External Workforce Business Partner

MIT Lincoln Laboratory; Lexington (MA); Hybrid; USD 99,300 - 131,600; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health plans

Pension

401K

Paid leave

Tuition reimbursement

Mentorship

Work-life balance

Job summary

MIT Lincoln Laboratory is seeking an External Workforce Business Partner to join our External Workforce Services team. This hybrid role focuses on managing the end-to-end contingent workforce lifecycle and partnering with hiring managers and suppliers to maintain a compliant, high-quality program.

You will collaborate across functions to optimize processes, deliver training, and ensure policy alignment while advancing supplier relationships and program effectiveness.

Qualifications

• Experience managing the end-to-end contingent workforce hiring lifecycle.
• Experience using a Vendor Management System (VMS) such as SAP Fieldglass, Beeline, or VNDLY.
• Knowledge of contingent workforce regulations, compliance requirements, and legal considerations.
• Experience managing common contingent worker employee relations issues.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to effectively engage internal and external stakeholders.
• Strong presentation skills (advanced PowerPoint is a plus).
• Excellent listening, organizational, and attention to detail skills.
• Proven ability to build strong relationships and collaborate with employees, leaders, suppliers, and cross-functional partners.
• Customer-focused mindset with a consultative approach.
• Bachelor’s degree and a minimum of three years of experience supporting a contingent workforce program, either in-house or through a staffing agency.

Responsibilities

• Partner with hiring managers to define contingent workforce needs that support research and business objectives.
• Manage the full contingent worker lifecycle, including job posting creation, intake meetings, candidate review, interview scheduling, candidate selection, work order creation and activation, onboarding, and offboarding.
• Serve as the primary liaison between hiring managers and external staffing suppliers to ensure candidate quality, resolve worker-related issues, prioritize recruiting efforts, improve supplier performance, and communicate customer feedback. Participate in supplier Quarterly Business Reviews.
• Utilize the Vendor Management System (VMS), SAP Fieldglass, to manage the contingent workforce lifecycle.
• Ensure compliance with organizational policies, regulatory requirements, and contingent workforce program standards.
• Identify and implement process improvements to enhance program effectiveness and the hiring manager experience.
• Develop and deliver training materials related to contingent workforce processes and best practices as needed.
• Assist with the creation, implementation, and maintenance of contingent workforce policies and procedures as needed.
• Participate in supplier RFPs and other strategic sourcing initiatives as needed.
• Deliver exceptional customer service by providing a high-touch, consultative experience for hiring managers.

Skills

VMS experience

Stakeholder engagement

Verbal & written comms

PowerPoint

Relationship building

Attention to detail

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Tools

SAP Fieldglass

Beeline

VNDLY

Job description

External Workforce Business Partner

Date: Jul 20, 2026

Location: Lexington, MA, US

Company: MIT Lincoln Laboratory

MIT Lincoln Laboratory is seeking an External Workforce Business Partner to join our External Workforce Services (EWS) team within Human Resources. The EWS team oversees the end‑to‑end lifecycle of the organization’s contingent workforce, partnering with hiring managers and suppliers to deliver an efficient, compliant, and high‑quality workforce program.

Primary Responsibilities

• Partner with hiring managers to define contingent workforce needs that support research and business objectives.
• Manage the full contingent worker lifecycle, including job posting creation, intake meetings, candidate review, interview scheduling, candidate selection, work order creation and activation, onboarding, and offboarding.
• Serve as the primary liaison between hiring managers and external staffing suppliers to ensure candidate quality, resolve worker‑related issues, prioritize recruiting efforts, improve supplier performance, and communicate customer feedback. Participate in supplier Quarterly Business Reviews.
• Utilize the Vendor Management System (VMS), SAP Fieldglass, to manage the contingent workforce lifecycle.
• Ensure compliance with organizational policies, regulatory requirements, and contingent workforce program standards.
• Identify and implement process improvements to enhance program effectiveness and the hiring manager experience.
• Develop and deliver training materials related to contingent workforce processes and best practices as needed.
• Assist with the creation, implementation, and maintenance of contingent workforce policies and procedures as needed.
• Participate in supplier RFPs and other strategic sourcing initiatives as needed.
• Deliver exceptional customer service by providing a high‑touch, consultative experience for hiring managers.

Strategic Project Opportunities

• Supporting initiatives involving additional external workforce engagement models.
• Participating in cross‑functional project teams and process improvement initiatives.
• Consulting on Statement of Work (SOW) and Profile Worker/Independent Contractor modules as the program evolves.

Required Qualifications

• Experience managing the end‑to‑end contingent workforce hiring lifecycle.
• Experience using a Vendor Management System (VMS), such as SAP Fieldglass, Beeline, or VNDLY.
• Knowledge of contingent workforce regulations, industry trends, compliance requirements, and legal considerations.
• Experience managing common contingent worker employee relations issues.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to effectively engage internal and external stakeholders.
• Strong presentation skills (advanced PowerPoint skills are a plus).
• Excellent listening, organizational, and attention‑to‑detail skills.
• Proven ability to build strong relationships and collaborate with employees, leaders, suppliers, and cross‑functional partners.
• Customer‑focused mindset with a consultative approach.
• Bachelor’s degree and a minimum of three years of experience supporting a contingent workforce program, either in‑house or through a staffing agency.

Preferred Qualifications

• Hands‑on experience with SAP Fieldglass.
• Experience with Statement of Work (SOW) and/or VMS‑based Profile Worker/Independent Contractor modules.

This role is a hybrid position that requires 3 days per week onsite in our Lexington facility.

Hiring Range: $99,300 - $131,600

Disclaimer: MIT Lincoln Laboratory provides a typical hiring range as a good faith estimate of what we reasonably expect to offer for this position at the time of posting. The final salary offered to a selected candidate will depend on various factors, including but not limited to the scope and responsibilities of the role, the candidate’s experience, skills, education/training, internal equity considerations and applicable legal requirements. This range reflects base salary only and does not include additional forms of compensation or benefits.

Benefits

• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision plans
• MIT‑funded pension
• Matching 401K
• Paid leave (including vacation, sick, parental, military, etc.)
• Tuition reimbursement and continuing education programs
• Mentorship programs
• A range of work‑life balance options
• ... and much more!

Selected candidate will be subject to a pre‑employment background investigation and must be able to obtain and maintain a Secret level DoD security clearance.

MIT Lincoln Laboratory is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, veteran status, disability status, or genetic information; U.S. citizenship is required.

Nearest Major Market: Boston

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