About FINRA
FINRA is dedicated to protecting investors and ensuring market integrity. As an independent, not-for-profit organization, we oversee brokerage firms and exchange markets, writing and enforcing rules governing the ethical activities of all registered broker-dealer firms and registered brokers in the United States. Every day, we work to safeguard the investing public against fraud and bad practices, making us a vital force in maintaining trust and fairness in America's financial markets.
The Opportunity
Step into a pivotal role where contract expertise meets strategic partnership. As Principal Analyst in Transparency Services Vendor and Contract Management, you'll serve as the central liaison orchestrating complex agreements that power FINRA's market transparency operations. This isn't just contract administration—it's strategic relationship management across the complete contract lifecycle. You'll negotiate with vendors, collaborate with legal and senior leadership, ensure service delivery excellence, and protect FINRA's interests while maintaining the vendor partnerships that support our transparency mission. If you thrive at the intersection of contracts, relationships, and operational excellence, this is your opportunity to drive impact in a critical regulatory function.
What You'll Do
- Orchestrate the Contract Lifecycle: Lead all phases of contract management from initial negotiation through renewal or termination, serving as the central point of coordination between Legal, Procurement, senior management, and business stakeholders
- Drive Strategic Negotiations: Participate in discussions and drive contract preparation for agreements with third-party providers, ensuring terms align with Transparency Services objectives and protect FINRA's interests
- Analyze and Synthesize: Collaborate with business subject matter experts and vendors to gather and analyze complex data, providing clear contract updates and status information to stakeholders at all organizational levels
- Ensure Financial Accuracy: Review and validate that vendor invoices align with contractual terms, partnering with Finance to ensure timely and accurate payment processing
- Monitor Vendor Performance: Lead periodic vendor review meetings to assess service delivery against SLAs, identify opportunities for improvement, and ensure contractual obligations are consistently met
- Proactively Manage Risk: Identify and address issues, challenges, or risks associated with service delivery, escalating non-routine matters to leadership with recommended solutions
- Support Exit Strategies: Collaborate with leadership to develop contingency and exit plans for contracts approaching natural expiration or facing premature termination
- Champion Process Excellence: Follow and help refine established procedures for contracting, invoicing, and vendor management, surfacing process improvement opportunities
Required Qualifications:
Education & Experience:
- Bachelor's degree in Business Management, Finance, or related field
- 7 years of relevant experience in contract management, vendor management, procurement, or related functions
Skills:
- Relationship building expertise: Proven ability to build and maintain productive relationships with vendors, clients, and internal stakeholders through strong communication, problem-solving, flexibility, and collaboration
- Analytical excellence: Strong analytical capabilities across technical, organizational, and business process domains with ability to interpret complex requirements
- Detail-oriented precision: Meticulous approach to reading, analyzing, and interpreting contract requirements and terms
- Exceptional communication: Excellent written and verbal communication skills for diverse audiences from vendors to senior executives
- Multi-tasking capability: Demonstrated ability to manage several concurrent assignments and priorities effectively
- Contract lifecycle knowledge: Understanding of contract fundamentals including terms, conditions, SLAs, and compliance requirements
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience working with business and industry leaders to craft solutions for contract-related challenges
- Background in financial services, regulatory environments, or market data/transparency operations
- Familiarity with procurement systems and contract management platforms
- Experience managing complex technology or data service vendor relationships
- Knowledge of regulatory compliance considerations in vendor contracts
What Makes You a Great Fit
You're the person who sees contracts not as paperwork but as strategic relationships requiring careful stewardship. You can read a 50-page agreement, spot the critical terms, and explain the implications clearly to non-legal stakeholders. You build trust easily—vendors see you as a fair partner, internal stakeholders see you as a reliable advocate, and leadership sees you as someone who protects the organization's interests. You stay calm when a