Procurement Agent

at  Canadian National Railway

At CN, everyday brings new and exciting challenges. You can expect an interesting environment where you’re part of making sure our business is running optimally and safely―helping keep the economy on track. We provide the kind of paid training and opportunities that long-term careers are built on and we recognize hard workers who strive to make a difference. You will be able to thrive in our close-knit, safety-focused culture working together as ONE TEAM. The careers we offer are meaningful because the work we do matters. Join us!

JOB SUMMARY

Reporting to the Procurement Manager, the Senior Procurement Agent is responsible for ensuring procured materials and services meet business requirements, facilitating resolution of technical issues, and interfacing with Business Units with maximum productivity and effectiveness and acting as an escalation for issues encountered. The Senior Procurement Agent is a key team contact and has subject matter expertise. He or she is responsible for inputting into the day to day management of team work loads, prioritization, productivity, troubleshooting and issue resolution, expediting, as well as minor conflict resolution. In addition, the Senior Procurement Agent will collaborate with Procurement & Supply Management (P&SM) Leadership to look for efficiency gains and makes recommendations on process improvements. This role encompasses procurement activities as well as asset sales for all of the business units across all spend channels including electronic (e.g., SoW, Catalogue).

EXPERIENCE

Relevant work experience

• Minimum 2 years of relevant work experience

o Experience in planning, sourcing, negotiating, contracting and supplier management
o Experience in drafting and negotiating contracts
o Experience in Procurement to Pay (P2P) processes
o Experience in railroad or other transportation industry

EDUCATION/CERTIFICATION/DESIGNATION

• Bachelor degree in Supply Chain/Operations, Engineering, Commerce, or Management Science

GENERAL SKILLS AND ATTRIBUTES

• Use business acumen to drive results: stay abreast and know how CN operates
• Time management and project management
• Communicate with impact both orally and in written
• Collaborate as ONE team: share timely information with and across functions to get things done effectively
• Empower and develop others
• Apply analytical thinking and solve problems
• Work well under operational and/or executive pressure
• Work well in both autonomous and collaborative setting

TECHNICAL SKILLS/KNOWLEDGE

• Good operational procurement skills and procurement process and systems expertise
• Strong computer skills: Microsoft Office Suite and Excel
• Understand and use RFQ and RFI processes methods of ordering and payment and market dynamics
• Understand Business Unit requirements in the requisition, and evaluate its completeness for PO/RO creation
• Understanding of commercial and contract terms and conditions
• Knowledge with relevant SAP/eProcurement/Fieldglass modules*
• Any knowledge for these above would be considered as an asset

• Support internal and external stakeholders with sales and purchasing process.
• Build inventory forecast and determine annual asset sales targets.
• Where required, track and ensure optimal use of railcars and/or locomotives to buyer destinations and communicate with transportation to ensure accurate billing.
• Support and sometimes manage multiple RFQs/RFPs by creating evaluation matrices, assessing proposals/recommendations and presenting award recommendations to internal stakeholders including Senior Leadership.
• Ensure goods and services are obtained cost effectively to meet requirements and in accordance with corporate compliance requirements, established procedures and policies
• Source, negotiate, and purchase non-category related goods and services required by the business units for anything with an annual spend of $1M or less
• Assess order progress against plan, identify alternatives to improve order progress, and expedite orders as necessary
• Complete purchasing activities by drafting and revising Purchase Orders (PO) as per Business Unit’s requirements, seek appropriate authorization, inform the supplier.
• Track and maintain Purchase Order (PO) life cycle from requisition to goods receipt;
• Identify supply risks and communicate them to the appropriate stakeholders. Create inventory allocation plan based on usage patterns by location and prioritize shipments accordingly;
• Maintain data integrity on all inputs by comparing items requested to master data, ensuring a suitable item is not already available through existing commercial arrangement (e.g. eCommerce) and by clarifying unclear items
• Collaborate with Category Managers and Category Analysts to support the development and execution of savings opportunities, efficiencies, process improvements and supplier performance management activities