About this role
Business Unit Overview:
BlackRock Finance consists of finance professionals across several disciplines such as Financial Planning & Analysis, Treasury, Tax, Finance Controls, Global Strategic Sourcing (āGSSā), Finance Platform Support and Controllers. GSS is a global team, with team members primarily based in New York, Gurgaon, Edinburgh, and Budapest. GSS aims to be an organization of trusted strategic sourcing advisors enabling BlackRock to achieve more value. The GSS team advises and supports business functions on all their supplier-relatedinitiativeswhether they involve supplier identification, evaluation, selection, negotiation, performancemanagementor escalation management.āÆāÆ GSSseeksto avoid certain costs, deliver tangible cost reductions,furnishreliable analytical data and insights for improved decision making, and enable a socially responsible and diverse supplier base.
Background:
GSS seeks a professional with deep experienceinĀ taxprocurement with a focus on strategic sourcing to support the overallProfessional Services Categoryfor BlackRockat a global level. The subcategories within this space include audit, tax, dueĀ diligence, investments, non-IT consultingincluding managed services, disclosures/reportingand proxy voting.
This professional shouldbe responsible forend-to-end management of strategic sourcing Tax related activities-- from understanding stakeholder needs and available suppliers in the marketplace, to performing supplier assessment & due diligence, to negotiating, redlining, executing supplier agreements ina timelyfashion, and the creation of global tax engagement lettersĀ
Principal duties include:
Strategic Tax Advisory:Serve as a strategic advisor to all levels of management on all matters related to tax sourcingĀ and procurement, offering insights and recommendations tooptimizeprocesses and achieve businessobjectives.
Sourcing Strategy Development:Develop and implement comprehensive sourcing strategies through competitive bidding, proofs-of-concept, demand management, supplier consolidation, and process reengineering efforts that align with the company's overall business goals, ensuring cost-effectiveness, quality, and social responsibility.Ā
Supplier Relationship Management:Build andmaintainstrong relationships with key tax suppliers, negotiating and drafting global engagement letters, gainingĀ favourableterms into contracts, ensuring the highest standards of quality and service.
Market Analysis:Conduct thorough market research and analysis toidentifytrends, risks, and opportunities within the supply chain, and prepare PowerPoint decks to support informed sourcing decision-making.
Cost Management:Implement cost-saving initiatives and strategies to reduce overall expenses without compromising on quality or performance.
Risk Management:Identifypotential risks within the supply chain and develop mitigation plans to ensure business continuity and minimize disruptions.
Cross-Functional Collaboration:Work closely with internal stakeholders, including Business Function Leads, Category Leads, Third Party Risk, and Legal teams around the world in the negotiation of General Services Agreements, Engagement Letters, and Statements of Work.
Compliance and Ethics:Ensure all sourcing and procurement activitiescomply withcorporate policies, ethical standards, and legal requirements.
Experience required:
At least 5-10 yearsofstrategic sourcing experience in Tax, consulting, accounting, regulatory services, or financial services institution, with a proventrack recordof success in a sourcing advisory role that works with the Big 4-Tax,accountingand professional services firms.
A passion for the investment advisory and professional services sector, including a comprehensive understanding of market drivers, trends, and dynamics.Ā This should include knowledge of how to negotiate tax engagement letter agreements in this sector
Expertisewith category planning, competitive bidding techniques (RFI, RFP, RFQ), creation of business cases, vendor selection, vendor risk due diligence, operations management, and vendor dispute/escalation management.
Financial modelling skills to build multiple negotiation scenarios, total cost of ownership models, consumption models, and demand forecasts based on spend analytics and other data sources.
Depth in drafting, redlining, and negotiating global contracts, including experience drafting engagement letters and service level agreements (SLAs), with professional service providers.Ā This includes a solid understanding of contract law, including demonstrated ability to understand,interpretand articulate key legal terms in agreements.
Competencies:
Strong oral and written English language skills.
Demonstrable experience of leading tax related sourcing projects
Highly strategic thinker with a proactive approach to challenges and opportunities,possessingsuperior analytical skills, including the ability to translate analyses into negotiation strategies and results
Strong leadership and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work effectively in a team-oriented environment, eliciting support for key initiatives from senior management and other key stakeholders, by building and delivering clear, well-structured presentations
Detail-oriented and organized, with a commitment to excellence and continuous improvement.
Adaptable and resilient, with the ability to thrive in a fast-paced and dynamic business environment and with the willingness to adapt working hours to meet business needs and deadlines, understanding that most of the BlackRock supplier portfolio iscomprisedof firms based in the United States.
Proficient MS Office skills, including experience using CoPilot and other AI software products.
Education Requirements:
Bachelorās Degree, with preferences for Accounting, Computer Science, Engineering, Economics, Finance, Data Science, Operations Research, Supply Chain Management, Entrepreneurship, or Legal Studies.
Advanced degrees in Business, Law, or related areas are a plus.
blackrock