Procurement & Contract Advisor

Are you an experienced procurement professional with a keen eye for detail? Reporting to the Senior Procurement and Contract Advisor, the Procurement and Contract Advisor is responsible for a variety of purchasing functions and facilitating the public procurement process for Strathcona County acquisitions. In this role, you will provide guidance and support to various departments to effectively manage procurement activities, meet trade agreement requirements, and facilitate the optimization of project deliverables.

**Key Responsibilities**:

- Provide customer-focused centralized procurement support services across departments
- Coach and train department and corporate staff on procurement legislation, standards, and processes to ensure risks are identified and mitigated with appropriate strategies
- Provide recommendations to meet departments' specialized procurement needs and ensure legislative requirements and established protocols are met
- Guide departments to develop well-defined specifications, requirements, and evaluation criteria that will lead to attaining overall best value and optimized results from suppliers during performance of the work
- Research, identify, recommend and implement best practices to optimize and advance procurement practices
- Draft and prepare comprehensive front-end RFx documents
- Draft contracts using templates and facilitate execution of the contract with suppliers
- Facilitate evaluation and negotiable RFP processes, including shortlisted supplier presentations, demonstrations, interviews, and negotiations
- Develop supplier management and contract management expertise, instrumental to the County's success in obtaining the best value for procurement
- Identify opportunities for operational improvements by ongoing monitoring of procurement process and results

**Qualifications and Skills**
- Degree or Diploma in Supply Chain Management, Business, Finance or related field with a background in Procurement with a minimum of 3-5 years experience
- A professional procurement designation (Supply Chain Management Professional - SCMP or Certified Public Procurement Officer
- CPPO, or Certified Public Professional Buyer - CPPB) is an asset
- Thorough knowledge of purchasing methods and practices with current knowledge of legislative/regulatory frameworks governing procurement including the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) and New West Partnership Trade Agreement (NWPTA)
- Contract negotiation, business analysis, analytics, and/or project management experience is an asset
- Ability to make complex purchasing decisions; evaluate competitive bids and make recommendations regarding the awarding of tenders
- Excellent interpersonal communication skills with exceptional negotiation and conflict resolution skills
- Ability to work under tight deadlines with a high level of accuracy and strong attention to detail

**Who We Are**:
Strathcona County is a specialized municipality located in the heart of Alberta. Our vision is to become Canada’s most livable community, where our workplace culture and identity are supported by our people plan and values of integrity, respect, safety, fairness, and cooperation.

**Why Join Strathcona County**:(depending on position)
- Competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package, which includes:

- Extended health and dental coverage
- Health and wellness spending account
- Life and disability insurance
- Retirement and pension programs
- Paid and unpaid leave programs
- Earned day off program
- Employee and family assistance program
- Commitment to employee development, through internal and external training and development opportunities
- Well-being programs and a safety culture focused on physical and psychological health in the workplace

Equivalencies of education and experience may be considered. This role may be eligible to participate in our hybrid work program.

This competition may be used to fill future vacancies for similar positions within the next 6 months.

Strathcona County is committed to an inclusive, respectful, and equitable workplace that represents the community we serve. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds who can contribute diverse perspectives and experiences.

We thank all applicants for their interest; however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.