Senior Procurement Specialist

Vaco by Highspring; Toronto; On-site; CAD 81,000 - 115,000; Full time

Job summary

Vaco by Highspring in Toronto, ON is seeking a Senior Procurement Specialist to lead strategic procurement activities across the organization. You will manage relationships with business partners and guide procurement strategies from RFx through contract execution.

The role requires a minimum of five years in procurement within public-sector or regulated settings, with strong communication, analytical, and negotiation skills; you will mentor junior staff and drive process improvements.

Qualifications

• Strong written and verbal communication with stakeholders at all levels.
• Attention to detail and ability to manage multiple priorities.
• Organizational, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft 365 applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain relationships with business partners and procurement strategies.
• Provide strategic procurement expertise across the lifecycle and guide RFx processes.
• Assess requests, identify risks, and ensure compliance with policies and regulations.
• Draft RFx documents, evaluation criteria, and related materials.
• Lead procurement planning and major initiatives, including contract awards.
• Mentor Procurement Specialists and Contract Coordinators; support vendor relations.
• Support budgeting, spend analysis, and reporting on procurement performance.

Skills

Communication

Attention to detail

Organizational skills

Analytical skills

Self-motivated

Team collaboration

Microsoft 365

Education

Post-secondary degree in Business Administration, Commerce, Supply Chain Management, Strategic Sourcing, Procurement, or a related discipline

Job description

Job Title: Senior Procurement Specialist

Job Type: Permanent, 3 days on-site, Toronto, ON

Job Salary: $81,000 - $115,000

Key Duties and Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain strong relationships with business partners while maintaining a thorough understanding of the OSC’s mandate, strategic priorities, and short- and long-term plans as they relate to the procurement of goods and services. Collaborate with business partners to develop annual and long-term procurement strategies.
• Provide strategic procurement expertise, consultation, and advice throughout the procurement lifecycle, including:
• Assess procurement requests from business areas and provide guidance to effectively identify and manage procurement-related risks.
• Execute procurement requests on behalf of organizational stakeholders while ensuring all procurement activities comply with the OSC’s Procurement Policy, applicable legislation, trade agreements, and government directives.
• Develop and draft procurement documentation, including RFx documents, evaluation criteria, response templates, evaluation guides, and related materials.
• Lead business partners in defining procurement requirements, scopes, deliverables, and specifications, and provide ongoing guidance throughout the procurement process.
• Lead the development, implementation, and execution of the annual Procurement Plan.
• Lead complex, non-routine, high-profile, and other significant procurement initiatives, including facilitating evaluation processes, negotiating terms and conditions, coordinating contract awards, and investigating and resolving contractual issues with suppliers. Act as a second-level resource for the resolution of complex supplier and contractual matters.
• Educate business partners, including senior management, on OSC procurement policies, procedures, and requirements. Provide ongoing guidance and direction on sourcing strategies, specification development, bid evaluation, contract management, bidder meetings, and other procurement-related activities.
• Mentor and coach Procurement Specialists and Contract Coordinators by providing guidance, supporting work prioritization, delivering training, and responding to operational and procurement-related inquiries.
• Assist the Manager with vendor relationship management and communications, including maintaining vendor contact information and analyzing supplier costs and expenditures.
• Support procurement research and analysis that informs the development of the annual corporate operating and expense budget.
• Prepare spending and financial reports, including analysis of historical actual expenditures against budget for various operating requirements.
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date information related to leases, contracts, renewals, and other contractual commitments.
• Support the development, tracking, and reporting of key Procurement performance metrics and measures.
• Provide recommendations and contribute to the optimization and continuous improvement of procurement and contract management processes. Perform quality assurance and control activities as required.
• Support change management initiatives and promote the adoption and effective use of procurement processes, systems, and tools.

Qualifications

• Post-secondary degree in Business Administration, Commerce, Supply Chain Management, Strategic Sourcing, Procurement, or a related discipline.
• Minimum of five years of progressive procurement experience within a public-sector or regulated procurement environment, or equivalent relevant experience in project management, including the development and drafting of RFx documents for complex information technology, professional, and consulting services.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing, with internal and external stakeholders, suppliers, and customers at all organizational levels.
• Strong attention to detail, accuracy, and quality, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deliver high-quality work within established deadlines.
• Strong organizational, analytical, and problem-solving skills, with a demonstrated ability to manage competing priorities and complex procurement activities.
• Self-motivated and results-oriented, with the ability to work effectively both independently and collaboratively within a team environment.
• Proficiency with Microsoft 365 applications, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.