Senior Purchasing Officer

Role Responsibilities

Are you a procurement professional looking for your next opportunity in the public service? Do you wish you could spread your enthusiasm for contract details and well-crafted procurement documents?

If the answer is yes, we want you to consider a career in Corporate Purchasing!

We are looking for Senior Purchasing Officers to lead supplies procurements for all GoA departments. These positions report to a Procurement Manager in the Corporate Purchasing unit.

As a Senior Purchasing Officer, you will:
 

• Conduct open and fair procurements that comply with trade agreements, government legislation and purchasing policies;
• Work closely with client departments, developing clear and concise solicitation documents;   
• Respond to enquiries from vendors and clients regarding the tendering process;
• Use the Supply Chain Management functions of the GoA’s Enterprise Resource Planning system (1GX);
• Evaluate vendor responses and prepare recommendations for contract awards; and 
• Proactively resolve contract issues with vendors.

To be successful in this role you must:
 

• Be a great communicator, who is organized and attentive to details;
• Be motivated to work independently to solve problems;
• Be comfortable balancing diverse, sometimes conflicting client needs; 
• Look for ways to be a positive influence, even without positional authority; and
• Be able to develop user expertise in a complex Enterprise Resource Planning IT system (1GX).

In addition, as a Senior Purchasing Officer, you:
 

• Have experience developing specifications for inclusion in RFx (solicitation) documents; and
• Are familiar with the unique aspects of procurement in the public sector, including trade agreements and requirements for open, competitive tendering.

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.

The competencies most necessary for the role include:
 

• Systems Thinking
  You understand a range of stakeholder perspectives and how they interrelate;
   
• Agility
  You are able to anticipate changing demands and adapt accordingly;
   
• Drive for Results
  You are able to remove barriers to collaboration and achievement of outcomes.

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

Qualifications

The minimum recruitment standards for the Senior Purchasing Officer, Program Services 3 (PS3) classification are:
 

• University graduation in a related field and 2 years of related experience in procurement.

Equivalencies to these recruitment standards are:
 

• Directly related experience in procurement can be considered on the basis of 1 year of experience for 1 year of education.
• Directly related education can be considered on the basis of 1 year of education for 1 year of experience.

If you do not meet the minimum recruitment standards (or equivalents) for the PS3 classification, but you are interested in building your public sector procurement career in the Corporate Purchasing unit, you can still apply. However, your application can only be considered for a position at a lower classification.

The following are considered assets:
 

• Professional purchasing certification (e.g. SCMP or similar);
• Experience using Ariba supply chain management software (or similar);
• Experience navigating GoA’s 1GX technology system;
• Working knowledge of government policies, organizational structures and decision-making machinery.

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.

Qualifications (Cont'd)

Your cover letter and resume will be used to assess your qualifications, including your written communication skills and your attention to detail.

To be considered for this competition, your application must include a cover letter and resume.

Ensure your cover letter meets all of the following criteria:
 

• Includes a professional salutation;
• Identifies the relevant job opportunity;
• Is concise, without spelling/grammatical errors; 
• Provides specific information about the number of years of experience you have in procurement, and how many of those years involved working with clients to develop solicitation documents; and
• Clearly explains why you are interested in public sector procurement.

Ensure your resume meets all of the following criteria:
 

• Includes starting and ending month & year of each role;
• Is concise, without spelling/grammatical errors; 
• Clear, consistent layout that demonstrates your attention to detail; and 
• Provides information about each role, using bullet points to clarify its relevance to the requirements of this job.

Applications without a cover letter and resume that meet all of these criteria will not be considered.

Notes

Review all sections of this job ad and ensure your cover letter and resume meet the listed criteria. Applications without a cover letter and resume that meet the criteria will not be considered.

Please note that final candidates will undergo security screening.

Our office is located at Oxbridge Place in downtown Edmonton (9820 106 Street). Hybrid work options may be available (3 days in the office, 2 days working from home), subject to operational viability.

Hours of Work are Monday to Friday, 8:15 am to 4:30 pm, with one-hour lunch break. Flexible work schedules may be available on a case-by-case basis, subject to government policy and operational viability.

Any costs associated with obtaining required documents/checks 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. 

Links and information on what the GOA have to offer to prospective employees:
 

• More information about working for the Alberta Public Service: https://www.alberta.ca/about-the-alberta-public-service
• More information about the Public Service Pension Plan: 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/alberta-public-service-human-resource-directives
• Research Alberta Public Service Careers tool: https://researchapscareers.alberta.ca