Senior Manager, Strategic Sourcing

About Queen's University Queen’s University is the Canadian research intensive university with a transformative student learning experience. Here the employment experience is as diverse as it is interesting. We have opportunities in multiple areas of globally recognized research, faculty administration, engineering & construction, athletics & recreation, power generation, corporate shared services, and many more.We are committed to employment equity and diversity in the workplace and welcome applications from individuals from equity seeking groups such as women, racialized/visible minorities, Indigenous/Aboriginal peoples, persons with a disability, persons who identify in the LGBTQ+ community and others who reflect the diversity of Canadian society.Come work with us Job Summary Reporting to the Director, Strategic Procurement Services (‘Director’), the Senior Manager, Strategic Sourcing (‘Senior Manager’) is responsible for developing a strategic approach for the sourcing of products and services for the university. The Senior Manager is responsible for leading complex sourcing projects, providing advice and guidance to university stakeholders including senior leadership, faculty, principal investigators, and staff, to facilitate effective procurement process assessment and implementation. The Senior Manager also sources products and services from suppliers, maintaining good supplier relationships, and working with all university clients and Financial Services to ensure that the sourcing process and products are acquired and delivered to clients in a timely and effective manner while ensuring compliance with university procurement policy and granting agencies’ guidelines. The Senior Manager is responsible for analyzing data and audit considerations related to university sourcing.The Senior Manager leads the Buyer team and is a member of the Department’s Leadership Team.Committed to equity, diversity and inclusion, the Senior Manager has a client-focused approach taking a lead role in the research on industry standards, best practices, and sourcing developments for the university. This role actively builds relationships with diverse and decentralized groups of department leaders, stakeholders and subject matter experts and works alongside systems counterparts in Strategic Procurement Services and Financial Services to align the business needs of the university. Job Description KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:Technical & Operational• Lead complex sourcing projects that have a significant impact on the operations of the university. Provide strategic advice and guidance to large sourcing committees, including senior level university stakeholders with a broad range of requirements and perspectives, to ensure the best supplier selection and value for the university.• Lead the required identification process to ensure that university and funding agency requirements are met for strategic procurement activity.• Oversees positive vendor relations ensuring fair, courteous and ethical relationships are maintained at all times.• Initiates, recommends and implements business process improvements as well as policy and procedural changes.• Conducts cost benefit, statistical analysis; research procurement trends, products and processes; supervises and contributes to the preparation of departmental reports.• Review, recommend and implement new and updated sourcing strategies and procurement processes that remove barriers and ensure inclusive methodology, including development of procurement documentation (RFI, RFQ, RFSQ or RFP), as required.• Prepare and draft contract documents, and review and analyze supplier contract documents.• Negotiate terms and conditions including pricing with suppliers.• Prepare supplier debrief reports.• Approve purchase requisitions adhering to university policies for spending thresholds and ensuring proper signing authorizations are obtained.• Perform supplier, market and category analysis, focusing on the relative competitive positioning of current and potential suppliers, changes to supplier cost structures, technology trends, and competitive activities. Provide recommendations and risk mitigation strategies based on findings to the leadership team.• Ensure that the Queen’s procurement process and policy is equitably applied to all procurement activity.• Assess, define and resolve complex procurement issues, including contractual terms and conditions.• Maintain files pertaining to procurement activity and research award finalization, where applicable, to ensure compliance with university procurement policy and granting agencies’ guidelines.• Establish Fair Market Value and conduct appraisals where necessary, including resale and removal of expended university assets.• Determine in-kind offerings, with suppliers and researchers, and conduct appraisals where necessary.• Maintain metrics for process improvement, supplier management and management reporting, and prepare and present business reviews for business units.• Establish, monitor and take remedial actions to resolve issues with supplier relationships.• Provide day-to-day procurement information, leadership and guidance to senior leaders, management, researchers, staff, students, external vendors and other outside sources.Human Resources• Supervises, schedules, plans, prioritizes and manages the work of junior Sourcing unit staff, providing strategic and tactical advice, guidance and coaching.• Assigns RFx intake work based on staff expertise and reviews as appropriate ensuring Strategic Sourcing team successfully project manage the end-to-end process in collaboration with stakeholders.• Create a positive and inclusive work environment that supports and promotes a culture where a diverse range of ideas and perspectives are valued and incorporated into decision-making.• Identifies needed staff resources, participates on staffing committees, prepares and updates position summaries for Strategic Sourcing staff, and makes decisions regarding employee selection.• Manages staff performance by establishing performance standards, assessing training and development needs, and evaluating performance including conducting formal performance reviews on an ongoing basis.• Investigates, addresses and resolves employee/labour relations issues, including conflict resolution and disciplinary matters. Makes decisions or effective recommendations on matters involving possible discipline, discharge and probationary termination.• Responsible for setting and clearly communicating goals and objectives of the team and their alignment with Strategic Procurement Services’ objectives.• Coordinates with other Departmental Leadership Team Members to maintain successful collaboration between units.• Respects diversity and promotes inclusion in the workplace.• Serve as critical knowledge resource person for the Strategic Sourcing unit and acts as backup to the Director, Strategic Procurement Services in times of absence. Recognize diversity of abilities and adapts content, tone, medium and style to audience to be inclusive.• Other duties as assigned by the Director, Strategic Procurement Services.REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:• An undergraduate degree in business administration or commerce required with a minimum of five to ten years of procurement experience, with demonstrated experience leading complex sourcing projects, preferably in a public sector environment.• Professional designation such as Supply Chain Management Professional (SCMP), National Institute of Supply Chain Leaders - Certified Supply Chain Leader (NISCL-CSCL) Certification, or Certified Public Procurement Officer (CPPO) designation.• Proven prior management experience to demonstrate strong leadership and team development skills to manage a group of skilled professionals.• Demonstrated knowledge of procurement legislation and regulations including federal, provincial (Broader Public Sector (BPS)) international and local directives.• Knowledge of contract law, duty and taxation regulations related to public procurement processes.• Experience and demonstrated success in working in a decentralized environment is considered an asset.• Demonstrated ability to gather and analyze data, prepare written reports, and direct others in the requirements of data analysis.• Working knowledge of computer software programs, including procurement systems, would be considered an asset.• Consideration will be given to an equivalent combination of education and experience.SPECIAL SKILLS:• Excellent planning and organizational skills. Ability to determine competing priorities and prioritizes appropriately to ensure deadlines and desired outcomes are met.• Superior communication (both verbal and written) and interpersonal skills with the ability to adjust communication style to ensure message is conveyed and understood.• Strong client focus. Maintain positive client relations and keep client informed of progress through on-going communication. Anticipate and adapt to client needs and assist to create strategies to help the department serve clients more effectively.• Seeks out and builds relationships with diverse stakeholders to develop and maintain mutually beneficial networks and working relationships to achieve organizational goals and objectives.• Superior negotiation, critical thinking and problem-solving skills.• Analytical and interpretive skills. Ability to retrieve and produce metrics and data from a wide variety of sources. Ability to conceptualize creative plans and workable solutions for dealing with a wide array of internal and external stakeholders.• Self-motivated with the ability to work independently and as a member of a team.• Consistently acts with the highest professional standards adhering to organizational standards, policies and goals.• Must be objective, fair, impartial and flexible while adhering to the ethical standards set forth by the Broader Public Sector Procurement Directive and Queen’s University Procurement Code of Ethics.• Project management skills.• Problem solving and conflict resolution skills.• Leadership skills and the ability to organize people and resources toward the effective and efficient pursuit of objectives.• Initiative and the ability to overcome obstacles to address challenges within an appropriate timeframe.• Attention to detail and accuracy.DECISION MAKING:• Determine strategy for university sourcing requirements to ensure cross functional requirements are met while ensuring best results for the university.• Determine strategic approach to supplier and product rationalization to maximize outcome of enterprise agreements.• Determine and develop service level metrics related to each product/service sourced, including a supplier monitoring process. Determine the approach required to lead teams (clients and procurement professionals) to ensure that university requirements are achieved in line with the strategic plan for procurement activity.• Determine analysis required and appropriate presentation and recommendations of findings.• Determine and take appropriate action to resolve issues that arise for researchers in the procurement and granting processes (related to procurement) to expedite the research project process.• Lead supplier selection decisions taking the lead to explain and justify decisions to university clients and management.• Determine appropriate solution to resolve complex procurement issues. Determine when issues should be brought to the attention of the Director.• Verify the acceptability of justifications for exemptions to the university’s procurement policy provided by university departments, before approval by the Director, Strategic Procurement Services.• Review procurement processes and make redesign decisions to improve process effectiveness and efficiency.• Evaluates job candidates and makes effective recommendations on suitable hires.• Makes decisions and/or effective recommendations regarding transfers and promotions.• Evaluates employee performance and decides on appropriate training or coaching to address lack of proficiency in carrying out responsibilities, or remedial action for staff disciplinary situations.• Assesses investigation outcome of grievances and makes effective recommendations on appropriate course of action or next steps on grievances.• Makes effective recommendations on level of discipline up to discharge and probationary termination. Employment Equity and Accessibility Statement The University invites applications from all qualified individuals. Queen's is strongly committed to employment equity, diversity, and inclusion in the workplace and encourages applications from Black, racialized persons, Indigenous people, women, persons with disabilities, and 2SLGBTQI+ persons. In accordance with Canadian Immigration requirements, priority will be given to those who are legally eligible to work in Canada.The University provides support in its recruitment processes to all applicants who require accommodation due to a protected ground under the Ontario Human Rights Code, including those with disabilities.