Vendor Management Specialist

Description

Join our Mortgage Vendor Strategy and Performance Team to help enhance our vendor expense management program. In this role, you’ll collaborate with internal stakeholders and external vendor partners to optimize processes, manage costs, and drive value across the organization. We’re looking for a detail-oriented professional with a fresh perspective and strong relationship-building skills.

Primary responsibilities include:

• Stakeholder & Vendor Engagement
  • Build and maintain strong relationships with business stakeholders and vendor partners.
  • Understand vendor products, services, and associated expenses.
• Expense Management & Reporting
  • Develop and maintain accurate vendor expense reports.
  • Partner with Finance to forecast budgets and monitor purchase order funding.
  • Analyze spending patterns, identify cost-saving opportunities, and recommend improvements.
• Process Optimization
  • Propose and implement enhancements to vendor expense management processes.
  • Support negotiations using cross-vendor and cross-business line data.
• Contract & Invoice Alignment
  • Review statements of work and reconcile invoices with contracts.
  • Resolve discrepancies and ensure timely payment processing.
  • Prepare materials for additional funding approvals and contract renewals.
• Performance & Compliance
  • Partner with Vendor Strategists to review performance reports and identify SLA credits.
  • Ensure compliance with policies, guidelines, and regulatory requirements.
  • Stay informed on regulatory changes and assess impacts.
• Vendor Expense Optimization
  • Identify unused or underutilized products/services.
  • Support vendor consolidation and maintain alignment of volume forecasts and expenses.

Qualifications, Education, Certifications and/or Other Professional Credentials

• 3-5 years of experience in a role supporting expense management or finance 
• Experience with Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint and building presentation materials to summarize analysis results for executive audiences
• Experience identifying and implementing process improvements
• Detail-oriented mindset
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Proven ability to build relationships across a large organization
• Strong problem-solving skills
• Self-Starter with ability to work independently 
• Experience with Ariba and GRC systems preferred
• Associate's Degree in Business, Finance, or related field (preferred) 

Hours and Work Schedule

Hours per week:  40

Work Schedule:  8:30am - 5:00pm, Monday - Friday

Position is onsite in Johnston, 4 days/week.

Some job boards have started using jobseeker-reported data to estimate salary ranges for roles. If you apply and qualify for this role, a recruiter will discuss accurate pay guidance.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Citizens, its parent, subsidiaries, and related companies (Citizens) provide equal employment and advancement opportunities to all colleagues and applicants for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, citizenship, physical or mental disability, perceived disability or history or record of a disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity or expression, genetic information, genetic characteristic, marital or domestic partner status, victim of domestic violence, family status/parenthood, medical condition, military or veteran status, national origin, pregnancy/childbirth/lactation, colleague’s or a dependent’s reproductive health decision making, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or any other category protected by federal, state and/or local laws. At Citizens, we are committed to fostering an inclusive culture that enables all colleagues to bring their best selves to work every day and everyone is expected to be treated with respect and professionalism. Employment decisions are based solely on merit, qualifications, performance and capability.