Manager Procurement Category-CA
- Montreal, QC, Canada
Full-time
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Job details
- Job type
- Full-time
- Apply by
- Experience
- Minimum 7 years of progressive experience in procurement, supply chain operations, or a related field
- Posting language
- English
- Posted
Original job description
Job Summary
The incumbent is responsible for owning the strategic direction of a defined category of goods and services that directly support CN's rail and logistics operations. The role leads the development and execution of category management strategies that deliver sustainable value by balancing cost, quality, risk, innovation, and operational needs. The incumbent leads cross-functional teams, manages key supplier relationships, and oversees a team of Procurement Specialists and Senior Specialists to drive category performance against business objectives. The role has signing authority and direct accountability for category outcomes that impact CN's bottom line.
Main Responsibilities
Category Strategy and Execution
The role has standard working conditions in an office environment with a regular workweek from Monday to Friday and is eligible to participate in CN's hybrid work model. The role involves managing priorities and delivering work within established timelines, with support from the team to ensure sustainable and effective workload management. The role requires travel up to 10% within North America.Requirements
Experience
Strategic Procurement or Supply Chain Operations
The incumbent is responsible for owning the strategic direction of a defined category of goods and services that directly support CN's rail and logistics operations. The role leads the development and execution of category management strategies that deliver sustainable value by balancing cost, quality, risk, innovation, and operational needs. The incumbent leads cross-functional teams, manages key supplier relationships, and oversees a team of Procurement Specialists and Senior Specialists to drive category performance against business objectives. The role has signing authority and direct accountability for category outcomes that impact CN's bottom line.
Main Responsibilities
Category Strategy and Execution
- Establish category management objectives, strategies, and Key Performance Indicator (KPI) targets aligned with CN's business plan
- Lead spend analysis, category segmentation, and opportunity identification
- Oversee demand planning and forecasting for assigned categories
- Lead cross-functional teams in the development and execution of category strategies
- Adjust external market factors and integrate plans across related categories
- Drive negotiations for medium- to high-complexity contracts within signing authority
- Establish contract management principles, compliance practices, and governance frameworks
- Ensure effective management of the contractual lifecycle from award to close-out
- Develop business cases for executive commitment and investment decisions
- Monitor supplier performance and manage key relationships within the category
- Establish supplier performance frameworks and conduct regular business reviews
- Identify and mitigate supply chain risks through proactive supplier management
- Drive supplier development initiatives to improve quality, delivery, innovation, and sustainability performance
- Demonstrate thorough understanding of issues and their impacts; propose and evaluate solutions while highlighting implications of not reaching agreements
- Explain interdependencies between procurement decisions and broader business outcomes
- Influence others by communicating strong rationale and build trust with stakeholders to achieve maximum value in negotiations
- Directly supervise and develop a team of Procurement Specialists and Senior Specialists
- Support talent development and execute talent management plans
- Provide coaching, mentoring, and performance feedback to drive team growth
- Foster an inclusive, high-performance culture aligned with CN values
- Evaluate and quantify risk impacts across the category portfolio and articulate and present risks to business partners with proposed mitigation measures
- Ensure all procurement policies are followed within the team and provide consultation and guidance to team members and stakeholders
- Perform root cause analysis on compliance failures and implement corrective actions
- Define methods and guidelines for using procurement technologies within the team and conduct advanced analysis using all relevant data sources
- Keep up with market developments in procurement technology, analytics, and AI applications and identify opportunities to deploy AI-enabled solutions
- Strive for optimal organizational efficiency, improve business processes, and recommend holistic changes to ways of working
- Integrate project plans across multiple concurrent projects and identify areas of synergy or dependency
- Evaluate progress and adjust for external factors affecting timelines or scope
- Demonstrate deep knowledge of interdependencies across functions, anticipate risks, and influence outcomes through effective stakeholder management
The role has standard working conditions in an office environment with a regular workweek from Monday to Friday and is eligible to participate in CN's hybrid work model. The role involves managing priorities and delivering work within established timelines, with support from the team to ensure sustainable and effective workload management. The role requires travel up to 10% within North America.Requirements
Experience
Strategic Procurement or Supply Chain Operations
- Minimum 7 years of progressive experience in procurement, supply chain operations, or a related field
- Proven experience leading cross-functional sourcing teams and managing category portfolios
- Record of accomplishment in developing and executing procurement strategies with measurable results
- People management experience, including coaching and team development
- Candidates with an equivalent combination of education, training, and experience will be considered
- Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration, Supply Chain Management, Engineering, Finance, or related degree
- Master of Business Administration (MBA) or Master's degree*
- Professional certification or designation such as Supply Chain Management Professional (SCMP), Certified Professional in Supply Management (CPSM), Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS), Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA), or Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA)*
- Candidates with equivalent practical experience, education, or training will be considered
- Any requirement marked with (*) will be considered an asset (not mandatory)
- We Care About Each Other
- We Strive for Excellence
- We Succeed Together
- We Lead Responsibly
- Vision and strategic thinking
- Impactful and inclusive leadership
- Performance and value delivery
- Empowerment and talent development
- Strategic communication and influence
- Managerial courage and decisiveness
- Compliance
- Business acumen
- Process optimization
- High-Impact Execution
- Negotiation
- Strong command of category management methodologies and strategic sourcing frameworks
- Advanced analytical capabilities, including spend analytics and financial modelling
- Experience with enterprise procurement platforms including SAP, Ariba, and Fieldglass
- Knowledge of Total Cost of Ownership and Net Present Value concepts
- Complete understanding of category management, contracting, and pricing models
- Advanced knowledge of contract terms and conditions
- Knowledge of CN's procurement policies and procedures, affiliate rules, and regulatory compliance
- Excellent leadership, communication, and presentation skills
- Bilingualism, English and French
- Any requirement marked with (*) will be considered an asset (not mandatory)
More about this job
Responsibilities
Lead category strategy and execution, including spend analysis, sourcing, negotiations, contract governance, supplier performance, and risk mitigation to deliver measurable business value. Manage and develop a team of procurement professionals, engage cross-functional stakeholders, and improve procurement processes through data, technology, and AI-enabled solutions.
Requirements
Requires at least 7 years of progressive experience in procurement, supply chain operations, or a related field, including category portfolio leadership, cross-functional sourcing, measurable strategy results, and people management. A bachelor's degree in a relevant field is required; an MBA or master's degree and professional certifications such as SCMP, CPSM, CIPS, CPA, or CFA are assets.
Skills
- Category Management
- Strategic Sourcing
- Spend Analysis
- Financial Modeling
- Contract Negotiation
- Contract Management
- Supply Chain Risk Management
- People Management
- Cross-Functional Leadership
- Stakeholder Engagement
- Procurement Compliance
- Procurement Technology
- Data Analytics
- Project Management
- Process Optimization
Visa sponsorship
Not detected in the job text
Categories
- Management & Leadership
- Logistics
- Transportation
- Finance & Accounting
Keywords
- Category Management
- Strategic Sourcing
- Procurement
- Supply Chain Operations
- Spend Analytics
- Financial Modeling
- SAP
- Ariba
- Fieldglass
- Total Cost of Ownership
- Net Present Value
- Contract Management
- Contract Negotiation
- Pricing Models
- Supply Chain Risk Management
- Demand Planning
- Forecasting
- Key Performance Indicators
- Business Case Development
- Procurement Compliance
- Procurement Technology
- Artificial Intelligence
- Project Management
- Process Optimization
- SCMP
- CPSM
- CIPS
- CPA
- CFA