The posting
Job Description
As a Procurement Specialist, you will be responsible for leading and executing procurement activities for a major shipbuilding and defence project. This role focuses on complex industrial project procurement, including technical scopes of work, engineered equipment and services, subcontracted work packages, RFPs, commercial negotiations, purchase orders, and contract execution.
You will manage end-to-end procurement processes and work closely with the Project Management Office (PMO), engineering, legal, finance, planning, and estimation teams to ensure procurement activities support project requirements, budget, schedule, and risk objectives.
You will also work directly with subcontractors and suppliers, monitor tendering and award progress, and provide clear status reporting to project stakeholders. The role requires a hands-on procurement professional with experience in industrial, project-based environments who can quickly integrate into the project and deliver under tight timelines.
More specifically, you will:
- Lead end-to-end procurement activities for complex industrial work packages, including preparation, issuance, and evaluation of RFPs and RFQs, supplier selection, commercial analysis, and award recommendations.
- Lead commercial negotiations with subcontractors and suppliers for technical, engineered, construction, marine, defence, or industrial goods and services to secure favourable pricing, delivery schedules, and contract terms aligned with project requirements.
- Draft, review, and issue purchase orders and subcontracts for project-based procurement packages, ensuring alignment with technical requirements, internal policies, commercial strategy, and legal requirements.
- Collaborate with the PMO, engineering, legal, finance, planning, and estimation teams to align procurement strategies with project scope, budget, schedule, technical requirements, contractual obligations, and risk management priorities.
- Serve as the primary point of contact for equipment subcontractors, ensuring clear communication regarding expectations, contract terms, timelines, and deliverables.
- Provide procurement input to the planning and project estimation teams, including market information, budgetary pricing, supplier feedback, lead times, commercial risks, and procurement schedule assumptions for technical goods and services.
- Monitor and report on the status of subcontractor tenders, ensuring they are processed on time and within budget, and provide regular updates to project teams on subcontractor bids and contract progress.
- Assist in monitoring project procurement performance, track key procurement metrics, and ensure all materials and services are delivered as per the contractual obligations and project timelines.
- Proactively identify and resolve procurement-related issues, such as delays in supply chains, contract disputes, or non-compliance with contract terms.
- Maintain detailed records of procurement activities, including contracts, purchase orders, supplier communications, and performance reviews, and generate regular reports for stakeholders.
- Ensure compliance with the Procurement Policy and legal, environmental, trade, security, and company requirements in all procurement processes.
- Stay informed on market trends, industry standards, supplier capacity, and procurement risks relevant to defence, shipbuilding, marine, and heavy industrial projects.
- Manage multiple procurement packages concurrently, prioritizing activities to meet project milestones and driving procurement deliverables to schedule.
- Apply sound commercial judgment to complex procurement packages involving technical specifications, subcontracted scopes of work, long lead items, delivery risks, contractual obligations, and cross-functional stakeholder input.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Supply Chain Management, Engineering, or a related field.
- Minimum of 7–10 years of procurement experience in a complex industrial, project-based environment such as shipbuilding, defence, oil and gas, energy, marine, aerospace, heavy manufacturing, infrastructure, or large-scale construction.
- Demonstrated experience leading RFP and RFQ processes, commercial evaluations, supplier negotiations, and contract awards for technical, engineered, subcontracted, or construction-related scopes within a schedule-driven project environment.
- Experience in procurement of technical, engineered, industrial, marine, defence, construction, or project-based goods and services; transactional purchasing experience alone is not sufficient.
- Strong negotiation skills and the ability to effectively manage subcontractor relationships.
- Solid understanding of procurement processes, project management methodologies, and contractual obligations.
- Advanced business and analytical skills related to strategic sourcing, cost analysis, supplier evaluation, and commercial decision-making for major industrial or capital projects.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills and the ability to work effectively with cross-functional teams and external partners.
- Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to work independently, prioritize competing procurement packages, and make practical recommendations under project schedule pressure.
- Proficient in procurement software and tools (e.g., SAP, Oracle, or other procurement platforms).
- Ability to influence stakeholders and suppliers, communicate clearly, and support defensible procurement recommendations in a cross-functional project environment.
- Understanding of financial processes, billing, milestone payments, authority levels, and controls.
- Direct experience in shipbuilding, defence, marine, oil and gas, aerospace, energy, heavy industrial, or major construction environments is strongly preferred.
- Fluency in English is required for this position, as you will interact with English-speaking suppliers, stakeholders, or clients.
- Familiarity with legal and financial considerations in contract and procurement management.
- Detail-oriented and organized, with the ability to track multiple complex procurement packages, supplier deliverables, project priorities, and stakeholder actions simultaneously.
- Successful completion of the security screening process and obtainment of the required security clearance under the Federal Government’s Contract Security Program (minimum of 5 years of residency in Canada, with no interruption of 6 consecutive months.
