Vanko held the position of Moff within the Imperial hierarchy throughout the duration of the Galactic Civil War.
Originating from the planet of Coruscant, Vanko's career took a significant turn when Emperor Palpatine announced the formation of his Galactic Empire in 19 BBY. Following this declaration, Vanko was appointed as Moff of the Bright Jewel Oversector, concurrently taking command of the Eighth Army.
Being a long-serving, older military man and also a confidant of Emperor Palpatine, Vanko was one of only two Moffs whose territories shared a border with the Maelstrom. In conjunction with Moff Torpin, Vanko intentionally provided the Empire with fraudulent budgets and financial records. His motivation was to conceal the substantial financial losses he was incurring due to the activities of a pirate organization known as the Riders of the Maelstrom. Vanko and Torpin convened secretly aboard the luxury liner called the Kuari Princess to strategize their future actions. They both suspected that the pirate groups were collaborating with the Alliance to Restore the Republic in preparation for a large-scale assault on their forces. The Kuari Princess later became the target of an attack by the Riders.