Senior Purchasing Coordinator

Oakville; Oakville; Hybrid; CAD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work schedule

OMERS pension

Health plan with life and disability

Work-life balance prioritised

Positive work environment

Job summary

Town of Oakville seeks a Senior Purchasing Coordinator to lead end-to-end procurement for goods, services, construction and IT, ensuring policy and trade-compliance. You will prepare documents, run evaluations, negotiate contracts, and drive strategic sourcing across departments.

Ideally you bring 7+ years in procurement, public-sector experience, and a strong grasp of complex contracts along with excellent stakeholder communication. Hybrid work is offered along with a robust benefits package.

Qualifications

• University degree or diploma in business administration, commerce, economics, or related field.
• Professional purchasing certification such as CPPB or NISCL-CSCL or related designation.
• Minimum 7 years’ procurement experience, preferably in public procurement.
• Experience with large capital projects including construction and IT procurements.
• Strong knowledge of procurement laws, trade agreements, by-laws, and contract law.
• Ability to analyze complex procurement issues and manage high-value opportunities.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder relationship skills.
• Valid Ontario driver’s license and own vehicle may be required.

Responsibilities

• Manage all phases of bidding, ensuring compliance with By-law, trade agreements and policies.
• Develop procurement strategies in consultation with client departments.
• Identify and assess risks to minimize exposure to procurement litigation.
• Prepare solicitation documents and contracts with terms and conditions.
• Lead cross-functional teams and advise on specifications and evaluation criteria.
• Analyze bids for compliance and support contract awards decisions.
• Manage vendors, respond to inquiries and provide debriefs to unsuccessful bidders.
• Prepare Purchase Approval Reports and reports to Council; track vendor performance.
• Provide guidance and training to staff and support procurement training.
• Maintain accuracy and contribute to continuous improvement of procurement processes.

Skills

Procurement leadership

Public procurement

Capital project procurement

Contract administration

Vendor management

Market research

Negotiation

Trade agreements

Stakeholder collaboration

Regulatory compliance

Analytical thinking

Education

University degree or diploma in business or related field

Professional purchasing certification (CPPB / NISCL-CSCL)

7+ years procurement experience (public sector preferred)

Job description

Job Details:

Permanent, Full Time (CUPE 1329)

Posting Status:

Open to all current Town of Oakville employees and external applicants

Closing Date:

September 10, 2026

We Offer:

• A hybrid work schedule
• A defined benefit pension plan (OMERS)
• Comprehensive health plan complemented with life and disability insurance
• A progressive work environment that promotes a work/life balance and strives to be a great place for great people to do great things

Reporting to the Manager - Purchasing & Risk Management, the successful candidate will perform duties which include, but are not limited to effectively managing the end-to-end procurement process for a broad spectrum of acquisitions including goods and services, construction, consulting and IT. This role involves reviewing the adequacy of both non-competitive and competitive procurement requests to ensure compliance with organizational policies and procedures as well as trade agreements. The Senior Purchasing Coordinator will prepare/issue procurement documents and facilitate evaluations and contract negotiations to secure favorable terms. This position also involves conducting market research and analysis to support strategic sourcing decisions, collaborating with departments to review procurement plans and identify opportunities for joint or consolidated purchasing initiatives, and developing and administering term contracts ensuring all agreements adhere to compliance and established policies and procedures. The Senior Purchasing Coordinator must have expertise executing procurements for major capital projects including high dollar value and complex construction and IT procurements.

The Senior Purchasing Coordinator must be able to work independently and possess the ability to manage multiple priorities concurrently subject to frequent re-prioritization. The successful candidate must be knowledgeable in government procurement and will provide expert advice to staff on complex procurement issues seeking guidance from the Manager as appropriate. The Senior Purchasing Coordinator interacts with senior level Town staff and supplier communities and must be tactful in their style of communication.

The successful candidate is responsible for identifying and implementing various procurement strategies and so must be able to think outside the box. The Senior Purchasing Coordinator will be called upon at times to find innovative solutions to address unique procurement requests and challenges whilst paying attention to controls and respect to the Town’s Procurement Bylaw. The successful candidate must be able to contribute to the development, implementation and continuous improvement of the Town’s procurement framework, standards and processes.

Job Responsibilities:

• Effectively manage all phases of the bidding process and ensure procurement processes comply with the Town’s Purchasing By-law, trade agreements, and supporting policies.
• Responsible for the development of procurement strategies, through consultation with client departments to achieve project objectives.
• Identify and assess risks associated with procurements in order to minimize/mitigate the Town’s exposure to procurement litigation.
• Develop solicitation documents and contracts including appropriate terms and conditions.
• Lead and direct cross functional teams, providing advice and guidance in the preparation of specifications and evaluation criteria.
• Analyze bids for compliance with requirements of bid documents, facilitate evaluations and review recommendations for contract awards to ensure compliance.
• Manage vendors throughout the procurement process, including responding to complaints, enquiries, and providing debriefs to unsuccessful bidders.
• Assist in the preparation and review of Purchase Approval Reports, Council Reports, Vendor Performance Evaluation, determine and obtain approvals in accordance with the requirements of the Town’s Purchasing By-law.
• Provide guidance and training to procurement staff in junior or supporting roles and support the Manager in the development and delivery of procurement training to Town staff.
• Maintain a high level of accuracy in performing all duties.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

• Completion of a University Degree or Diploma in Business Administration, Commerce, Economics, or relevant discipline.
• Professional certification or accreditation in the purchasing field, such as Certified Supply Chain Leader (NISCL-CSCL) or Certified Professional Public Buyer (CPPB) or related designation.
• Minimum 7 years’ relevant experience as a procurement professional preferably for a public procuring entity.
• Experience must include large capital projects procurements including but not limited to construction and IT related goods and services.
• Strong understanding of statutes, regulations, provincial procurement guidelines, trade agreements, by-laws, contract law, and current case law.
• Ability to independently provide well researched analyses of complex procurement issues and ability to assess procurement risk.
• Ability to effectively manage high dollar value and complex procurement opportunities.
• Knowledge of project management principles and contract administration.
• Experience with various flexible forms of tendering including Negotiated RFPs.
• Experience in preparing complex legal agreements and contract documents and must be familiar with the Canadian Construction Documents Committee Documents, RAIC Document 6 Architect’s Agreement, and Professional Engineering Agreement.
• Sound understanding of the following: Surety documents, Letter of Credits, E-bonds, WSIB, Health and Safety requirements.
• Must ensure that the highest degree of ethics is applied and maintained in all business relationships and throughout the procurement process.
• Must be able to carefully balance procurement policy and operational needs.
• Determine work/project priorities and timelines in order to ensure effective workflow to meet project deadlines.
• Experience with leading stakeholder collaboration and consultations and ability to build effective business relationships, internally and externally.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and constantly changing priorities in a time sensitive manner.
• Must have strong oral and written communication skills, professionalism, tactful assertiveness and diplomacy.
• The successful candidate must hold a valid and unrestricted Ontario Driver’s License Class G minimum and will be required to supply their own personal vehicle for performing job duties/corporate business as needed.

Please note that this position requires a satisfactory criminal record check (CRC) dated within the last 30 days as a condition of employment.

Date: August 27, 2026

The Town’s recruitment software includes elements of artificial intelligence to assist in the screening and short-listing of qualified candidates.

This job profile reflects the general requirements necessary to perform the principal functions of the job. This does not include all of the work requirements of the job. Applicants are required to demonstrate through their application and in the interview process that their qualifications match those specified. The minimum threshold for the interview is 75%.

We thank all applicants and advise that only those selected for an interview will be contacted.