Senior Purchasing Agent

Why Guelph

When you join the City of Guelph, you join a team of over 2000 employees who deliver services the community relies on every day. Together, we are bringing to life Guelph’s vision of an inclusive, connected, and prosperous city where we look after each other and our environment. As a single tier municipality, we offer a variety of occupations and career specialities within our organization. Guided by the goals and objectives of the Future Guelph: Strategic Plan and committed to the Corporate Values of integrity, service, inclusion, wellness and learning, the candidate will aid in the achievement of the Community Vision for an inclusive, connected, prosperous city.

What we offer

We offer competitive wages and comprehensive benefits to meet the needs of our diverse employees. Many of our positions offer:

• Paid vacation days, increasing with years of service
• Paid personal days;
• Hybrid and flexible work arrangements;
• Defined benefit pension plan with OMERS, including 100-per-cent employer matching;
• Extended health and dental benefits, including Health Care Spending Account;
• Employee and Family Assistance Program;
• Parental leave top up program;
• Learning and development opportunities including tuition assistance
• Employee recognition programs.

Position Overview

Resumes are being accepted for the position of Senior Purchasing Agent within the Procurement division of the Finance department. Reporting to the Manager, Procurement, the successful candidate is a strategic leader who will provide guidance and support to team members, lead complex procurements of goods and services, lead research and analysis of markets, corporate buying trends, prices, costs, and recommend opportunities for efficiencies and improvements.

Key duties and responsibilities

• Participate as a member of the Extended Finance Leadership team, demonstrating the corporate values, building excellent relationships, and communicating effectively to bridge City departments to the Corporate Finance team. Be a strategic thinker recommending solutions that simplify complex inter-dependencies of service delivery, understand City business, and identify how Finance can support service delivery to the community.
• Provide guidance to staff on day-to-day work, striving for consistent and excellent customer service and problem-solving as needed.
• Have a continuous improvement mindset for process efficiency and improved customer service, identify and assess potential areas of improvement within own job function or with other areas, be solutions-driven and take ownership of resolutions.
• Manage the process for the acquisition of goods and services, including tangible capital assets and equipment, through the competitive bidding process, low value acquisitions, non-competitive purchases, group purchases, contract extensions, and agreements with external agencies.
• Manage all phases of the bidding process for complex construction projects; support large construction and minor renovation project planning and execution per the guidelines and requirements of the CCDC, OAA, and PEO documents and City documents.
• Ensure specific procurements comply with the City’s Purchasing By-law, trade agreements, treaties and supporting policies, protocols, and standard operating procedures to achieve the goals of fair, open and transparent procurement opportunities.
• Responsible for the development of procurement strategies through consultation with client departments to achieve project objectives.
• Identify and assess legal risks associated with procurements to minimize/mitigate the City’s exposure to procurement litigation.
• Develop bid documents, bid forms, contract agreements, terms and conditions and award strategy.
• Responsible for the management of assigned procurement projects, including leading and directing cross functional teams, reviewing specifications and evaluation criteria. Also accountable for providing clients with advice and guidance in the preparation of specifications and evaluation criteria.
• Analyze bids for compliance with requirements of bid documents, perform evaluations and provide recommendations for award in compliance with Canadian procurement case law.
• Manage vendors throughout the procurement process, including responding to bid complaints and disputes, enquiries, providing debriefs to unsuccessful bidders and educating on procurement policies and procedures.
• Prepare reports to include but not limited to Purchase Approval Reports, Council Reports, Vendor Performance Evaluation, determine and obtain approvals in accordance with the requirements of the City’s Purchasing By-law
• Provide contract award notification and prepare contracts for execution.
• Provide contract management and administration of corporate wide contracts and amendments to department contracts.
• Provide training to City staff in relation to the above, including development of standard operating procedures and other support documents.
• Lead special projects as required.
• Performs additional duties as assigned.

Qualifications and requirements

• Completion of a diploma or degree in Business Administration, Materials Management, Purchasing and Supply Management or other related field.
• Extensive experience in a public sector purchasing role.
• Certified Public Procurement Officer (CPPO) and/or Certified Professional Public Buyer (CPPB) and/or Certified Supply Chain Management Professional (CSCMP) and/or Certified Supplier Chain Leader (CSCL).
• Experience supervising and leading work teams.
• Experience interpreting and executing complex legal agreements.
• Working knowledge of end-to-end procurement procedures, techniques and methodologies, including tendering, evaluation, contract development and negotiation and contract management.
• Working knowledge of procurement standards and ethics of the Ontario Public Buyers Association (OPBA), National Institute of Governmental Purchasing (NIGP), and National Institute of Supply Chain Leaders Working knowledge of contract law, trade agreements, tax legislation, Municipal Act, and risk management as it relates to bidding and contract management.
• Ability to communicate effectively with a variety of stakeholders including management, staff, contractors and members of the public.
• Excellent organizational and problem-solving skills with the ability to manage multiple tasks in a demanding environment.
• Excellent attention to detail and high level of accuracy.
• Ability to maintain a high level of confidentiality and demonstrate tact and diplomacy.
• Experience with WAM and JD Edwards is an asset.
• Advanced computer skills in Microsoft Office software including Word, Excel and PowerPoint
• Candidates with an equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered.

Hours of work

35 hours per week, Monday to Friday, between the hours of 8:30 a.m and 4:30 p.m. This position is eligible for hybrid and flexible work arrangement options (as per current corporate policy).

Pay/Salary

Non-Union Grade 6: $94,319.68- $117,899.60

How to apply

Qualified applicants are invited to apply using our online application system by April 22, 2025. Please note all applicants must complete the online questionnaire specific to this position at the time they submit their resume and cover letter in order to be considered.

The City of Guelph is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive workplace where employees feel welcome, valued and engaged. Our employment policies strictly prohibit all forms of discrimination on any of the grounds in relevant laws. All employment practices are solely based on individual merit, qualifications, and organization's needs at the time. In keeping with the Ontario Human Rights Code and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, we are committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodation for qualified individuals in our job application procedures. If you need an accommodation in order to participate in the hiring process, you may contact us to make your needs known in advance.

Personal information collected through the recruitment process will be used solely to determine eligibility for employment. We thank all candidates in advance; however, only those being considered for an interview will be contacted.