When you join Sallie Mae, you become a champion for all students.

We’re on a mission to power confidence as students begin their unique journey. To help them plan their higher education, successfully finish, and prepare for life after school. To help them Start smart. Learn big.

Students need guidance navigating this important time in their life. They need someone who acknowledges that their education path is unique. They need a partner willing to evolve and not only meet but surpass their expectations. We’re changing. Because students need a better way.

We’re looking for people who are excited to drive this transformation. To break barriers and think of new ways to adapt, help, and create better experiences for students—and for each other.

This is where diverse backgrounds, beliefs, and perspectives matter. It’s where you’re empowered to bring your authentic self to work.

Feeling your best allows you to do your best. Our benefits take care of the whole you—from physical and mental to financial and professional. You’ll get opportunities to further your education and career, support for you and your family (including your pets!), paid time off to volunteer for the things that matter to you, and more.

We’re obsessed with impact and making a real difference. For us, that means putting relationships first, asking “why not?” when tackling challenges, and continuously learning new skills.

Come do more than join something, change something. For students, for future generations, for the future of education.

What You'll Contribute

The Finance Manager, Vendor Management, is responsible for performing financial risk oversight of the third-party management program. He/she will ensure that appropriate financial due diligence activities are executed for all third parties based upon identified risks. This will include providing first line of defense monitoring for third parties within the program scope.

​Additionally, the Manager will perform third party spend analysis for the VMO and Procurement. In this capacity, the Manager will be responsible for collecting, cleansing, classifying and analyzing expenditure data. Reporting will be used to trigger compliance activities within the third-party management program and provide foundational data required for Procurement spend management activities.

What You'll Do

First Line of Defense Financial Risk Oversight

• Maintain a financial risk discipline designed to support all tiers within the Third-Party Management program

• Identify third-party attributes initiating need for financial monitoring.

• ​Conduct first line of defense initial and ongoing financial assessments and maintain the reassessment schedules.

• ​Develop and generate quarterly and annual reports for financial risk category providing holistic view of scores across third-party population.

• Perform financial analysis on pre-contract and ‘as needed’ third parties where the assessment cannot be outsourced.

Spend Analysis

• Lead efforts to maintain third-party spend analysis activities designed to support VMO third-party management program and Procurement spend management.

• ​Facilitate and execute activities required to collect, cleanse, classify and analyze expenditure data.

• ​Coordinate support needed from IT, Accounting, Purchasing, Finance and other functional areas to correct source data or queries.

• ​Conduct research on third party spend not aligned to third-party management program inventory to determine if remediation activities are required to include third party within inventory. Partner with VMO peers to initiate remediation activities where needed.

• ​Map third party spend to contract repository, confirming existence of active contracts where required per legal policy.

• ​Review and report third-party spend using Power BI.

• ​Solicit requirements from Procurement for spend analysis and incorporate into activities and reporting.​

• Monitor spend wind down in situations where vendors have been terminated.

• Monitor the merger, acquisition and divestitures of our vendor population.

• Look for opportunities for cost savings by ensuring early payment discounts are being applied. Partner with Accounting and business owners to ensure contract compliance. Report findings and accomplishments quarterly.

Recording Savings & Avoidance for Procurement

• Partner with procurement to review and approve their savings and avoidance entries.

• For savings projects that exceed our internal threshold, partner with FP&A to facilitate their approval.

Project-based Work

• Opportunities abound for project-based work to support team initiatives. Projects will be specific to third party management and/or Procurement but may have varying scopes.

The above information is intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by employees assigned to this job; it is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities and qualifications required of employees in this role.

What you have

Minimum education, skills and experience required.

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting, Finance, Business or related field.

• 3-5 years’ experience in Accounting or Finance

• Requires strong written and oral communication skills

• Requires strong Excel skills

• Foundational knowledge of Power BI.

• Analytical mindset with the ability to interpret data and make informed decisions.

• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and stakeholder management skills.

• Proficiency in using vendor management systems or related software is a plus.

Preferred education, skills, and experience.

• Proficient in interpreting and analyzing financial data and numerical information to support decision-making and strategic planning.

• Understanding of principles of accounting including the ability to read and analyze financial statements of third parties and identify issues or areas of concern.

• Capable of independently conducting thorough research to gather relevant information, identify trends, and draw insightful conclusions.

• Demonstrates exceptional ability to organize tasks efficiently, manage time effectively, and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.

• Excellent at building relationships and communicating effectively with diverse audiences, including stakeholders, team members, and clients.

• Highly developed skills in analyzing complex information, identifying patterns, and applying logical reasoning to solve problems and make informed decisions.

• Adept at translating complex technical information into clear, understandable language for non-technical audiences.

• Proven ability to handle multiple projects simultaneously, utilizing sound judgment to prioritize tasks and allocate resources effectively.

• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including advanced functions and data analysis tools, with a solid understanding of other relevant software and technologies.

• Interest in controls, control inventory, testing and monitoring is helpful.

• Interest in learning new technologies, including Archer, is beneficial.

The Americans with Disabilities Act

The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) prohibits discrimination by employers, in compensation and employment opportunities, against qualified individuals with disabilities who, with or without reasonable accommodation, can perform the “essential functions” of a job. A function may be essential for any of several reasons, including: the job exists to perform that function, the employee holding the job was hired for his/her expertise in performing the function, or only a limited number of employees are available to perform that function.

Feeling your best helps you do your best:

Our benefits take care of the whole you—so you can build your work around your life (not the other way around!).

• Competitive base salaries

• Bonus incentives

• Generous PTO, Floating Holidays and 12 Federal Holidays observed

• Support for financial-well-being and retirement 401k with employer match

• Comprehensive medical, dental, vision, hospital indemnity, critical illness, pet insurance and more

• Employer paid short-term/long-term disability and basic life insurance

• Flexible hybrid working arrangements.

• Paid parental leave and adoption reimbursement programs

• Free access to on-site staffed fitness centers (in Delaware) and gym subsidy (for locations outside Delaware)

• Confidential counseling support (EAP), Health Advocacy services and Wellness program with financial incentives

• Tuition Reimbursement and Family Scholarship Programs

• Career development and training opportunities

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Sallie Mae is proud to be an equal opportunity (EEO) employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, genetic information, gender identity, disability, Veteran status or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. Click here (https://salliemae.com/legal/pay-transparency-policy/) to view the U.S. Pay Transparency Policy, here (https://mandatoryview.com/productview) for federal job applicant notices, and here (https://acrobat.adobe.com/link/review?uri=urn%3Aaaid%3Ascds%3AUS%3A5637b18d-10f3-4877-a3fe-481683f1eb1c) to view the California Employee Privacy Notice.

Reasonable accommodations are available for applicants with disabilities in all phases of the application and employment process. To request an accommodation please call (855) 756-2007 and choose option 9. All information you provide will be kept confidential and will be used only to the extent required to provide needed reasonable accommodations.

Sallie Mae is proud to be an equal opportunity (EEO) employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, genetic information, gender identity, disability, Veteran status or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. If you'd like more information about your EEO rights as an applicant, please click https://https/www.eeoc.gov/employees-job-applicants. https://https/www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/ofccp/regs/compliance/posters/pdf/OFCCPEEOSupplementFinalJRFQA508c.pdf. Click https://https/www.salliemae.com/legal/pay-transparency-policy/ to view the U.S. Pay Transparency Policy.