Senior Sourcing Specialist

Position Summary :

Reporting to the Associate Director, Strategic Sourcing, this position provides strategic sourcing support, mentoring, leadership to the Sourcing group.

Also, this role will build and maintain client relationships with internal business partners to ensure simplified, efficient, and strategic sourcing outcomes.

Key Accountabilities :

• Develop client relationships, maintains an awareness of client business mandates and short and long range plans as they affect procurement of goods and services, and meets with clients to formulate quarterly, annual and long range sourcing strategies
• Maintain the Resource Planning Tool (RMT), identifies areas of concern with clients and formulates strategies to ensure that the resources, time lines and other inputs meet client requirements
• Ensure that clients including senior management are educated and understand GTAA and procurement policies including sourcing strategies, selection and definition of specifications, assessment of bids, financial management strategies associated with procurement, and management of bidders' conferences
• Coordinate, mentor and coach Sourcing Specialists and Coordinators, including allocating work and priorities, training and monitoring, reviewing key inputs, and recommending approval of leave.
• Ensure that procurement activity aligns with plans and strategies, authorizations, and follows industry and GTAA practices and policies
• Ensure the team have the tools (electronic and hardcopy) to perform work, identifying new and improvements to tools and processes to develop and implement tools and process changes
• Participate in or lead sourcing initiatives, ongoing and special projects and meetings, analyses data, writes and presents reports
• Deliver complex sourcing initiatives (RFx) primarily for the GTAA CapEx program with a construction and architecture / engineering focus including chairing the evaluations process, negotiation of terms and conditions and awarding of contracts and investigating and acting as second level resource in the resolution of contractual problems with suppliers
• Ensure GTAA Branches have been included in the sourcing initiative process and making decisions as to whether draft contracts should be forwarded to Legal services for review in accordance with policy
• Ensures all records are maintained to meet industry and GTAA standards, working with auditors and responding to questions and information needs

This unionized position is classified at the Band 8 level, with an hourly wage of $, based on a 37.5 hour work week. The successful candidate must be available to commence the duties of the position once a selection decision has been made.

A test may be administered as a part of the recruitment process.

Qualifications :

• A university degree plus relevant professional purchasing certification, or equivalent combination of education and experience
• Minimum 5 years of procurement work experience in an environment of similar scope and complexity, preferably in delivering capital procurement
• Experience managing varied and sophisticated sourcing initiatives
• Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) tool experience in large enterprise, especially Oracle preferred.
• Experience planning and partnering with clients
• Experience leading and coaching people, preferably in a unionized environment
• Experience in supervising, mentoring and coaching others
• Demonstrated experience working in a customer centric environment
• Able to obtain and retain a Transportation Security Clearance

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities :

Expert knowledge of industry and GTAA procurement standards, policies, and practices in order to lead non routine, high profile and other significant procurement activities.

Sourcing Initiatives undertaken represent the most complex at the GTAA

• Knowledge of GTAA client roles and mandates, immediate and long range plans, financial planning processes, procurement approval and review processes to develop strategic quarterly, annual and long range procurement plans and to implement plans including the consultation and consensus of strategies
• Ability to implement processes throughout the TAA to meet review and approval requirements, and ensuring that all appropriate parties have been included
• Knowledge of various GTAA and industry tools including databases, standard contract clauses, contract standards, and other industry related aids in order to lead the sourcing process and meet documentation requirements
• Knowledge of special project planning and delivery techniques and practices in order to lead and coordinate the conduct of special projects
• Skill in communication, leadership, management and execution of large, significant sourcing assignments
• Ability to identify unique problems in the sourcing of goods and services and the ability to develop creative solutions to resolve the problem in the best interest of the client
• Ability to build consensus of terms and conditions for large contracts
• Strong interpersonal skills are required to chair bidders’ conferences, respond to questions and challenges, resolve differences between clients and contractors, proponents and others including in those situations with a significant dollar value under dispute

The GTAA is a federally regulated private sector. The Government of Canada has suspended mandatory vaccination requirement for federally regulated transportation sector workers.

The GTAA continues to monitor government and health developments relating to COVID -19 and may re-introduce the Vaccination and proof of Vaccination requirements in the Policy at any time.

The GTAA is committed to Employment Equity and maintaining a diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace where everyone can thrive.