Associate Director, Canada Procurement

AstraZeneca • Mississauga, ON

2d • Hybrid

About The Position

This role places you at the heart of how AstraZeneca delivers value, quality, and speed in Canada to ensure more patients receive the medicines they need, more efficiently and sustainably. You will lead the deployment of global category strategies in the Canadian market, translate shifting business needs into critical actions, and influence senior stakeholders across Finance, Legal, and global/regional Procurement. In a fast-paced environment where priorities evolve, you will create clarity, steer high-impact sourcing, and build supplier partnerships that strengthen performance and resilience. You will join a supportive team that values ownership, pace, and practical problem-solving, where your judgment and follow-through make a visible difference.

Requirements

• 7+ years of relevant procurement work experience, with a background operating in a complex, global organization, or heavily regulated industry.
• Post-Secondary Diploma or Degree or equivalent experience in Procurement or a related field (Business, Finance or Supply Chain).
• Experience in leading procurement initiatives (e.g., sourcing) aligned with enterprise-wide business/procurement needs.
• Experienced with indirect procurement service categories.
• Working knowledge of SAP and Coupa.
• Experience with Microsoft Office Tools, including Excel, Word, PowerPoint.
• Data-driven mindset with advanced analytical skills including Pivot Table, Lookup formulas, Conditional Formatting, etc.
• Experience in contract negotiations with an understanding of commercial terms & conditions, contract life cycle, legal parameters.
• Strong interpersonal and business partnering skills.
• Strong communications and presentation skills with ability to communicate clearly and concisely both verbal and written, with ability to craft a message that gets through to the audience.
• Strong influencing, negotiation, and analytical skills with ability to manage scoring for varied types of procurement projects and to evaluate pricing proposals.
• Strong project management skills: ability to lead to multiple projects/tasks, prioritize and work in a demanding face-paced environment.

Nice To Haves

• Professional procurement certification (SCMP, CIPS or equivalent).
• Experience deploying global category strategies in the Canadian market and aligning stakeholders in a matrixed environment.
• Track record managing high-risk/high-spend supplier relationships and delivering sustainability outcomes in supply chains.
• Proficiency with spend analytics and data visualization tools (e.g., Power BI, Tableau).
• Bilingual English/French.
• Lean Six Sigma and process improvement experience within procure-to-pay.
• Experience in pharmaceuticals, healthcare or other highly regulated sectors in Canada.

Responsibilities

• Translate Canadian business priorities into pragmatic procurement strategies and actions.
• Partner closely with Finance, Legal and global/regional category leads to align on risk, opportunity and the best path to value.
• Lead end-to-end sourcing events (RFP/RFQ) across indirect categories.
• Apply sound judgment to evaluate proposals, recommend suppliers and close negotiations that improve total cost, service quality and agility—even when inputs are incomplete.
• Increase use of preferred suppliers, consolidate demand, and leverage global agreements.
• Handle strategic supplier relationships for high-risk/high-spend categories and drive outcomes that support sustainability and risk mitigation.
• Ensure adherence to procurement policies, regulatory requirements and audit standards.
• Recommend the right templates and contracting approach, lead new contract creation and renewals, and secure transparent benefit tracking and value realization.
• Deliver measurable reductions in SG&A, CoGS and other costs, and improve cash generation through well-planned sourcing initiatives and meticulous contract negotiations.
• Prioritize day-to-day procure-to-pay activities, improve tools and workflows, and resolve bottlenecks that impact users.
• Use sophisticated analytics to accelerate decision-making in ambiguous situations and scale endorsed process improvements across the business.
• Provide clear, proactive guidance on local requirements and market dynamics.
• Coach junior colleagues on sourcing and contracting standard processes, strengthening capability across the team and preparing the function for future growth.

Benefits

• Competitive Flex Benefits & Retirement Savings Program
• 4 weeks’ paid vacation
• Annual Personal Days
• Annual Variable Pay Bonus/Short Term Incentive opportunity
• Eligibility to participate in our equity-based long-term incentive program (if applicable to role)

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Education Level: Associate degree