Vice President, Materials and Assets

Colas is a Canadian leader in transportation infrastructure - materials, construction, and maintenance. From roads to rail, airports to ports, we build some of the most important projects that connect our communities.

Backed by our network of Colas companies across Canada and the Colas Group worldwide, Colas offers a wide range of innovative and sustainable solutions for the construction and maintenance of transportation infrastructure.

Join the largest transportation infrastructure group in the world and help connect Canada.

Mission

Reporting to the President of Canada and separately, the Global Directors of Materials and Assets in France, the Vice President, Materials & Assets will support the company’s ambitions for Materials and company assets by:

• Cross-functionally steering the development of all Materials activities (aggregates, ready-mixed concrete, recycling, landfilling, precast, cement, etc.) for Canada and, in tight collaboration with Canada’s other activities, the development of a circular economy.
• Cross-functionally leading the asset management CAPEX process across the organization, maintaining line of sight on inventory, maintenance and strategic use of assets.

Main Responsibilities

Strategy and Business Development

• Contributes to the company’s Materials strategy and Asset Management strategy, led by the company’s management team, and support the deployment of these strategies across Canada. Communicates the company’s vision and exercises leadership throughout the organization to position and promote materials and asset management as key activities within the company. Supports strategically and proactively with regards to the Materials footprint for Canada, integrating geological, geopolitical, environmental and market (competition, clients) outlooks, as well as the analysis of the current portfolio of assets. Defines subsequent opportunities for portfolio optimization. Develops and coordinates strategic plans by territory within Canada and follows the global vision in coordination with counterparts in other Geographical locations.
• Contributes to the overall management of Canada’s activities as a member of Canada’s Executive Committee.

Economic Performance

• Reviews and challenges budgets and action plans prepared by the operational units (the business units and subsidiaries) in Canada. Ensures continuous follow-up of business performance and challenges results. Challenges business plans from an industrial and commercial perspective. Ensures follow-up on action plans in collaboration with local Managers in the asset and materials disciplines. Monitors business performance against agreed targets, especially practices of internal pricing at market cost and avoidance of margin transfers. Drives the commercial policy. With business units and subsidiaries, contributes to making trade-off decisions regarding products to optimize short-term margins while protecting long-term client relationships, especially when it comes to trade-offs between internal and external clients. Appropriately escalates to management in case of issues related to performance.

Investment / Divestment

• In cooperation with Canadian leadership and the global team, responsible for any investment / divestment project and ensures the expected Return on Investment (ROI) is realized. Reviews all investment files and establishes recommendations. Guarantees the proper use and optimization of the CAPEX incurred in Canada. Ensures profitability of strategic projects and regular monitoring of strategic and functional assets. Monitors all investment projects and leads the major ones within the framework of group procedures.

Operational Excellence

• Guarantees continuous improvement in operations by managing the associated processes and tools, and initiating, coordinating, and implementing action plans. With the global team and geographical business units and subsidiaries, manages the performance of Materials as part of the company’s quarries operational excellence program. Has a specific focus on dealing with red list sites. In connection with Materials Managers and Equipment Managers in geographical business units or subsidiaries, challenges performance based on defined KPIs. Monitors the progress of action plans by territory and reports monthly on performance. Secures the availability of resources by tactically reviewing business and pricing models whenever necessary. Collaborates with the geographical business units and subsidiaries to build a plan to identify business priorities and their consequences on the need for transformation throughout Canada. Guarantees the optimization of the asset portfolios and industrial tools which includes fostering innovative practices related to lean manufacturing, automation and digitization.

Materials and Equipment Community Management

• In partnership with Canada’s and the global Human Resources teams, ensures the development and management of talent and capabilities throughout Canada by leveraging one’s professional network, identifying and growing talent, contributing to mobility and establishing succession plans. Leads the Materials and Equipment communities throughout Canada with any necessary tactics, such as collective meetings, visits to territories, regular follow-up calls. In connection with Human Resources, identifies and monitors talent, participates in the development of succession plans, as well as the hiring and mobility of Managers in territories, in a context of a growing scarcity of talent. Monitors and leads the network of experts per domain for each key capability related to the Materials and Equipment disciplines. Contributes to talent development by working with the HR teams and facilitating training sessions, developing content and identifying target audiences

Division Governance

• Contributes to the development and deployment of Materials and Equipment as the Canadian representative. Ensures smooth top-down and bottom-up communication between the global team and Canada. Represents Canada for Materials and Equipment at the global level and cascades down the Division’s orientations on the field with leadership and pedagogy. Contributes to the governance of the global team on all subjects, including strategy, industrial and commercial performance, the positioning and promotion of specific activities, and talent management.

Your Profile

Qualifications & Experience:

• Experience in a strategic role, understanding commercial and industrial practices and risks
• Experience leading the materials function, the majority of which in a complex, multi-location enterprise (construction, mining or any other relevant industry).
• Experience managing various company assets required for efficient and effective running of the business
• Experience in a global company (an asset).
• Experience implementing process improvement initiatives in a complex organization.
• Broad understanding of business development strategies.
• Capacity to engage teams in a cross-functional context.

Skills & Competencies:

• Effective communicator, including interpersonal and relationship building skills.
• A proactive and influential leader.
• Highly analytical.
• Proven business acumen including strategic, analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Financial acumen (budgeting, financial statements, etc.).
• Bilingual: French and English a strong asset

Additional Information on the postition

Salary range: $210,000 - 260,000 CAD per year.

This is a replacement.

DIVERSITY IS IMPORTANT TO US
At Colas, we believe our workforce should reflect the diversity of the communities we connect. By living our core values of Caring, Sharing, and Daring, we welcome all those who help create the links that bring us together. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of age, ethnicity, national origin, religious beliefs, disability, marital or family status, gender, gender identity or expression.