Strategic Procurement Advisor - IT, Data and Digital Solutions

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Air Canada, recognized among Montreal's Top Employers and proud to be among Canada's top diversity-friendly employers, is looking for a Strategic Procurement Advisor to support the IT, Data and Digital Solutions (IDS) management at its Montreal headquarters.

Strategic Procurement consists of several category management teams and a knowledge management team. The successful candidate will play a key role as Product Category Lead - Strategic Procurement and Supplier Relations Lead for the IDS management. Given the cross-functional nature of IDS procurement at Air Canada, the incumbent will have the opportunity to interact with key stakeholders in many sectors of the Company.

This position is for an individual who will play a key role in major supplier selection and relationship projects for Air Canada. The successful candidate will draw on their passion for leadership and collaboration to obtain the best value for the Company and build mutually beneficial relationships with suppliers.

Responsibilities

The Strategic Procurement Advisor (IDS) acquires essential IT services, systems, and infrastructure, and manages strategic agreements and key supplier relationships.

As part of their duties, the incumbent must notably establish partnerships with the manager responsible for a specific IDS category as well as with internal business units and the IDS service to manage the entire supplier lifecycle: establishment of supplier selection strategies, sourcing of supplier bids, participation in commercial and contractual negotiations, interpretation and execution of agreements, strengthening of supplier relationships to build partnerships, monitoring of IDS supplier activities, and contribution to the overall improvement of procurement and supplier relationship management practices at Air Canada.

Here are the details of the main responsibilities:

• Support the establishment of category management strategies for IDS:
  • Develop and maintain an understanding of emerging trends in the industry and procurement markets to strengthen Air Canada's bargaining power.
  • Analyze and monitor spending by category to identify opportunities for strategic supplier selection and potential consolidation of them.
  • Collaborate with the Knowledge Management team to conduct research and analysis.
  • Keep abreast of Air Canada's IDS strategy by collaborating with the IDS service and other business units.
• Coordinate and manage procurement activities:
  • Conduct procurement market research and baseline spend analysis.
  • Collaborate with cross-functional teams to determine business requirements and establish supplier selection strategies.
  • Prepare and issue calls for tenders, evaluate responses, and conduct negotiations.
  • Negotiate contracts and coordinate their execution.
  • Ensure that Supplier Relationship Management is in place upon conclusion of activities.
• Support contract management activities:
  • Ensure follow-up of expected achievements and contractual obligations.
  • Manage interpretation procedures and contract disputes.
  • Maintain an up-to-date summary of commercial provisions.
• Participate in performance management:
  • Continuously monitor and evaluate performance metrics and report on them.
  • Support the review of service level agreements, key performance indicators, and key risk indicators with corporate strategy and operational execution.
  • Ensure surveillance of partners and risks related to implementation.
  • Review the achievement of performance goals and objectives against supplier contracts.
  • Leverage contract knowledge and expertise to ensure better delivery.
• Support spend management:
  • Participate in defining parameters for invoice validation against contracts.
  • Ensure follow-up of service level credits, discounts, risk and reward models, and other commercial agreements.
  • Calculate and validate cost of living adjustments and related provisions.
  • Develop analyses offering insight into spending trends and opportunities.
• Coordinate relationship management:
  • Support the development of an IDS supplier strategy based on supplier segmentation, performance results, and relationship and cost objectives.
  • Participate in key governance meetings.
  • Plan and conduct annual internal and external contract reviews, and develop action plans for improvements.
  • Recommend opportunities for improving the performance of suppliers and internal service managers.
  • Evaluate internal customer satisfaction.