Procurement Specialist

Are you a highly motivated, team player, who wants the opportunity to challenge yourself? Innovative Automation encourages anyone who answered yes to the above question to apply today!

About Innovative:

Located in Barrie, Ontario, Innovative Automation designs and delivers advanced custom automation solutions for global manufacturers, including Fortune 500 companies. At Innovative, we lead globally, industry-wide, and locally—with passion and pride. We foster a culture where collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement are part of everyday work, and where people are supported to grow both technically and professionally.

At Innovative Automation, we:

• Invest in employee growth through training, development, and advancement opportunities
• Encourage a “work hard, play hard” environment
• Support community involvement and team connection through events and fundraisers
• Value safety, family, and well-being alongside performance and quality

What we offer:

• Employer Matched RRSP (Registered Retirement Savings Program)
• Flex-time Policy (flexible start and end times)
• Extended Healthcare, Dental, Vision, Paramedical, EFAP Benefits
• Healthcare Spending Account
• Employee Events
• Educational Assistance Programs
• Professional Dues Reimbursement
• Costco Membership Reimbursement
• Safety Boots and Safety Glasses Allowance

Job Opportunity: 

The Senior Procurement Specialist serves as a key link between Innovative Automation's project teams and its external supplier network. Success in this role requires strong technical procurement capability, supplier market knowledge, understanding of supplier shop load and delivery performance, and the ability to select the right supplier for the right work at the right time. The position is responsible for ensuring purchased materials and outsourced manufacturing services are delivered with the required quality, timing, and cost effectiveness to support successful project execution. 

What you’ll do:

Procurement & Sourcing 

• Obtain competitive quotations for machined components, traditional machining work, welded fabrications, machined and welded frames, structural frames, and purchased materials. 

• Review drawings, specifications, quantities, and delivery requirements to ensure RFQs are clear, complete, and aligned with project needs. 

• Analyze quotations for technical compliance, supplier capability, delivery commitment, quality performance, commercial value, and overall project risk. 

• Select suppliers based on demonstrated capability, historical performance, shop load, available capacity, lead time, quality record, responsiveness, and cost competitiveness. 

• Generate and manage purchase orders within the ERP system, ensuring pricing, delivery dates, specifications, and contractual requirements are accurate. 

• Negotiate pricing, delivery schedules, payment terms, currency considerations, and other commercial conditions as required. 

• Ensure purchased products and outsourced manufacturing services meet project specifications, quality requirements, and schedule expectations. 

Supplier Capability & Performance Management 

• Develop and maintain a clear understanding of each supplier's manufacturing capabilities, equipment, capacity, certifications, technical strengths, and limitations. 

• Identify suppliers best suited for machining, welding, fabrication, finishing, specialty manufacturing, and frame-building requirements. 

• Maintain supplier performance knowledge based on quality, delivery, responsiveness, communication, and ability to meet Innovative Automation project requirements. 

• Evaluate supplier performance on a regular basis and use performance history to guide sourcing decisions. 

• Work with suppliers to resolve delivery, quality, capacity, and communication issues while supporting continuous improvement of the external supply base. 

• Support the development of supplier scorecards, capability matrices, and preferred supplier lists for key purchasing categories. 

Supplier Shop Load & Schedule Management 

• Develop an understanding of supplier shop load based on Innovative Automation orders placed with each supplier, committed delivery dates, open purchase orders, and supplier delivery performance. 

• Assess supplier capacity and timing risks before awarding new work, particularly for machined and welded frames, fabricated assemblies, and critical-path project components. 

• Proactively identify supplier overload, supplier bottlenecks, long-lead issues, and project schedule risks before they impact customer commitments. 

• Perform regular expediting activities and maintain accurate supplier delivery updates for internal stakeholders. 

• Communicate timing risks, recovery plans, and delivery status updates to Project Management, Manufacturing, Engineering, Quality, and Supply Chain leadership. 

• Balance workload across qualified suppliers where appropriate to improve delivery performance, manage risk, and support project execution. 

Strategic Procurement & Continuous Improvement 

• Develop sourcing strategies for recurring commodity groups, machined components, welded fabrications, frames, and custom manufacturing requirements. 

• Identify and qualify new suppliers to improve supply chain resilience, competitiveness, quality, and delivery performance. 

• Support make-versus-buy evaluations and supplier selection decisions using capability, capacity, cost, and schedule considerations. 

• Participate in value engineering, cost reduction, and supplier development initiatives with internal stakeholders and suppliers. 

• Maintain documentation supporting supplier selection, cost savings, negotiations, and performance improvement activities where required. 

• Contribute to ongoing refinement of purchasing processes, tools, procedures, supplier evaluation methods, and procurement decision matrices. 

Cross-Functional Collaboration 

• Collaborate with Engineering, Project Management, Manufacturing, Quality, Finance, and Supply Chain teams to support project objectives. 

• Provide procurement input during project planning, supplier selection, schedule development, and risk review activities. 

• Communicate supplier concerns, capacity limitations, market conditions, and delivery risks that may impact project schedules or budgets. 

• Support a professional, responsive, and solutions-focused purchasing function that serves internal customers and strengthens supplier relationships. 

• Collaborate with Sales team and Customer to understand project requirements and machine concepts
• Work directly with vendors to verify component selections
• Provide design solutions for custom, non-standard equipment. Develop sales concepts into detailed 3D CAD models using creative problem solving and application of engineering theory
• Delegate duties and coordinate the design process with Junior, and Contractor resources., which could include up to 10 resources during the design phases of large-scale projects
• Review designs of project team, checking for scope intent, functionality, simplicity, and manufacturability
• Meet with Project Manager and team members to ensure project deliverables are tracking per schedule and scope
• Conduct design reviews to customer for approval, prior to manufacturing
• Identify Machine Safety items and provide design direction in accordance to relevant safety codes and principles.
• Ability to complete safe stop distance calculations for PSSD’s.
• Ability to create and facilitate Machine Safety Risk Assessments with the Project team
• Review or prepare detailed manufacturing component and assembly drawings per IA standards
• Supervise or complete the creation of IO lists and drawings, along with Cycle Time charts for down stream departments
• Supports Build team as required during the Assembly and Development of the equipment
• Update designs and drawings upon development and project completion
• Contribute ideas for Continuous Improvement projects that improve the departments operation and efficiency
• Mentor and support Junior level mechanical designers

What you’ll need:

Education 

• Diploma or degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, Engineering Technology, Manufacturing, or a related field. 

• Professional supply chain designation such as SCMP, PMAC, CPSM, or equivalent is considered an asset. 

Experience 

• Minimum five years of procurement, buying, sourcing, and supplier management experience in a manufacturing environment. 

• Experience sourcing machined components, welded assemblies, fabricated frames, structural fabrications, and outsourced manufacturing services. 

• Demonstrated experience interpreting supplier capability, managing supplier delivery commitments, and evaluating supplier performance. 

• Experience negotiating pricing, lead times, delivery commitments, and commercial terms with suppliers. 

Knowledge & Skills 

• Strong understanding of machining, fabrication, welding, finishing, and custom manufacturing processes. 

• Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings, bills of material, specifications, and project requirements. 

• Strong negotiation, supplier management, analytical, and decision-making skills. 

• Ability to assess supplier shop load, supplier capacity, and timing risk based on open orders and supplier performance. 

• Proficiency with ERP/MRP systems and Microsoft Office applications. 

• Excellent organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a project-based manufacturing environment. 

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with suppliers and internal stakeholders. 

For more information, visit our website at www.innovativeautomation.com.

If you require any accommodation during our recruitment process, please let us know. 

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