Buyer (g)

Financial Services

Education Centre

Applicants will be considered in the following order:

1) Qualified permanent ESS/OSSTF Bargaining Unit employees.

2) Qualified probationary, temporary and Temporary Hourly Rated (THR) ESS/OSSTF employees.

3) Qualified external applicants (includes employees from other Bargaining Units)

Reporting to the Manager of Procurement, the successful candidate will be responsible for strategic procurement activities, developing partnerships and relationships through counsel, research, competitive bids and negotiations.

The successful candidate for this Educational Support Staff position Level G ($56,664 to $70,380), will work 35 hours per week, 12 months per year, effective as soon as possible.

Hours of Work: TBD

Responsibilities:

Independently oversees, strategizes and assumes responsibility for multiple streams of business activity within the department, the Board and amongst supplier base

Responsible for the effective practice and interpretation of WRDSB Procurement related Policies and Procedures, best practices and guidelines

Builds and maintains a knowledge base that includes generally accepted procurement principles, broader public sector directives, freedom of information, taxation rules, trade agreements and frequently evolving competitive Procurement and Business laws, statutes and Directives

Independently prepares, writes, analyzes and comprehends complex documents such as Request for Proposals, Request for Tenders, Request for Quotes, Addenda, bid forms, contracts, and terms and conditions with attention to detail

Negotiates with suppliers on price, delivery, specification, services and terms to reach an agreement or compromise with the best possible outcome seeking mutual benefit

Influences internal clients in a positive manner through rapport building, strategizing, and decision making to support procurement initiatives, planning and/or implementation of contracts

Represents the department, establishes and maintains positive relationships with colleagues in other government agencies at relevant meetings, committees, presentations, and cooperative meetings

Attends and participates in conferences and seminars to keep current with procurement related topics as required

Identifies priorities in a time sensitive environment, and rearranges projects to meet deadlines

Investigates, strategizes, and implements new opportunities and initiatives to reduce costs or provide efficiencies to the Board

Reviews all requisitions for assigned commodities to ensure completeness, compliance with Board Procurement Policy and Procedures, and appropriateness of vendor bid sections

On behalf of the Manager, administers the Board’s various commodity requirements and liaises with internal and external stakeholders

For example:

Review Procurement services website to ensure it remains up to date

Works with IT to set up email addresses for contracted supplier offering online order and every school receives a custom email

Works with vendors and their IT departments to develop, test and ensure the website features and functions are working properly and are user-friendly

Creates training documentation for authorized staff as directed to do so

Works with IT on all Google Groups and new technology initiatives

Liaise with Accounting and IT on procure to pay methods

Qualifications:

Post-secondary diploma is required;

Attainment of or actively working towards the Completion of Certified Professional Public Buyer (CPPB) designation

Three years experience in a complex procurement environment. Public sector experience would be preferred;

Working experience with public sector collaborate organizations such as OPBA, OECM, and GRCPG is preferred

Experience in a leadership role with contracts

Request for Tender, Request for Proposal and Request for Quotation writing experience

Experience with the principles, practices, and procedures of public procurement and contract administration, contract law, CETA, CFTA, and Broader Public Sector (BPS) Procurement Directive and other related legislation;

Experience in negotiating price, delivery, specifications, services and contracts

Experience in facilitation and dispute resolution

Ability to maintain confidentiality of a broad range of business information

Ability to build strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders of varying levels

Leadership experience and presentation skills

Knowledge, confidence and excellent judgment to make difficult decisions in a legally sensitive environment

Ability to work with deadlines and high level of flexibility

Ability to work well in a collaborative environment in a positive manner

Commitment to Customer Service with strong interpersonal skills

Ability to work in a detail oriented environment with minimal supervision

High degree of technological proficiency, that includes experience with eProcurement tools (i.e. bidsandtenders), financial information systems, G Suite tools and Microsoft Office

Applicant Self-Identification Questions

The information collected in Apply to Education is used to monitor WRDSB’s progress toward our equity goals including our commitment to diversity in WRDSB recruitment and hiring practices.

We are committed to the security and confidentiality of information under our control, and to the protection of privacy with respect to personal and confidential information that is collected, used, disclosed and retained in the system (Policy 1014_- Privacy Protection and Access to Information). Information is collected pursuant to Ontario’s Education Equity Action Plan (Ministry of Education), PPM 165 and the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA). Access to this information is restricted to specific individuals in Human Resources. Access, use and disclosure of the data is governed by MFIPPA and ethical research practices. Applicant Self-Identification data will be attached to your Apply to Education applicant profile as long as you are employed with the WRDSB.

If you prefer not to answer any of the Self Identification questions, you can select “prefer not to answer”. This in no way affects your application or the applicant selection process. If you have questions or concerns about this please contact humanresources@wrdsb.ca.

The Waterloo Region District School Board is committed to equity in employment. We are committed to fair and equitable hiring practices that allow us to hire qualified staff who reflect the diversity of the community we serve, who will foster the success and well-being of our students and who demonstrate a commitment to equity and inclusion in the classroom.

We actively encourage applications from members of groups with historical and/or current barriers to equity, including, but not limited to:

First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples, and all other Indigenous peoples;

members of groups that commonly experience discrimination due to race, ancestry, colour, religion and/or spiritual beliefs, or place of origin;

persons with visible and/or invisible (physical and/or mental) disabilities;

persons who identify as women; and

persons of marginalized sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions.

We will make any appropriate accommodation based on any of the human rights protected grounds, to support candidate participation in the hiring process.

Upon request, we will provide reasonable accommodations in the hiring process to support applicants with disabilities.

While we appreciate all applications, only those selected for an interview will be contacted. No phone calls please.