Procurement Business Analyst

Here at Appian, our values of Intensity and Excellence define who we are. We set high standards and live up to them, ensuring that everything we do is done with care and quality. We approach every challenge with ambition and commitment, holding ourselves and each other accountable to achieve the best results. When you join Appian, you’ll be part of a passionate team dedicated to accomplishing hard things, together.

We are seeking a Procurement Business Analyst to support the end-to-end lifecycle of our diverse indirect spend. In this role, you will provide critical analytical and operational support for our Marketing, HR, Corporate Services and other Indirect categories. You will help manage a high-impact portfolio—including creative agencies and media buying—by ensuring data-driven decision-making and disciplined value management. This role requires close collaboration with Marketing, People Team, Legal, and Finance to elevate the Appian brand while maintaining fiscal responsibility.

This role is based at our HQ in McLean, VA. Appian was built on a culture of in-person collaboration, which we believe is a key driver of our mission to be the best. Employees hired for this position are expected to be in the office 5 days a week to foster that culture and ensure we continue to thrive through shared ideas and teamwork. We believe being in the office provides more opportunities to come together and celebrate working with the exceptional people across Appian.

Responsibilities:

Category Analysis & Business Alignment

• Analytical Support: Assist in the execution of multi-year category strategies for Marketing, HR, and Corporate Services to support Appian’s global growth.

• Stakeholder Coordination: Support the Marketing and People teams by translating creative requirements into structured data and procurement outcomes that track ROI.

• Market Research: Monitor trends in the agency landscape, media inflation, and labor market costs to keep the team informed and competitive.

• Spend Tracking: Assist stakeholders in forecasting spend peaks to ensure procurement activities align with the fiscal calendar.

Sourcing Support & Lifecycle Execution

• Pipeline Management: Support the "Intake-to-Contract" pipeline, maintaining a 24-month renewal look-ahead to prevent service lapses.

• Process Documentation: Help develop Indirect Category Playbooks to standardize the purchase of professional services and improve speed to market.

• Performance Monitoring: Support Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) by tracking KPIs and preparing materials for Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs

Contracting, Governance & Functional Support

• Negotiation & Analytics Preparation: Prepare comprehensive analytics reports and financial modeling to support high-stakes negotiations.

• Risk Identification: Review Master Service Agreements (MSAs) and Statements of Work (SOWs) to identify risk areas or deviations that fall outside of the standard Legal Terms & Conditions (T&Cs) library.

• S2C Help Desk & Training: Assist with the Source-to-Contract (S2C) help desk and provide training to internal users to ensure strict governance and adherence to procurement policies and standards.

• Team Support: Provide ad-hoc project support to the Director of Procurement as needed; responsibilities are not limited to this JD and may evolve as the procurement function is built from the ground up.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Supply Chain, or a related field.

• 2+ years or more of professional experience; experience within a procurement or sourcing environment is a plus. 

• High emotional intelligence and the ability to build rapport with creative and people-centric departments while maintaining discipline.

Tools and Resources 

• Training and Development: During onboarding, we focus on equipping new hires with the skills and knowledge for success through department-specific training. Continuous learning is a central focus at Appian, with dedicated mentorship and the First-Friend program being widely utilized resources for new hires. 
• Growth Opportunities: Appian provides a diverse array of growth and development opportunities, including our leadership program tailored for new and aspiring managers, a comprehensive library of specialized department training through Appian University, skills based training, and tuition reimbu