Specialist Sr Procurement Category - Specialized services and Multimodal

Canadian National Railway Company•Montreal, QC

11d•Hybrid

About The Position

Reporting to the Category Manager, Procurement and Supply Management (P&SM) of Specialized Services & Multimodal, the Senior Procurement Specialist will support the development, analysis and execution of innovative procurement strategies that deliver sustainable enterprise value including achievement of cost reduction targets. The Senior Procurement Specialist will also monitor the delivery of key contracts, capture of financial savings through negotiation of contract terms, conditions and monitoring of supplier performance. The role manages key contracts, negotiates terms and conditions to deliver financial, and ensures ongoing supplier performance management. It also supports strategic sourcing initiatives in collaboration with the Category Manager, including developing sourcing project plans, preparing procurement documentation and managing RFx processes through to evaluation, negotiation and final recommendation. The Senior Procurement Specialist plays a key role in developing and implementing procurement strategies aligned with the Company’s Engineering requirements and service needs. The position demands strong ownership and accountability, with the ability to independently manage projects, ensure milestone achievement, and support critical initiatives. The Senior Procurement Specialist has a direct impact on the organization’s bottom line by improving cost efficiency, service levels, and safety outcomes, while influencing decision-making processes. This position requires strong communication skills due to frequent interactions with stakeholders, both internal and external, including collaboration with internal clients and suppliers.

Requirements

Minimum five (5) years of experience in procurement and supply management roles.
Bachelor’s Degree in Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, Engineering, Finance, or equivalent
Negotiation skills: able to conduct complex negotiations, seeks and value all perspectives. Able to recommend and present negotiation strategy to CN executives when required.
Brings strong curiosity and a proactive mindset to understand the business and remain up to date on evolving industry requirements
Analytical, critical thinking and detailed-oriented
Understands and displays a customer centric mind-set to adopt to the customer’s requirements
Demonstrates active listening
Solves problems to create value
Communicates with impact
Collaborates with others and shares information
Able to adapt, manage and perform under pressure with shifting priorities
Demonstrates agility and drives change
Extensive knowledge and ability to understand complex contractual Terms and Conditions, Statement of Works (SOW), Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), and Letter of Intent (LOI) types of agreements
Knowledge of contractual financial aspects such as Net Present Value (NPV), Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), Cost Performance Index (CPI), and Producer Price Index (PPI)
Ability to drive innovative analysis to understand the market trends, cost drivers, suppliers and best practices
Strong technical skills related to data tools and presentation of data
Knowledge of strategic sourcing best practices
Knowledge of Procure‑to‑Pay (P2P) processes
Knowledge of supplier performance principles
Basic knowledge of Incoterms, Customs and documentation required for delivery within North America and international imports
Knowledge of commercial aspects of product and service categories
Knowledge of rail transportation or logistic industry
Fluently bilingual both written and verbal (English, French)

Nice To Haves

Any knowledge for any of the above would be considered as an asset

Responsibilities

Interact with internal stakeholders, understand their needs and promote value creation, ensure alignment with procurement processes and strategies.
Conduct data analytics during different stages of the sourcing process to inform decision-making and drive cost efficiencies.
Develop the procurement category strategy and supplier market knowledge as it relates to Environmental Services, Automotive, Docks and Multimodal portfolios.
Maintain strong market intelligence and stay current on industry trends, supplier capabilities, and cost drivers.
Build and handle the RFx process, evaluate supplier responses and prepare business cases to submit for management approval, ensuring alignment with organizational objectives.
Negotiate contracts with suppliers, including commercial and legal clauses, to secure favorable agreements.
Lead contract management, supplier relationships and supplier performance to ensure supplier compliance and optimal service delivery.
Collaborate with Buyers to ensure all rates and agreements are appropriately administered in the Purchase to Pay (P2P) process (i.e., System, Applications and Products (SAP), Ariba, Fieldglass).
Ensure that all internal organizational requirements in terms of compliance to procurement policy are met and addressed.
Participate and support department-wide projects when required, contributing to cross-functional initiatives.