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Head of Indirect Procurement

Toronto Area, Hybrid Role

Summary

The Head of Indirect Procurement leads a team of 70 global team members, and manages an annual spend of about $500M of goods and services in categories such as facilities, professional services, MRO, IT, equipment, travel utilities.  This leader ensures that policies and processes are in place for sourcing, contracting, supplier management, and purchasing controls to minimize costs and/or increase benefits to the company. Key activities include risk mitigation, demand management, negotiations, process improvements, and increases in working capital. This leader must navigate risk, criticality, conflict, complexity, and ambiguity while remaining grounded in industry knowledge to drive an innovative supply chain.

Detailed Description

·         Develops and leads the vision, long-term planning and an org/structure of 70 indirect professionals, from multi-category regional leads to global category leads to meet financial objectives.

·         Drives value in an aggressive and meaningful manner, and exhibits ownership by engaging in unconventional opportunities (bring proactiveness and creativity to procurement).

·         Develops, maintains, and enhances policies to drive a best-in-class indirect procurement department. Approves processes and implements controls when needed to ensure successful operations. Sets the tone of accountability throughout the organization with the expectation for sites and functions to play their part in monitoring financial risk.

·         Represents the department/function internally and externally to senior leadership team (including ELT as needed), communicating global, regional, and category results the department generates. Manages senior stakeholder relationships with leaders internally and externally.

·         Ensures the suppliers’ ecosystem (including subcontractors) is being analyzed to limit or eliminate financial exposure (including reputation, non-sanctioned, illegal, etc.).

·         Coaches and mentors a team of indirect professionals in pursuing best practices and in developing/refining the hard and soft skills required to excel.  These skills include negotiation, strategizing, people management, discovering and enabling opportunities, meeting the objectives of the department, etc.

·         Manages senior supplier relationships with key partners. Also represents the indirect function externally (e.g., represent the organization in public speaking venues and/or community events).

·         Leads the indirect procurement function by being responsible for planning, budgeting, implementing, and maintaining methods to improve productivity.

Knowledge & Skills Required

·         Skills in negotiating and yielding significant cost decreases and/or benefit increases for the company amidst difficult, complex, disadvantageous, and conflictual conditions

·         Ability to develop and deploy a global vision as well as functional strategies in conditions that are not always welcoming change

·         Strong negotiation skills (used internally and externally)

·         Solid interpersonal skills to persuade internal and external parties to move towards a targeted goal despite misalignments, complexity, and ambiguity

·         Effective and clear communication skills

·         Good financial acumen

·         10 years+ in procurement/purchasing functions, ideally in indirect procurement

·         Experience in a wide variety of spend categories such as Facilities, Utilities, MRO, HR Services, Travel, Equipment, IT, and Insurance

·         Experience leading global and complex, matrix-like organizations

·         Transformational leadership resulting in significant strategic outcomes

·         Frequent overnight travel is required.

Experience & Education

·         Twelve plus years of relevant experience

·         Bachelor's degree in related field (Commerce, Engineering or Economics, MBA), or consideration of an equivalent combination of education and experience.

The hiring company is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on any protected status (including race, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran or disability status or other characteristics protected by law). The hiring company is committed to fostering an inclusive, accessible environment, where all employees and customers feel valued, respected and supported. Special arrangements can be made for candidates who need it throughout the hiring process. Please indicate your needs and we will work with you to meet them.