Role Purpose
The Vendor Assessor is responsible for leading end-to-end vendor evaluation and assessment processes, ensuring that third-party providers meet the bank’s technical, security, resilience, and compliance requirements.
The role plays a critical part in pre-RFP screening, multi-criteria vendor evaluation, and risk identification, ensuring vendor selection aligns with the bank’s procurement framework, governance standards, and regulatory expectations.
Key Responsibilities
1. Vendor Screening & Pre-RFP Assessment
- Conduct pre-RFP vendor evaluations covering:
- Technology architecture
- System resilience and scalability
- Security controls and risk posture
- Perform due diligence on vendor capabilities, certifications, and compliance readiness
- Identify potential risks and gaps prior to formal procurement stages
2. Vendor Evaluation & Scoring
- Design and execute multi-criteria vendor scoring frameworks, including:
- Technical capabilities
- Security and compliance posture
- Operational resilience
- Cost and commercial considerations
- Coordinate cross-functional input from:
- IT / Engineering
- Cybersecurity
- Risk & Compliance
- Business stakeholders
- Perform comparative analysis of vendors and shortlist recommendations
3. Risk Assessment & Recommendation
- Identify and assess vendor-related risks, including:
- Cybersecurity risks
- Operational dependencies
- Regulatory and compliance gaps
- Provide risk-based recommendations for vendor selection
- Highlight mitigation strategies and contractual safeguards
4. Governance & Procurement Compliance
- Ensure adherence to the bank’s:
- Procurement policies and procedures
- Vendor governance frameworks
- Maintain audit-ready documentation of vendor assessments and decisions
- Support internal reviews, audits, and regulatory requirements
5. Stakeholder Engagement & Coordination
- Act as a key liaison between:
- Procurement teams
- Technology and engineering teams
- Risk and compliance functions
- Facilitate evaluation workshops and vendor presentations
- Communicate findings and recommendations clearly to decision-makers
6. Market Intelligence & Continuous Improvement
- Stay updated on:
- Market trends and vendor capabilities
- Emerging technologies and solution providers
- Benchmark vendors against industry standards and best practices
- Continuously improve evaluation frameworks and assessment methodologies
Qualifications & Experience
Education
- Bachelor’s degree in:
- Business Administration
- Information Technology
- Finance or related field
Experience
- 8–10 years of experience in:
- Vendor management / procurement
- Technology risk / third-party risk assessment
- Proven experience in:
- Vendor evaluation and RFP processes
- Multi-stakeholder coordination
- Experience in banking or regulated environments is strongly preferred
Technical & Functional Skills
- Strong understanding of:
- Technology architecture and IT systems
- Cybersecurity fundamentals and risk frameworks
- Vendor risk and third-party management practices
- Experience with:
- Evaluation frameworks and scoring models
- Contract and SLA risk considerations
- Familiarity with:
- Regulatory expectations in financial services
Soft Skills
- Strong analytical and decision-making capabilities
- Excellent communication and presentation skills
- Ability to influence stakeholders and drive consensus
- Strong organizational and documentation skills
Key Competencies
- Vendor Evaluation & Due Diligence
- Risk Assessment & Mitigation
- Procurement Governance
- Stakeholder Management
- Analytical & Decision-Making Skills
- Communication & Presentation
Ideal Candidate Profile
- Experienced professional with strong background in vendor assessment and procurement processes
- Ability to evaluate both technical solutions and associated risks
- Strong understanding of governance and compliance requirements in banking environments
- Effective communicator capable of presenting recommendations to senior stakeholders
- Balanced skillset across analysis, risk management, and stakeholder coordination
