Category Lead, Procurement

Salary $72,430 - $97,028 per annum, 35 hours per week

Classification ADM-06

This is a provisional classification. Formal regular review classification procedures may be initiated at any time by the incumbent or supervisor after the incumbent has worked a minimum of six months in the role.

Dalhousie University is Atlantic Canada’s leading research-intensive university and a driver of the region’s intellectual, social and economic development. Located in the heart of Halifax, Nova Scotia, with an Agricultural Campus in Truro/Bible Hill, Dalhousie is a truly national and international university, with more than half of our almost 21,000 students coming from outside of the province. Our 6,000 faculty and staff foster a vibrant, purpose-driven community, that celebrated 200 years of academic excellence in 2018.

As the University continues to invest in modernization and operational excellence, procurement has become an increasingly strategic function supporting teaching, research, technology, and campus operations across a diverse and complex institution.

Reporting to the Manager, Strategic Procurement, the Category Lead, Procurement will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of procurement at Dalhousie University. As the University’s first Category Lead, you will help establish strategic category management practices, support procurement modernization efforts, and influence purchasing decisions across a diverse and complex institutional environment.

Over the past several years, Dalhousie has embarked on a significant procurement transformation journey, implementing a new procurement platform and advancing a more centralized procurement model. This newly created role is a critical next step in that evolution, helping move procurement beyond transactional purchasing toward a strategic, value-driven function.

• Develop and implement category strategies aligned with institutional priorities and stakeholder needs.
• Conduct spend analysis, supplier reviews, and market assessments to identify opportunities for value creation, risk mitigation, standardization, and cost optimization.
• Develop annual category procurement plans informed by demand forecasting, market analysis, and stakeholder priorities, and support long-term sourcing initiatives.
• Build business cases and recommendations that support informed procurement decisions.
• Lead complex and high-value sourcing and competitive procurement initiatives from planning through contract award.
• Develop sourcing strategies, facilitate supplier engagement, oversee evaluations, and negotiate commercial agreements.
• Ensure compliance with University policies, public sector procurement standards, and applicable trade agreements.
• Promote procurement best practices related to fairness, transparency, sustainability, and supplier diversity.

• Build trusted relationships with academic, research, and administrative stakeholders across the University.
• Act as a strategic advisor, helping departments navigate procurement decisions and planning activities.
• Influence purchasing practices and support the University’s transition toward a more centralized procurement model.
• Drive change management efforts by promoting procurement best practices and encouraging early engagement.

• Lead supplier relationship and contract performance management activities.
• Identify opportunities for innovation, service improvements, supplier rationalization, and ongoing value creation.
• Provide mentorship and guidance to Buyers and procurement colleagues.
• Champion continuous improvement initiatives that…