Procurement Category Lead

About Us

The Ontario Cannabis Store provides safe, responsible access to recreational cannabis for adults 19 and older. We operate the provincial online store for recreational cannabis in Ontario and are the exclusive provincial wholesaler to authorized private retail stores.

Working at the OCS is a unique opportunity to be part of an agile start-up in a ground-breaking new industry. We’re a diverse team passionate about delivering a great customer experience, working together with mutual respect and building value out of our differences. We’re an inclusive organization that understands that delivering great results comes out of ensuring every voice is heard.

About the Role

We’re looking for a Procurement Category Lead to join our team. The Procurement Category Lead will be responsible for managing the procurement life cycle for large to extra-large projects, building client relationships, and offering expertise in negotiation and conflict resolution.

The role involves advising leadership, developing procurement strategies, and overseeing complex enterprise projects, potentially leading multiple RFx activities across categories. The Procurement Category Lead will ensure project success, manage stakeholder relationships, and comply with policies and legislation, potentially mentoring team members and representing management for the organization.

About Your Day

• Managing the planning, development, implementation, delivery, and administration of the end-to-end strategic procurement lifecycle.
• Ensuring that there is a clear engagement process with all internal and external members of the team working on each sourcing initiative. This may involve training/coaching.
• Developing procurement project/action plans, including timelines and deadlines based on scope of project; developing work plans to allocate work to project team members; setting, monitoring and adjusting objectives, time frames and schedules to accommodate changes and to balance the demands of the project
• Researching, assessing, and generating options in order to provide recommendations for course of action that will result in best value to the organization including but not limited to: RFx type and strategy (value-based procurement, rank & run, BAFO/dual-track/RO, VOR) while ensuring compliance with applicable policies, directives, and legislation.
• Leading market consultations and other supplier community engagement activities as part of innovative/value-based procurement planning and initiatives
• Guiding and facilitating the development of RFx scope and specifications by identifying information the team needs, and drawing out data and insights from the group, helping the group synthesize trends, root causes, frameworks for action, and by establishing and reviewing the process options to achieve the defined sourcing strategy.
• Developing and influencing sourcing strategies to ensure best outcome for OCS with respect to value, quality and timely delivery of products and/or services
• In collaboration with Enterprise Vendor Relationship Management (or others), developing service level agreements (SLA) with business area clients, including non-performance penalties and other performance-based incentives for inclusion in the RFx and contract
• Interacting within the organization with line of business participants at all levels to execute the sourcing function
• Working with team members in Strategic Procurement to create pricing models or utilize/configure existing templates
• Preparing competitive go-to-market documents for goods, services, and consulting, and forwarding directly to vendors or to the general marketplace using available public tendering platforms
• Assisting LOB and other team members with development of evaluation criteria and metrics
• In collaboration with business areas and legal services, building negotiation plans and strategies to capture least and most desired outcomes, and managing vendor negotiations and 
• Preparing award recommendations; completing legal intake forms or other applicable legal engagement processes; assist with drafting of contract scope; awarding contracts based upon evaluation results and notifying unsuccessful vendor(s) or service provider(s)
• Liaising with legal services and business area clients to execute agreements, including utilizing standard contract/templates
• Facilitating de-briefing sessions with unsuccessful respondents on request
• Working in a confidential capacity while working on RFx initiatives where outcomes may impact labor relations, employees, process, tools, and technology, or where outsourcing activities may be in scope
• Ensuring all appropriate systems, reporting and data management activities are completed to maintain data integrity for reporting and tracking purposes. This includes accessing and updating information in multiple systems and platforms within the procurement technology ecosystem in the delivery of services to internal clients
• Provide guidance and advice to business areas on NCBC process and policies
• Providing dedicated support to specific enterprise projects or programs
• Providing project and/or program leadership at an enterprise level
• Management of multiple RFx activities across multiple categories to ensure successful project outcomes
• Managing sequential and project timelines and dependencies for RFx activities
• Developing project/action plans, including time frames and deadlines based on scope of project; developing work plans to allocate work to project team members; setting, monitoring and adjusting objectives, time frames and schedules to accommodate changes and to balance the demands of the project
• Building negotiation plans, leading vendor negotiations and executing vendor agreement processes
• Managing negotiations with consideration of appropriate category strategy, with fact-based preparation to capture least and most desired outcomes, with established proposals and counterproposals
• Enabling a culture of proactive vendor management by incorporating vendor management into procurement planning and strategies
• Supporting and enabling the collection of category and vendor(s) or service provider(s) data, performance, compliance, savings and benefits tracking, measurement, and monitoring activities.
• Possessing knowledge of key contract terms and assisting with adherence to contract terms, contract documentation and repository activities
• Identifying and collaborating on vendor(s) or service provider(s) /development and internal and external process improvement opportunities
• Enabling the provision of information on vendor reporting or other areas as requested
• Understanding business drivers for OCS alignment of project work across all client groups and regional offices in scope to plan category review timing, drawing up timelines and project plans
• Undertaking business analysis capturing demand and capturing differing requirements for each client, category and producing opportunity assessments
• Conducting independent review and analysis of special initiatives as appropriate for management regarding sensitive and high-profile issues/cases which may result in outsourcing or alteration of work of employees
• Researching the supply market to identify and understand the potential supply base using vendor cost drivers’ analysis and trends in the industries; analyzing the different options by ease and benefit and provide full market analysis and differences in all covered demand points within the line of business client (s)
• Researching vendors, building selection criteria & performing vendor analysis; identifying, ranking and weighting vendor selection criteria, and accounting for regulatory and legal issues in the supply area. 
• Remaining aware of new market for specialized services in all respects affecting the OCS, providing alternatives for service delivery opportunities from current and previous market experience
• Investigating potential opportunities and compare and assess them with existing methods and/or approaches for purposes of making recommendations as to an appropriate course of action
• Participating in the introduction and promotion of innovative and value-based procurement initiatives and solutions that will deliver significant cost reduction and/or service improvement opportunities
• Investigating, assessing, and recommending strategic options to management of the organization on sourcing methods, service delivery and savings opportunities 
• Maintaining quality and service standards in Sourcing and Category Management to support existing customer relationships and to deliver continuous improvement
• Promote an inclusive, diverse, and welcoming culture that encourages empowerment and encourages innovation, the free flow of ideas, questioning reasons for process, and proposing efficiencies and solutions

About You

• Post-Secondary education in business/commerce or related field, and/or supporting courses in business/commerce, finance, procurement, supply chain, or other related areas, or a relevant combination of education and experience
• 3-4 years in a strategic sourcing and/or vendor management role
• Knowledge of strategic sourcing and advanced procurement and strategic sourcing concepts
• Sound knowledge of or certification in procurement / Supply Chain Management including, but not limited to: SCMAO, CPPB, CPPO, PSPP or equivalent
• Other relevant certifications which could include: PMP, ITIL (add others from IT roles), CHRP, BRM
• Intermediate MS Office skills
• Sound knowledge of, or certification in procurement / Supply Chain Management
• Sound knowledge of Procurement and Strategic Sourcing processes 
• Conflict resolution, negotiation, facilitation, problem solving, and interpersonal skills
• Proficiency in the use of applicable software including Microsoft Suite of programs, collaboration tools (SharePoint), electronic bidding systems (Merx, Biddingo Bids & Tenders, Jaggear, and others), B2B applications, ERP programs such as D365, Oracle, SAP and others is preferred
• Experience with ServiceNow or other Procurement/Contract Management software is preferred

About the Job

• This position currently offers a hybrid work schedule. The current in office requirement is a minimum of 3 days/week (may be more depending on business needs). The OCS office is located near York Mills and Yonge St. However, OCS reserves the right to change this policy and its office location at any time. 
• When working from home, a reliable internet connection is required. Hybrid work is supported with cloud-based applications and collaboration tools (i.e., MS Teams).
• City: Toronto, ON
• Employment Type: Permanent, Full-Time
• Required Travel: none

Compensation

The target hiring range for this position is $95,000 - $105,000. This is a pay grade 6 role, with a salary range of $ 71,066.63 - $ 106,316.64. Placement in the salary range will be based on factors such as market conditions, internal equity, and candidate experience, skills, and qualifications relevant to the role.

We are committed to providing an accessible, equitable and inclusive candidate and employee experience. We provide reasonable accommodation throughout the recruitment process and in employment. If you require an accommodation please let us know, we will work with you to meet your needs.