Procurement Director, North American (NORAM)

Hitachi Rail; Toronto; On-site; CAD 124,000 - 206,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive Pay

Medical, Dental and Vision Insurance

Long Term Disability

Retirement Savings Plan

Paid Vacation

Work/Life Programs

Job summary

Hitachi Rail is seeking a Procurement Director for North America, based in Toronto, to lead regional procurement across NORAM. The role focuses on ensuring supply continuity, cost competitiveness, supplier performance, risk management, and governance compliance while partnering with business leaders and global teams to drive value and project execution.

The ideal candidate brings 15+ years in procurement and 8+ years in senior leadership, with a strong background in rail and large-scale

Qualifications

• 15+ years procurement and supply chain experience.
• Minimum 8 years in senior leadership roles.
• Experience managing procurement organizations across multiple sites, projects, and countries.
• Strong background in rail, transportation, infrastructure, engineering, industrial manufacturing, or complex project businesses.
• Proven leadership of large and complex procurement portfolios, typically exceeding €300M annual spend.

Responsibilities

• Lead all procurement activities across North America to ensure supply continuity, cost competitiveness, supplier performance, risk management, and governance compliance.
• Partner with business leaders, project delivery, engineering, operations, finance, and global procurement to support profitable growth and project execution.
• Align regional procurement with global strategies and drive procurement transformation across NORAM.
• Oversee regional procurement organization and report to Senior Director Procurement SRS with alignment to the Group CPO.

Skills

Procurement leadership

Multi-site oversight

Strategic sourcing

Supplier management

Spend management

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Engineering/Business

MBA preferred

Job description

HITACHI RAIL is looking for an enthusiastic self-motivated Procurement Director, North America (NORAM) who thrives in a fast-paced environment. The successful candidate is comfortable performing a wide range of tasks from administrative to strategic. This position will be based in Toronto, Ontario.

About us:

A career at Hitachi Rail will help create a legacy. With operations in every corner of the world, our work goes to the cutting-edge of digital transformation and technology. From the multi-cultural strength of our global organization to the sustainable and innovative ways we work to bring people together, there’s something for everyone to get stuck into. And that’s where you come in.

Role summary:

The Procurement Director, North America, is responsible for leading all procurement activities across the region, ensuring supply continuity, cost competitiveness, supplier performance, risk management, and compliance with procurement governance.

The role partners closely with business leaders, project delivery, engineering, operations, finance, and global procurement teams to support profitable growth, successful project execution, and operational excellence while delivering measurable value through strategic sourcing, supplier management, and procurement transformation.

As a key member of the North America leadership team, the Procurement Director leads the regional procurement organization and ensures effective alignment between global procurement strategies and regional business priorities.

The role works in close partnership with the Global SRS Procurement leadership team and the CPO organization, supporting the deployment of global strategies, governance, capability development, and best practice adoption across the region.

Reporting line:

Reports to: Senior Director Procurement SRS, with strong alignment to the Group Chief Procurement Officer.

Direct Reports: Regional Procurement Managers, Category Managers, Supplier Operations Managers, Project Procurement Leaders, Manufacturing Procurement Leads, and Procurement PMO resources.

Accountabilities:

Business Partnership

Act as the senior procurement leader for North America, represent procurement in regional leadership forums and governance reviews Build trusted relationships with regional executives and functional leaders to influence key business decisions and ensure procurement engagement early in the decision-making process. Support strategic objectives, bidding activities, project execution, Make vs Buy/localization decisions and operational performance. Contribute to regional P&L performance through cost optimization, risk mitigation, cash improvement, and supplier performance. Develop and execute the North America procurement strategy aligned with SRS and global procurement objectives.

Strategic Sourcing & Category Management

Develop and execute sourcing strategies aligned with business priorities. Drive competitive procurement practices and value creation initiatives. Support implementation of global category strategies within the region. Develop and execute regional sourcing and supplier localization strategies supporting growth, project requirements, resilience, and regulatory obligations. Identify opportunities for cost optimization, standardization, and supplier consolidation. Contracting & commercial management Lead supplier negotiations for critical commercial and contractual matters Support competitive bid submissions through effective sourcing strategies. Manage procurement-related project risks and opportunities.

Establish and maintain strategic relationships with key suppliers. Drive supplier performance in quality, delivery, cost, innovation, and sustainability. Ensure robust supplier development and supplier risk mitigation plans.

Ensure continuity of supply for critical products and services. Develop regional supply chain resilience strategies. Monitor supplier financial, operational, geopolitical, and capacity risks.

Governance & Compliance

Ensure compliance with company policies, delegated authority, and procurement processes. Lead sourcing governance and approval processes. Promote ethical procurement practices and regulatory compliance. Support ESG & sustainability objectives Support internal and external audits as required.

Foster a culture focused on safety, integrity, collaboration, innovation, and accountability across global and regional teams.. Build, lead, and inspire a high-performing procurement organization focused on accountability, talent development, and business partnership. Build organizational capability through coaching, succession planning, and talent development.

Performance Management

Deliver procurement savings, working capital improvement, and productivity targets. Establish and monitor procurement KPIs. Drive data-based decision making and performance reviews. Ensure robust reporting to regional and global leadership.

Transformation

Support procurement transformation initiatives, digitalization, and process standardization. Develop performance dashboards and KPIs. Promote data-driven decision making across procurement teams. Drive continuous improvement and best practice adoption.

Required skills/experience:

• 15+ years procurement and supply chain experience.
• Minimum 8 years in senior leadership roles.
• Experience managing procurement organizations across multiple sites, projects, and countries.
• Strong background in rail, transportation, infrastructure, engineering, industrial manufacturing, or complex project businesses.
• Proven leadership of large and complex procurement portfolios, typically exceeding €300M annual spend.

Education:

Bachelor's Degree in Engineering, Business, Supply Chain, Economics, or related discipline. MBA preferred

Language:

Salary Range

min $123,761 (CAD) to max $206,269 (CAD)

Hitachi Rail employees enjoy a comprehensive benefits package including Competitive Pay, Medical, Dental and Vision Insurance, Long Term Disability, Life & Accident Insurance, a Retirement Savings Plan, and Paid Vacation. We also offer a number of Work/Life Programs such as Flextime and a variety of Training and Development opportunities.

Our hiring process uses both human and technology-assisted (AI) tools to support candidate screening and assessment. All results are reviewed by people, and all hiring decisions are made by people.

At Hitachi Rail, there is a place for everyone. We welcome and value differences in background, age, gender, sexuality, family status, disability, race, nationality, ethnicity, religion, and world view. It is our commitment to create an inclusive environment - we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer.