Senior Project Buyer

Thales Group; Ottawa; Hybrid; CAD 60,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Thales Group in Ottawa is seeking a Senior Project Buyer to own end-to-end engineering-change procurement for the AJISS program. You will translate requirements into purchasable work packages, issue purchase orders on time, and align supplier commitments with milestones.

You will mentor teams, manage supplier performance, and ensure compliance with regulatory and contractual requirements while collaborating with engineering, program management, and legal to drive on-time delivery.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in procurement, supply chain, commercial or contract management.
• Experience in defense/high-compliance industry preferred.
• Strong project management and milestone-tracking skills.
• Excellent supplier engagement and relationship management abilities.
• Knowledge of defense regs, government contracting, and AJISS program is desirable.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end AJISS engineering-change procurement/supply execution: manage sourcing, PO creation/issuance, supplier docs, and ensure alignment.
• Drive schedule and milestone performance: track work package progress and lead recovery actions.
• Manage defense-approved suppliers: build relationships and ensure delivery dates and documentation.
• Serve as cross-functional purchasing interface with engineering, PM, quality, finance, legal.
• Post-award supplier execution & performance management: monitor delivery, initiate corrective actions, and conduct reviews.
• Support change governance and continuous improvement to reduce cycle time and rework.

Skills

Procurement

Project management

Supplier engagement

Risk management

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

University degree in any field

Diploma in procurement/finance/economics/commerce/accounting or materiel management

Tools

SAP

MS Project

ERP systems

Job description

## Senior Project BuyerApplyremote type: Hybridlocations: Ottawatime type: Full timeposted on: Posted Yesterdayjob requisition id: R0331148Location: Ottawa, CanadaIn fast changing markets, customers worldwide rely on Thales. Thales is a business where brilliant people from all over the world come together to share ideas and inspire each other. In aerospace, transportation, defence, security and space, our architects design innovative solutions that make our tomorrow's possible.For decades, Ottawa has been a global technology leader. Today, Canada’s capital holds one of the brightest and most diverse technological ecosystems in North America. Voted as Canada’s best place to live 2017 by Maclean's, Ottawa offers a low cost of living with a high quality of life. The Thales Ottawa office has been a major supplier and long-term trusted partner to DND, enabling the Canadian Armed Forces and the Canadian Coast Guard to achieve mission success.**Ottawa, ON., (CAN.), Hybrid****Position Summary***In fast changing markets, customers worldwide rely on Thales. Thales is a business where brilliant people from all over the world come together to share ideas and inspire each other. In aerospace, transportation, defence, security and space, our architects design innovative solutions that make our tomorrow's possible.**For decades, Ottawa has been a global technology leader. Today, Canada’s capital holds one of the brightest and most diverse technological ecosystems in North America. The Thales Ottawa office has been a major supplier and long-term trusted partner to DND, enabling the Canadian Armed Forces and the Canadian Coast Guard to achieve mission success.*Thales has a vacancy for a **Senior Project Buyer** to support the AJISS Engineering Changes Team across the Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ship In-Service Support (AJISS) program. As a Senior Project Buyer, you will translate engineering change requirements into purchasable, executable work packages—ensuring Purchase Orders (POs) are issued on time, supplier commitments are aligned to delivery and milestone expectations, and risks/issues are identified early and resolved decisively. You will also increase organizational knowledge by mentoring, improving practices, and strengthening end-to-end purchasing/supply execution. You will act as an experienced and independent owner for purchasing execution and supply readiness that enables engineering change delivery and act as the interface between the AJISS engineering team, procurement, and suppliers, ensuring projects meet their targets, risks are managed, and communication remains transparent.**Regulatory Compliance Requirement**This position requires direct or indirect access to hardware, software or technical information controlled under the Canadian Export Control List and /or the US the Export Administration Regulations (EAR). All applicants must be eligible or able to obtain authorization for such access.**Key Areas of Responsibility*** Own end-to-end AJISS engineering-change procurement/supply execution: manage sourcing, PO creation/issuance, supplier documentation, and ensure technical/contractual alignment (scope, quantities, specs, terms, lead times, quality/compliance, delivery).* Drive schedule and milestone performance: track work package progress, proactively identify risks (lead time slippage, capacity, technical clarifications, documentation readiness), and lead recovery actions/escalations to protect AJISS deliverables.* Manage defense-approved/program-relevant suppliers: build and maintain relationships, support readiness and delivery planning, and ensure suppliers meet commitments for delivery dates, quality, and required documentation.* Serve as cross-functional purchasing interface: partner with engineering, program/project management, category management, quality, operations, finance, legal, and bid/capture; provide transparent status, forecasts, and risk reporting with timely escalation.* Run post-award supplier execution & performance management (where applicable): monitor delivery performance, execute supplier recovery/containment support, conduct performance reviews, and ensure corrective actions are initiated, tracked, and verified.* Support change governance and continuous improvement: represent procurement interests in change review boards and cross-functional meetings; continuously improve purchasing/supply execution workflows to reduce cycle time, rework, and schedule variance (including lessons learned and templates).* Ensure compliance and audit-ready evidence: maintain complete, accurate, and audit-ready records of orders, compliance artifacts, correspondence, and acceptance evidence; ensure all interactions meet contractual, ethical, and regulatory requirements.* Escalate and lead resolution of systemic issues: identify root causes of purchasing/supply bottlenecks and propose practical mitigations (alternative suppliers, revised delivery sequencing, PO scope/terms updates, revised recovery plans).* Be a go-to resource and (where needed) mentor others: support the team proactively, reduce friction between functions, and share process knowledge/best practices.**Engagement Points: *Internal:**** Work Package Manager (WPM) / Project Manager (PM): alignment on scope, schedule, risks, issues, and supplier performance; ensure purchasing actions support recovery and commitment management.* Engineering Design Manager (EDM) / Engineering: Collaborate to clarify technical requirements, manage Statement of Work (SoW) deliverables, and ensure seamless management of technical interfaces.* Procurement / Category Management: Ensure sourcing strategies are aligned, coordinate handover from pre-award activities, and provide feedback on supplier performance for future sourcing decisions.* Project Manager: Track and forecast costs, support and manage budgets/EAC, and control milestones and payments related to supplier contracts.* Quality / Safety / RAM / Industrial / Operations: Monitor and manage supplier performance in quality, safety, industrialization, compliance and timely delivery.* Legal / Commercial: Support contract variations, claims, disputes, and escalations, ensuring adherence to contractual and legal requirements.* Bid / Capture Teams: Provide insights on supplier performance, risks, and costs to inform bids and proposals for future projects.***External:**** Key suppliers / subcontractors: Manage day-to-day commercial, and performance relationships to ensure project success.* Customer representatives (where appropriate): Coordinate supplier-related matters impacting project delivery and customer commitments.* Auditors or regulatory bodies (as required): Provide evidence of supplier compliance with contractual, ethical, and regulatory requirements.**Minimum Qualifications*** 8+ years’ relevant experience in procurement, supply chain, commercial or contract management, with clear exposure to post award supplier management.* Experience in procurement or supply chain within the defense or high-compliance industry, ideally supporting in-service support or engineering change programs.* Strong project management and milestone tracking skills using relevant tools (e.g., SAP, MS Project).* Excellent supplier engagement and relationship management abilities.* Proactive risk identification and mitigation skills; able to challenge delays constructively.* Effective communicator in cross-functional, high-stakes environments.* Working knowledge of defense industry regulations, government contracting, and AJISS program requirements is highly desirable.* The candidate must meet all the following criteria:a) possess a university degree in any field and possess a minimum of 2 years of demonstrated experience in a procurement and finance related activity within the last 5 years or possess a diploma from a recognized college program in procurement, finance, economics, commerce, accounting or materiel management and possess a minimum of 3 years of demonstrated experience in a procurement and finance related activity within the last 6 years; **and****All applicants must be able to obtain a Canadian NATO Secret clearance and meet the eligibility requirements outlined in the Canadian Controlled Goods Registration Program and ITAR.****Preferred Qualifications*** Professional qualifications or training in one or more of the following: + Procurement / supply chain (e.g. CIPS or equivalent) + Project management (e.g. PRINCE2, APM or equivalent) + Commercial / contract management* Degree (or equivalent experience) in business, commercial, engineering or related discipline.Values & Behaviours* Customer focused, delivering on commitments to internal and external stakeholders.* Collaborative, building strong relationships across functions and with suppliers.* Accountable, taking ownership for outcomes and driving issues to resolution.* Agile, adapting quickly to changing priorities, scope and constraints.* Innovative, seeking continuous improvement in supplier performance and ways of working.* Ethical and transparent, acting with integrity in all supplier interactions.**Special Position Requirements*** Role will require working from both office (3) and home (2) (hybrid).* Schedule: 40 working hours per week Monday- Friday. Flexible time, however, accommodating core hours of 9 am-3 pm, project needs and global/international time zones.**Pay Transparency**The anticipated Total Target Compensation (TTC), inclusive of annual salary and bonus eligibility, for this role is **$60,000 to 100,000 CAD Annual**. The Company reserves the right to ultimately pay more or less than the posted range and offer additional benefits and other compensation, depending on circumstances not related to an applicant’s status protected by local, provincial, and federal laws.