Senior Associate, Operations and Procurement

PwC•Toronto, ON

1d•CA$84,700 - CA$134,700•Onsite

About The Position

A career within Operations and Procurement Advisory at PwC will give you the opportunity to work closely with strategic thinkers and problem solvers in a challenging environment. You’ll support client engagements focused on optimizing operational efficiency and effectiveness—ranging from procurement and sourcing transformations to complex operations planning and readiness decision-making in highly constrained, mission-critical environments. Clients engage us to enhance procurement and sourcing by analyzing their business, spending, and supplier markets, and by integrating process, data, reporting, and system-enabled improvements to identify opportunities that support their goals and drive performance. Clients engage us to enhance their businesses by identifying opportunities that support their goals. In addition, our clients also need our services to discover the best ways to reduce costs and improve operations through the integration of strategies with opportunities beyond price reductions. You’ll work with clients across sectors – from government and public sector organizations to private sector organizations in different parts of the economy in these critically timely challenges. At the same time, you’ll continually refine and develop your own capabilities through practical engagement delivery, continuous technical upskilling and formal training, and the professional connections you make. It is expected that the role includes up to 80% of travel to client sites. The Opportunity: As a Senior Associate, you’ll work as a key member of a project team to solve complex business issues from strategy through to execution for our clients across North America. These client projects will range from assessments and pilots to implementations of identified improvement opportunities, on teams with various sizes and composition. You’ll work alongside Junior, Senior or Executive client teams to conduct detailed analyses, draw insights, strategize, develop and communicate recommendations, and implement these recommendations to create lasting value.

Requirements

Completed master’s or bachelor’s degree (preferred fields: Engineering, Business, Operations, Industrial/Systems Engineering, Computer Science, or a closely related quantitative field).
Relevant experience in a procurement/ operations/ leading management consulting firm (typically 3–5+ years depending on scope and specialization).
Experience supporting procurement strategy, category management, strategic sourcing (direct/indirect), sustainable and/or agile procurement, process optimization, and/or procurement/ERP technology solution implementation.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with attention to data quality, assumptions, and uncertainty; ability to simplify complex ideas for non-technical audiences.
Experience working with operations and technology teams in asset-intensive industries (asset-intensive experience is an asset).
Working knowledge of end-to-end source-to-pay and procurement maturity assessments.
Analytical mindset with experience using data processing and dashboarding tools (e.g., Excel, Alteryx, Power BI, Tableau) and comfort developing/maintaining models and documentation.
Familiarity with enterprise platforms, system integration concepts, data architecture, and digital workflow enablement; experience with procurement/ERP platforms (e.g., SAP, Salesforce, Workday) is an asset.
Proven ability to build client relationships, identify and address client needs, and contribute to business development.
High level of professional integrity, initiative, and commitment to teamwork; enthusiasm to learn and adapt how you work for a digital world.
Excellent communication and presentation skills; ability to work with and present to various levels of seniority.
Experience preparing and/or coordinating complex written and verbal materials.

Nice To Haves

Certifications are an asset (e.g., PMP; procurement/supply chain certifications such as SCMP/SCMA, CIPS, CPSM, CSCP).
Desired languages: English (bilingual French is a preference).

Responsibilities

Procurement & Operations Analytics Support procurement operating model, strategy development, and strategy implementation, including sustainable sourcing.
Structure operational and planning challenges as analytical problems under uncertainty; translate readiness and planning questions into quantitative outputs that inform decision-making.
Conduct and interpret client data analyses (e.g., spend analysis, capacity/ throughput/ bottleneck analysis, scenario analysis) with appropriate rigor and clear assumptions.
Understand and support end-to-end source-to-pay (budgeting, planning, sourcing, procurement, payment).
Lead and support cost and scenario analysis, price forecasting, and market trends; identify levers leading to cost savings.
Contribute to business process redesign using analytical tools and AI, and support documentation of business rules, data requirements, process flows, and reporting logic.
Develop and maintain analytics code, models, and supporting documentation; work with data from multiple systems and sources.
Develop negotiation strategies and support contract negotiations to secure profitable deals (time, cost).
Engagement Delivery Support the delivery of engagements by conducting detailed analyses; preparing client and executive presentations and materials; and supporting procurement documents as required.
Work collaboratively within project teams to deliver high-quality outputs; work effectively with both business and technical stakeholders.
Support preparation of insights for client discussions, clearly communicating results to non-technical audiences.
Proactively flag risks and issues to senior team members; support management of engagement risk and project economics, including planning and budgeting.
Support/lead mixed consulting and client teams of 2–3 from initial assessment through implementation and continuous improvement (team size and leadership expectations may vary by engagement).
Business Development Develop and maintain trusted relationships with decision makers at key clients.
Contribute to pursuits and proposal development, including supporting the development of innovative approaches and methodologies.
Collaborate with PwC colleagues across other operating units and lines of service globally to win as one and develop unique solutions to service client needs.
Practice Development Support the development of thought leadership in collaboration with like-minded professionals.
Conduct market research and strategy development on new and emerging technologies and practices.
Contribute to planning and execution of regular practice-wide meetings and team events; share knowledge across the network.
Actively participate in staff recruitment and development activities.
Personal Development Receive structured coaching and advisory from a senior member of the practice.
Continuously upskill through training and learning and development solutions (soft skills, technical, and practice-specific).
Build your capabilities through practical engagement delivery and the professional connections you make.