Senior Category Specialist

Role Responsibilities

Are you ready to "Lead the Way”? Elevate your career as a Senior Category Specialist, steering a dynamic portfolio that shapes one-fifth of all GoA procurement. You can become the provincial authority in spend categories such as contingent resources, vehicles, and furniture. Drive innovation, forge strategic procurement paths, and be the singular expert influencing the pulse of market trends. 

In this position, your role will extend beyond procurement; you'll be the pivotal single point of contact to purchasers and vendors, you will not only lead and facilitate procurements for the category, but also plan and coordinate novel approaches to optimize the end-to-end utility of those procurements across the province. Join us at the forefront of transformative procurement excellence!

As a Senior Category Specialist, you will: 

• Demand Planning: Drive cost-effective procurement through specialized business intelligence forecasting in assigned spend categories, proactively assessing market and supply chain impacts to prevent adverse effects on GoA goals.
• Procurement Projects: Support procurement of goods and services within each spend category, ensuring alignment with national/international trade agreements, provincial legislation, and best practices.
• Compliance and Expertise: Utilize extensive knowledge of procurement legislation, trade agreements, and supply chain management to deliver procurement projects effectively.
• Continuous Improvement: Optimize procurement processes through continuous improvement initiatives and identify opportunities to consolidate procurement power across GoA and MASH sectors.
• Strategic Influence: Influence program implementation decisions and contribute to policy recommendations supporting innovative procurement approaches.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Build and strengthen relationships with internal and external stakeholders, leading the development of strategic alliances and partnerships to ensure long-term procurement feasibility.
• Dispute Resolution: Apply deep knowledge of stakeholders and program needs to resolve disputes and bring closure to complex procurement issues.
• Leadership and Accountability: Lead procurement initiatives, ensuring projects meet the requirements of management and executive leadership across the GoA, while serving as the primary point of contact for purchasers and vendors.  

Please click on this link to view the job description for this position.

APS Competencies

Competencies are behaviors that are essential to reach our goals in serving Albertans. We encourage you to have an in depth understanding of the competencies that are required for this opportunity and to be prepared to demonstrate them during the recruitment process.

This link will assist you with understanding competencies:
https://www.alberta.ca/system/files/custom_downloaded_images/psc-alberta-public-service-competency-model.pdf.

• Systems Thinking: The work done within the APS is part of a larger integrated and inter-related environment. It is important to know that work done in one part of the APS impacts a variety of other groups/projects inside and outside the APS. Systems Thinking allows us to keep broader impacts and connections in mind.
• Creative Problem Solving: Ability to assess options and implications in new ways to achieve outcomes and solutions.
• Agility: Ability to anticipate, assess, and readily adapt to changing priorities, maintain resilience in times of uncertainty and effectively work in a changing environment.
• Drive for Results: Knowing what outcomes are important and maximizing resources to achieve results that are aligned with the goals of the organization, while maintaining accountability to each other and external stakeholders.
• Develop Networks: Proactively building networks, connecting, and building trust in relationships with different stakeholders.
• Build Collaborative Environments: Leads and contributes to the conditions and environments that allow people to work collaboratively and productively to achieve outcomes.
   

Qualifications

Requirements: 

• Four-year degree in a related field.
• Six years of progressively responsible related experience such as project management, procurement, supply chain management and/or category management.
• To be considered for this position your application must include a cover letter. In your cover letter, please identify the relevant job opportunity; provide specific information about your experience in procurement or project management and managing stakeholders, and clearly describe past initiatives you’ve led that achieved operational and financial efficiencies. Applications without a cover letter will not be accepted. 

Equivalency: Directly related education or experience considered on the basis of: 

• 1 year of education for 1 year of experience; or 
• 1 year of experience for 1 year of education 

The following are considered assets: 

• Project management certification (e.g., PMP or similar).
• Professional procurement certification (e.g., SCMP or similar).
• Experience managing projects. 
• Experience leading categories.
• Understanding of applicable trade agreements such as NWPTA, CFTA, CETAWTO.

Minimum recruitment standards outline the minimum education and experience required for appointment to a job classification. 
Refer to https://www.alberta.ca/alberta-public-service-minimum-recruitment-standards.
 

Notes

Please Note: 

• There is currently one full time permanent position available. This position will work out of the Oxbridge Place Building in Edmonton. Standard hours of work per week are 36.25, Monday to Friday. 
• Final candidates will be required to undergo a security screening.
• Any costs associated with obtaining the required documents/checks as noted or interview travel expenses, will be the responsibility of the candidate. Out-of-province applicants can obtain the required documents/checks from the province they currently reside in. 

What we Offer: 

• Working for the Alberta Public Service - https://www.alberta.ca/advantages-working-for-alberta-public-service.aspx.
• Public Service Pension Plan (PSPP) -https:// www.pspp.ca.
• Alberta Public Service Benefit Information - https://www.alberta.ca/alberta-public-service-benefits.
• Professional learning and development - https://www.alberta.ca/professional-development-support-directive.
• Research Alberta Public Service Careers tool – https://researchapscareers.alberta.ca.
• Positive workplace culture and work-life balance.
• Opportunity to participate in flexible work arrangements such as working from home up to two days per week and modified work schedule agreement.
• Leadership and mentorship programs.