Lead Buyer

FINRA • Rockville, MD

22h • $97,700 - $211,400 • Hybrid

About The Position

Under limited supervision, this role partners with internal stakeholders to understand business requirements and manage the process for evaluating, pricing, and competitively sourcing goods and services. This role tracks and supports complex contractual transactions, ensuring timely and accurate execution of agreements prepared by FINRA's Commercial Transactions Group, and partners with the Asset Management team to ensure optimal lifecycle management of FINRA's physical assets.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in business, finance, supply chain management, or related field, or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
• Minimum of seven (7) years of hands-on procurement or strategic sourcing experience, preferably in financial services or regulatory environments.
• Demonstrated experience executing end-to-end sourcing projects independently.
• Highly skilled in negotiation, contract management, and vendor relations.
• Proficiency with large ERP systems and integrated supplier and procurement business processes. Workday experience a plus.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and project management abilities.
• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills.

Nice To Haves

• Knowledge of financial industry regulations and compliance requirements preferred.
• Professional procurement certification (CPSM, CPM, CPIM, or equivalent) preferred.
• Formal project management training or certification (PMP, CAPM, etc.) preferred.

Responsibilities

• Identifies and evaluates potential suppliers.
• Partner closely with internal business customers on assigned end-to-end RFx, selection, and procurement processes, ensuring business needs are understood and execute sourcing activities to meet their needs; oversee competitive bid process.
• Draft, review, and conduct negotiations to establish favorable contracts, and pricing terms and agreements with vendors to maximize value and minimize risk.
• Manages the full purchase cycle (requests for proposals to purchase orders), ensuring compliance with strict adherence to FINRA's procurement policies and applicable regulatory requirements, , and budgetary constraints. Manage the competitive bid process.
• Proactively identify, recommend, and implement improvements in procurement processes and vendor management strategies.
• Partner with legal and technology teams to coordinate integration between procurement and contract management systems.
• Develop and maintain relationships with key suppliers to ensure quality, cost, delivery standards are met. Collaborate with Supplier Management on review and evaluation of suppliers’ performance.
• Monitor and track contract lifecycle of suppliers, initiating timely, value-add activities in renewal, replacement, and terminations of contracts.
• Collaborate with legal and compliance teams on contract reviews and risk assessments.
• Monitors market trends and commodity pricing to identify cost-saving opportunities and prepare budgetary reports.
• Analyze spending patterns and identify cost-saving opportunities within assigned business customers.
• Demonstrate FINRA’s values.
• Collaborate, both in-person and virtually, in furtherance of FINRA’s mission of investor protection and market integrity.
• Provides guidance, training to junior team members.
• Other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• comprehensive health, dental and vision insurance
• basic life, accidental death and dismemberment, supplemental life, spouse/domestic partner and dependent life, and spouse/domestic partner and dependent accidental death and dismemberment, short- and long-term disability, long-term care, business travel accident, disability and legal
• immediate participation and vesting in a 401(k) plan with company match
• eligibility for participation in an additional FINRA-funded retirement contribution
• tuition reimbursement
• commuter benefits
• adoption assistance
• backup family care
• surrogacy benefits
• employee assistance
• wellness programs
• 15 days of paid time off
• 5 personal days
• 9 sick days
• two volunteer service days
• military leave
• jury duty leave
• bereavement leave
• voting and election official leave for federal, state or local primary and general elections
• care of a family member leave (available after 90 days of employment)
• childbirth and parental leave (available after 90 days of employment)
• nine paid holidays

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior