever best fits the problem).
Org-Wide Technical Leadership
- Mentor and level-up senior engineers and architects; raise design quality through reviews, coaching, and technical storytelling.
- Act as a primary architecture liaison across partner organizations (security, enterprise architecture, identity/access, and adjacent platform teams), driving alignment and durable, supportable designs.
Primary Technical Domains:
You should be conversant and credible across multiple end user technology domains, including:
- Windows endpoints at enterprise scale: modern management, compliance, security controls, deployment and lifecycle patterns (including coexistence realities where needed)
- macOS enterprise management (Jamf or equivalent) and cross-platform posture
- Mobility / MDM modernization patterns and platform migration realities
- Virtualization / VDI modernization, including cloud strategy and legacy retirement planning
- Microsoft 365 services with policy/security configuration (Teams, Exchange, SharePoint, OneDrive) and identity integration (Entra/Azure AD patterns)
- Google ecosystem awareness (integration, coexistence, and impact in end-user environments), as applicable
- Security & compliance-by-design for end-user platforms (policy enforcement, auditability, data protection controls, and governance)
Required Qualifications:
- 10+ years in enterprise end user / workplace engineering with demonstrated ownership of large-scale platforms and complex transformations (Windows + macOS + mobility + virtualization + productivity ecosystems).
- Proven ability to set technical strategy and translate it into executable roadmaps, standards, and measurable outcomes.
- Deep hands-on expertise across modern endpoint and workplace platforms (e.g., Intune/Jamf, M365 administration, identity/access patterns, automation).
- Strong engineering approach: automation-first mindset, design reviews, operationalization, reliability thinking, and disciplined risk management.
- Exceptional communication skills—able to influence senior stakeholders, drive alignment across teams, and make complex topics actionable.
Preferred / Differentiators:
- Recognized industry leadership (speaking, publishing, open source, patents, standards bodies, vendor advisory participation).
- Demonstrated success modernizing workplace environments in regulated industries and partnering effectively with security/compliance stakeholders.
- Experience enabling enterprise-scale adoption of emerging productivity/AI capabilities (e.g., Workplace AI / Copilot, governance, adoption, and platform readiness).
Special Factors
Sponsorship
Vanguard is not offering visa sponsorship for this position.
