Job description
Description
Being part of Air Canada is to become part of an iconic Canadian symbol, recently ranked the best Airline in North America. Let your career take flight by joining our diverse and vibrant team at the leading edge of passenger aviation.
We are seeking a Strategic Procurement Manager who will be based at our Montreal Headquarters.
Strategic Procurement (SP) is comprised of several Category Management teams and a Knowledge Management (KM) team. The successful candidate will report to the Manager, Strategic Procurement – Airside Services and Transportation & Logistics and will play a key role in leading and contributing to (1) a broad range of sourcing events within this category; and (2) managing of the vendor relationship, and their performance. Given the cross-functional nature of procurement at Air Canada, this opportunity will provide interaction with key stakeholders in many parts of the organization.
This role requires someone who will be a key contributor to important sourcing projects for Air Canada as it expands internationally and focuses on improving customer service. 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 – Airside, Transportations and Logistics, will lead sourcing projects related to Airside Services, both domestically and abroad. Airside Services relate to operations at airports, including ground and cargo handling, de-icing operations and glycol recovery, ground support equipment, and so on. Transportation and Logistics focuses on freight (delivery, handling, etc.), and similar to Airside Services, spans our passenger and cargo operations.
This individual will lead projects and collaborate across cross-functional teams and delivering high quality services with a strong focus on value. The candidate will also bring a strong focus on cost savings and customer-centricity through a variety of initiatives.
In this role, responsibilities will include conducting supply market research, building category/project baselines, establishing sourcing strategies, seeking proposals, conducting negotiations, managing vendor relationships and performance, and contributing to the overall improvement of procurement practices at Air Canada.
Key areas of responsibility include the following:
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Establish Corporate category procurement strategies
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Develop and maintain an understanding of emerging industry and supply market trends to strengthen Air Canada’s negotiating positions
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Stay abreast of Air Canada Corporate strategic initiatives and priorities through close collaboration with the Operations departments and other business units
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Analyse and monitor category spend and expiring contracts to uncover potential sourcing and consolidation opportunities
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Engage the COE team to conduct research and analysis
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Lead and manage procurement events:
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Conduct supply market research and baseline spend analysis
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Work with cross functional teams to determine business requirements and establish sourcing strategies
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Lead competitive bid, evaluate responses and contract negotiations
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Design and implement category strategies that deliver financial and other performance targets such as service, quality, and risk management
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Negotiate and execute contracts
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Contribute to the improvement of internal procurement practices:
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Actively manage overall vendor relationships and performance:
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Work with SP Vendor Performance Analyst to ensure contracted service levels are properly tracked and performance results are captured in the SLA dashboards
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Ensure contracted services are provided
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Address operational issues escalating from internal customers
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Support operation by facilitating discussion between parties
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Act as tactful facilitator during problem resolution without compromising the business relationship
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Monitor Vendor KPIs and liaise as required to extract the maximum value the contracts provided
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Establish the applicable KPIs necessary to invoke quarterly & annual performance management reviews with major vendors.
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Act as an ambassador for Strategic Procurement and Air Canada:
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Further develop SP relationships with internal customers through all engagements and current/potential service providers to Air Canada
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Effectively communicate and promote the successes of SP
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Actively engage in learning Airside, Transportation & Logistics subject matter, negotiation best practices, Air Canada’s governance and business processes
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Continually seek areas for improvement
Qualifications
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University degree in the relevant field of study (Commerce, Supply chain, Finances) or professional experience to support the responsibilities of this role
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Demonstrated communication (verbal and written), analytical, negotiation, and project management skills
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Experience in the any of the fields of: procurement, passenger airlines, Airports / Airside services environment, supply chain and/or logistics are all of added benefit.
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Full proficiency with Microsoft Office software (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint)
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Ability to multi-task, work under pressure, and accommodate changing priorities
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Strong entrepreneurial spirit and a desire to innovate
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Strong organizational skills
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High degree of professionalism and discretion is essential
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Flexibility with work hours and occasional travel may be required
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Completion of (or working towards) a designation in SCMA, ISM or other procurement designation is an asset
Conditions of Employment:
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.