Manager, Strategic Procurement

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Air Canada, ranked among the top five most attractive companies to work for in Canada, is seeking a Manager, Strategic Procurement, who will be based at Montreal Headquarters.

Strategic Procurement (SP) is comprised of several Category Management teams and a Centre of Excellence (COE) to support SP. The successful candidate will play a key role as a category manager for Corporate & Commercial initiatives. Given the multifaceted nature of the activities at Air Canada, this opportunity will provide interaction with key stakeholders in many parts of the organization.

The successful candidate will apply a passion for leadership and collaboration in order to obtain the best value for the airline and to develop mutually beneficial relationships with suppliers.

Responsibilities:

The Manager, Strategic Procurement will lead procurement projects related to Air Canada’s priorities in the areas such as e-commerce, products, marketing, payments, distribution, finance and sales.

The selected candidate will collaborate with cross-functional teams on initiatives that deliver high quality services with a strong focus on value, revenue generation and customer-centricity.

This position’s responsibilities will include conducting supply market research, establishing sourcing strategies, leading competitive bid processes, contract negotiations, and contributing to the overall improvement of procurement practices at Air Canada.

In greater detail, key areas of responsibility include the following:

• Establish Corporate & Commercial category procurement strategies
  
  • Develop and maintain an understanding of emerging industry and supply market trends to strengthen Air Canada’s negotiating positions
    
  • Stay abreast of Air Canada’s strategic initiatives and priorities through close collaboration with the business units
    
  • Analyze and monitor category spend and expiring contracts to uncover potential sourcing and consolidation opportunities
    
  • Conduct research and analysis
• Lead and manage procurement events
  
  • Conduct supply market research and baseline spend analysis
    
  • Work with cross functional teams to determine business requirements and establish sourcing strategies that deliver financial and non-financial benefits (e.g. service levels, risk mitigation, etc.)
    
  • Prepare and issue RFX’s, evaluate responses and conduct negotiations
    
  • Lead contract negotiations and oversee contract drafting and execution
    
  • Collaborate with internal subject matter experts to obtain alignment on contract terms
    
  • Ensure that Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) is in place following the sourcing process
    
• Contribute to the improvement of internal procurement practices
  
  • Participate in the establishment of best-in-class procurement methods
    
  • Formulate models to evaluate supplier proposals using quantitative and qualitative criteria
• Act as an ambassador for Strategic Procurement and Air Canada
  
  • Enhance Strategic Procurements’ relationships with internal customers over the course of procurement events
    
  • Effectively communicate and promote the successes of Strategic Procurement
    
  • Actively engage in learning Air Canada’s business processes
    
  • Continually seek areas for improvement

Qualifications

• Minimum of 6 years of Procurement experience
  
• University degree in in a relevant field of study (marketing, commerce, information technology, supply chain or engineering)
  
• Excellent communication (verbal and written), analytical, negotiation, interpersonal, presentation and project management skills
  
• Must be knowledgeable and confident in preparing term sheets and negotiating contracts
  
• Experience using SAP Ariba, Fieldglass, S4Hana
  
• Strong business acumen and leadership skills
  
• The individual must have the ability to effectively communicate and lead all levels of stakeholders as well as facilitate group work, communication and development
  
• Ability to assert influence
  
• A strong entrepreneurial spirit, a desire to innovate, intellectual curiosity and creative thinking
  
• Strong organizational skills and work ethic
  
• Ability to multi-task, work under pressure and accommodate changing priorities
  
• High degree of professionalism and discretion is essential
  
• Flexibility with work hours is required. Occasional travel may be required
  
• Demonstrate punctuality and dependability to support overall team success in a fast-paced environment.

Conditions of Employment:

• Candidates must be eligible to work in the country of interest, at the time any offer of employment is made and seeking any required work permits/visas or other authorizations which may be required is the sole responsibility of the candidates applying for this position.

Linguistic Requirements

Based on equal qualifications, preference will be given to bilingual candidates.

Diversity and Inclusion

Air Canada is strongly committed to Diversity and Inclusion and aims to create a healthy, accessible and rewarding work environment which highlights employees’ unique contributions to our company’s success.

As an equal opportunity employer, we welcome applications from all to help us build a diverse workforce which reflects the diversity of our customers, and communities, in which we live and serve.

Air Canada thanks all candidates for their interest; however only those selected to continue in the process will be contacted.