Vice President – Global Procurement

At Stantec, we have some of the world’s leading professionals passionate about enabling our company to be its best. Our functional support teams include finance, procurement, human resources, information technology, marketing, corporate development, HSSE, real estate, legal, and practice services. We bring diverse backgrounds, skills, and expertise and create a culture where everyone has the opportunity to thrive. Through teamwork and collaboration, we’re building a stronger, more resilient Stantec every day.

Your Opportunity

Stantec is searching for an inspired senior leader for the Vice President of Global Procurement to guide our journey in managing our global procurement strategy and team spanning 34,000 employees across North America, Middle East, Asia Pacific, and Latin America. This role will execute the strategy to drive innovation, synergy and process improvement across Stantec’s global organization. This role will be responsible for elevating sourcing and procurement maturity to align with Stantec’s long-term strategic vision. 

This VP of Global Procurement will be the global owner responsible for the management of all procurement teams across the entire global organization, including but not limited to vendor management, procurement processing and subcontractor prequalification teams. The VP will be critical in driving process transformation, stakeholder buy-in and leading the teams. This role will be responsible for developing and implementing consistent procurement practices across the professional services firm’s practice. 

The successful candidate needs to have a strong desire and accountability for delivering a seamless purchasing and invoicing process to Stantec. Collaboration with other Stantec leaders and stakeholders will be critical to driving these improvements, leading the change management to increase synergies and enhance the financial and business performance. We are looking for a leader who is bold thinker willing to challenge assumptions, develop new solutions, influence outcomes and build consensus.

Your Key Responsibilities

• Identify system requirements, functionalities and improvements needed to support Stantec procurement processes in collaboration with internal stakeholders.
• Lead global procurement governance and ensure processes and standards are consistently practiced across regions. 
• Maximize opportunities to deliver cost savings through strong procurement process and proposals.
• Drive efficient and effective procurement requirements including vendor management, negotiations, sourcing and contract review and contract management. 
• Engage with global and cross functional teams to resolve issues, support enhancements and ensure seamless integration of procurement process across the organization.
• Develop, in conjunction with team leads, training materials to educate team members on system functionalities and best practices.
• Manage, mentor and develop the global procurement leadership team, fostering a culture of collaboration, best in class delivery and continuous dedication to improvement.
• Develop strategic plans and in turn provide direction to team to ensure high performance and alignment with business goals.
• Develop key team KPI’s to track overall department deliverables.
• Create and update reports and insights to manage procurement strategies, track performance metrics and support decision making.
• Analyze procurement workflows and continuously identify opportunities for automation and efficiency improvements.
• Ensure that procurement processes comply with not only Stantec’s sustainability commitments but as well comply with all relevant sustainability regulations and global legislated requirements.
• Have or become knowledgeable and actively participate in compliance with supply chain ESG disclosure requirements pertaining to the UK&I and Continental Europe (such as UK Modern Slavery, UK Social Value Act, UK Procurement Act, EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive).
• When needed, oversee due diligence activities associated with the supply chain ESG requirements, and facilitate any necessary corrective action.
• Lead the management of all required internal controls and approvals and documentation required by Stantec for the procurement of goods or services.
• Act as a key liaison between finance, IT, procurement and business lines to align new technology with business needs.
• Develop highly effective internal relationships with key stakeholders, clients, colleagues and key business partners to ensure cross-collaborative approach to procurement management.
• Lead procurement integration during acquisitions, ensuring alignment with corporate standards and continuity of supply chain operations.

Your Capabilities and Credentials

• Excellent knowledge of procurement principles and systems within a professional services firm with preference to candidates with experience with engineering or consulting firms.
• Experience with cloud-based procurement platforms
• Experience Procurement Express and ServiceNow software preferred 
• Stay abreast of emerging procurement technologies and trends to drive digital transformation.
• Firsthand experience in managing a broad-based procurement system for a large organization
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Excel, PowerPoint, Adobe Acrobat and other business systems required.
• Aptitude to be a strong team leader and inspire the procurement team to deliver best-in-class services to our Stantec businesses.
• Strategic thinker in developing overall procurement strategic plans for long term value and business advantage to Stantec.
• Understand how different factors, variables, and policies result in corresponding impacts and managing communication of those factors.
• Strong communication, both written and verbal.
• Commitment to customer service and relationship management skills to efficiently respond to inquiries and resolve any conflicts or problems that might arise.
• Willing to travel as needed including internationally.

Education And Experience

Degree or certification in supply chain management, procurement or related fields is preferred (e.g., CSCP, CPSM or related designation).

Minimum 15 years of experience in procurement with 3-5 years of experience leading a high functioning team.

Demonstrated ability to lead procurement and partner closely with finance and IT teams to work cohesively to deliver a procurement program.

Strong knowledge of procurement processes and best practices in a professional services firm.

Typical office environment working with computers and remaining sedentary for long periods of time. 

This description is not a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that may be required of the employee and other duties, responsibilities and activities may be assigned or may be changed at any time with or without notice.

About Stantec

Stantec is a global leader in sustainable engineering, architecture, and environmental consulting. The diverse perspectives of our partners and interested parties drive us to think beyond what’s previously been done on critical issues like climate change, digital transformation, and future-proofing our cities and infrastructure. We innovate at the intersection of community, creativity, and client relationships to advance communities everywhere, so that together we can redefine what’s possible.