Procurement Support Specialist

City of Red Deer; Red Deer; On-site; CAD 89,000 - 93,000; Full time

Job summary

The City of Red Deer is seeking a junior-level procurement professional to handle tendering, contract management, and risk assessment across departments. You will ensure compliance with bidding laws and procurement policy, while advising and liaising with city staff to maintain fair, transparent processes.

Role supports the Procurement Section, uses JD Edwards and APC, and requires strong ethics, negotiation, and communication skills in a dynamic public sector environment.

Qualifications

• Two years’ experience performing tendering/procurement/contracting/risk duties.
• In-depth knowledge of current procurement methodologies, competitive bidding laws, legislation impacting public procurement, contract law, common law and provincial statutes.
• Ability to negotiate and write contracts using current boilerplates on behalf of The City.
• Superior verbal and written communication skills including ability to handle difficult vendors/stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Lead and administer procurement and tendering activities, including developing and managing competitive and non-competitive procurements, evaluating submissions, coordinating contract awards, and overseeing contract execution.
• Ensure compliance with municipal legislation, trade agreements, procurement policies, and industry best practices while maintaining fairness, transparency, and accountability throughout the procurement process.
• Provide procurement and contract management expertise to departments, including guidance on procurement strategies, vendor relations, contract performance issues, and procurement-related risk management.
• Support procurement systems, reporting, and training, including JD Edwards, APC, contract reporting, month-end/year-end activities, and user support for departments and vendors.
• Maintain procurement records and documentation, perform compliance reviews, and assist with process improvements to support effective contract and financial management.
• Provide administrative and operational support to the Procurement team through stakeholder communications, shared mailbox and inquiry management, troubleshooting, special projects, and other assigned duties.

Skills

Procurement

Contract management

Negotiation

Vendor relations

Written communication

Ethics and discretion

Leadership

Time management

Attention to detail

Microsoft Office

Education

College Diploma

Bachelor’s Degree

SCMP

CPPB

Tools

JDEdwards

Excel

Word

APC

Job description

About Red Deer

Red Deer sits at the heart of Central Alberta along the QEII corridor, perfectly positioned between Calgary and Edmonton. With more than 100,000 residents and a regional reach of over 300,000, it’s a growing hub for business, services, and opportunity.

Here, big-city amenities meet small-city ease. Enjoy abundant parks and trails, vibrant arts and culture, excellent recreation and education, and a strong sense of community.

With easy access to lakes, outdoor adventures, and the mountains, plus a thriving economy and high quality of life, Red Deer is an inviting place to live, work, and grow.

About The City of Red Deer Municipal Government

The City of Red Deer is a dynamic municipal organization with a $480M operating budget, a $60M capital program, and a workforce of nearly 1,700 employees. It is focused on growing with purpose by attracting talented, community-minded people who want to make a difference.

Guided by the vision “Our City, One Voice,” Red Deer is building a thriving, inclusive, and connected community, with priorities centered on a vibrant economy, community wellbeing, and strong engagement.

At its core, the City values its people, embracing diverse perspectives and fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and shared success.

The Opportunity:

This position operates at a junior level; deals with low complexity matters and requires limited supervision. It is responsible for procurement and the legal aspects of competitive bidding and related contract processes for all departments within The City. The position ensures strict compliance with competitive bidding law, current regulations and The City‘s Procurement Policy and Procedures. It maintains positive public perception of the municipality by ensuring fairness, transparency and openness in public procurement opportunities. The position is responsible for risk assessment related to competitive bidding process and contract law. A high degree of professional judgment is required in performing these duties while advising and liaising with City departments to maintain strong working relationships. The position also provides support to the Procurement Section as a whole.

Top Key Responsibilities:

• Lead and administer procurement and tendering activities, including developing and managing competitive and non-competitive procurements, evaluating submissions, coordinating contract awards, and overseeing contract execution.
• Ensure compliance with municipal legislation, trade agreements, procurement policies, and industry best practices while maintaining fairness, transparency, and accountability throughout the procurement process.
• Provide procurement and contract management expertise to departments, including guidance on procurement strategies, vendor relations, contract performance issues, and procurement-related risk management.
• Support procurement systems, reporting, and training, including JD Edwards, Alberta Purchasing Connection (APC), contract reporting, month-end/year-end activities, and user support for departments and vendors.
• Maintain procurement records and documentation, perform compliance reviews, and assist with process improvements to support effective contract and financial management.
• Provide administrative and operational support to the Procurement team through stakeholder communications, shared mailbox and inquiry management, troubleshooting, special projects, and other assigned duties.

As our preferred candidate, you will have:

• College Diploma, Bachelor’s Degree with majors such as major in law and economics (or accounting) would be an asset and Supply Chain Management Professional (SCMP), or Certified Professional Public Buyer (CPPB), etc.
• Two years’ experience performing tendering/procurement/contracting/risk duties
• In-depth knowledge and understanding of current procurement methodologies, competitive bidding laws, legislation impacting public procurement, contract law, common law and provincial statutes
• Ability to negotiate and write contracts using current boilerplates on behalf of The City
• Superior verbal and written communication skills including ability to handle difficult vendors/stakeholders
• Demonstrates high standard of ethics, integrity and discretion
• Demonstrates strong leadership and teambuilding skills
• Ability to provide consistent professional services under the pressure of conflicting priorities and public scrutiny
• Ability to adapt in an environment of ongoing change and act in the role of change agent
• Ability to apply purchasing theory in conjunction with current legislation and policy and procedures
• Ability to formulate and implement procurement policies and procedures
• Ability to process a high volume of information within tight deadlines
• Ability to work with considerable independence and to demonstrate initiative and resourcefulness in establishing and achieving business objectives
• Ability to perform duties as described with a high degree of accuracy and attention to detail, to minimize errors and/or omissions (e.g. financial data, cost savings, bid summary sheets, specifications) and to use good judgement and discretion in disclosure of information
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office suite (Word and Excel)
• Previous experience with JDEdwards financial system would be an asset

Affiliation:

Canadian Union of Public Employees, Local 417

Status:

Regular Full-time

Remuneration:

$45.41 to $47.80 per hour

Hours of Work:

75 hours biweekly; Monday to Friday. Some evening and weekend work may be required.

The City of Red Deer does not permit the use of unauthorized internet resources or Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools (for example, Copilot, ChatGPT or any other form of AI) during interviews or any supervised or timed assessments. Any violation may be investigated and result in serious consequences, including the rejection of your application.

We thank you for your application. Only those selected for an interview will be contacted.