Finra hired more workers for its contingent workforce program through the pandemic than “we ever have as long as the program has been running,” says Rubyna Zito, VP of technology operations, services and talent.

Zito owns the now-$130 million CW program — enterprise-wide with 750 workers — along with a host of other responsibilities that come with being the technology department chief of staff.

Hiring through Covid is testament to how smoothly the program runs, but what stands out are the supplier partnerships that bring in junior-level talent. After a 12-week internship, college students are offered full-time roles and a career roadmap at Finra when they graduate. “So, our contingent work is our pipeline into Finra technology employment,” says Zito. “It is the No. 1 way that we source the best talent into the company.”

Another standout initiative is Women in Tech. Zito’s own early experience laid the seeds of the program, but it’s her commitment to partnerships with external suppliers that keeps the initiative thriving and helped evolve it into a DE&I conversation.

“We can see the change culturally, the shift in how people interview,” she says. Job requisition taxonomy, Finra’s talent pipelines and leadership positions are all scrutinized.

Zito has big milestones ahead, including helping to build a consolidated audit trail for self-regulatory organizations and the US Securities and Exchange Commission — in keeping with Finra’s mission of ensuring the integrity of America’s financial system.