Principal Procurement Specialist

McDermott International, Ltd; Kuala Lumpur; On-site; MYR 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

McDermott International, Ltd in Kuala Lumpur is seeking a Principal Procurement Specialist who will lead procurement strategies for complex projects and work with cross-functional teams to ensure seamless delivery.

You will manage RFQs, supplier negotiations, and vendor performance, collaborating with project teams to meet schedules and ensure compliance with company policies.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management or equivalent, with 10 years of relevant experience.
• 8–12 years of procurement experience.
• Professional Procurement qualification.
• Strong analytical skills with detail orientation.
• Proficient in MS Office, especially Excel.
• Experience querying databases or programming (e.g., SQL).
• Experience with data visualization tools like Power BI or Tableau.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Plan and manage procurement of materials, equipment, and services per project requirements.
• Interface with procurement and other McDermott departments for project materials.
• Oversee RFQs, commercial evaluations, and PO awards.
• Resolve vendor T&Cs and payment issues with Legal and AP.
• Monitor market conditions and report price and delivery trends.
• Supervise buyers and staff, and perform staff performance reviews.
• Provide procurement reports as required.

Skills

Analytical skills

Verbal and written communication

Attention to detail

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Supply Chain Management

HSD/GED/IGCSE with 10 years of relevant experience

Tools

MS Excel

SQL

Power BI

Tableau

Job description

Job Overview

The Principal Procurement Specialist is responsible for interpreting internal or external business issues and recommending best practices. They will be tasked with solving complex Procurement-related problems and will work independently with minimal guidance. The Principal Procurement Specialist may be responsible for leading functional teams or projects and is regarded as a specialist in Procurement. As such, they must have in-depth expertise in Procurement as well as broad knowledge of the Procurement discipline within the Supply Chain function.

Job Description

The Principal Procurement Specialist is responsible for interpreting internal or external business issues and recommending best practices. They will be tasked with solving complex Procurement-related problems and will work independently with minimal guidance. The Principal Procurement Specialist may be responsible for leading functional teams or projects and is regarded as a specialist in Procurement. As such, they must have in-depth expertise in Procurement as well as broad knowledge of the Procurement discipline within the Supply Chain function.

Responsibilities

Key Tasks and Responsibilities

• Plan, organize, and manage the procurement of materials, equipment, and services required for projects per company and client requirements; in compliance with established company policies and procedures
• Interface with the procurement function and other McDermott departments for all matters related to the procurement of material for projects
• Work closely with PPMs
• Oversee all procurement activities associated with the effective procurement of project materials, equipment, and services scopes per Project or end-user schedules, specifications, and budgets
• Implement the Project Procurement Execution Strategy applicable to each project
• Manage the Project Procurement group to undertake RFQs, commercial evaluations, and PO award
• Resolve all commercial and Terms and Conditions criteria and issues related to RFQs and PO’s
• Monitor all project procurement-related activities and performance, providing direction and support needed to team members, to ensure the successful delivery of project requirements
• Liaise with vendors, coordinate and assume lead participation in vendor commercial clarification meetings and/or conference calls, and act as the company focal point on commercial discussions with vendors during the preorder stage, i.e., from RFQ to PO award for projects procurement
• Liaise with individual Project Procurement Managers/Coordinators on all procurement matters related to the execution of the Project Procurement Strategy and the effective award of PO’s for Project materials, equipment & services scope
• Liaise with Engineering and QC on technical matters related to an RFQ and/or PO in the pre-award stage
• Liaise with Legal to resolve vendor T&Cs and Accounts Payable to resolve vendor payment issues
• Monitor and review market conditions and report price and delivery trends for Project materials and equipment
• Ensure conformance with the company policies and Procurement procedures by the Project Procurement group and contribute to continuous improvement of procurement work methodologies and processes
• Supervise, train, and coordinate the activities of buyers and supporting staff and provide continuous support to staff in their undertaking of all tasks and activities
• Undertake regular staff performance reviews
• Provide procurement reports as necessary and undertake tasks, activities, and assignments at the direction of the management

Qualifications

Essential Qualifications and Education

• Bachelor’s Degree (or equivalent) in Supply Chain Management (or a relevant discipline) or HSD/GED/IGCSE with 10 years of relevant experience
• 8-12 years of relevant experience
• Professional Procurement qualification
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to collect, organize, analyze, and disseminate information with attention to detail and accuracy
• Proficient in MS Office suite applications, preferably with intermediate MS Excel skills
• Experience in a database query or programming languages (e.g., SQL)
• Experience in data visualization using Power BI, Tableau, or similar dashboarding application
• Strong verbal and written communication skills

About Us

Our ingenuity fuels daily life. Together, we’ve forged some of the most trusted partnerships across the energy value chain to make what was once just an idea a reality: laying subsea infrastructure thousands of feet below sea level, installing platforms hundreds of miles from shore, using our expertise to design and build offshore wind infrastructure, and reshaping the onshore landscape to deliver the energy products the world needs safely and sustainably.

For more than 100 years, we've been making the impossible possible. Today, we're driving the energy transition with more than 30,000 of the brightest minds across 54 countries.