Strategic sourcing specialist – MRO and contracted services category

POSITION SUMMARY

The Strategic Sourcing Specialist- MRO- reports to and supports the Category Director in the development and execution of the MRO and Contracted Services category strategy. The role provides sourcing execution, market, and spend analysis, supplier and contractor coordination, contract support, and stakeholder alignment for categories such as industrial supplies, spare parts, maintenance services, repair services, contractor services, site services, and related operational support services.

Acting as an analytical and execution support role, the Strategic Sourcing Specialist helps deliver measurable value through cost optimization, risk mitigation, service performance, compliance, and improved contract coverage. The incumbent will act as a key contact for Kruger site buyers and maintenance departments.

The position is based in Montréal, Québec, with potential for hybrid work arrangements. Occasional travel to supplier, contractor and Company sites may be required.

RESPONSIBILITIES

· Strategic Sourcing and Category Execution

o Support the Category Director in executing sourcing strategies and roadmaps for MRO goods and contracted services, including maintenance parts, repair services, industrial supplies, contractor services, site services, and related operational support services.

o Support end-to-end sourcing events and manage low- to medium-complexity workstreams, including RFI/RFP/RFQ preparation, bid analyses, supplier shortlisting, recommendations, and implementation planning.

o Prepare fact-based sourcing recommendations using market intelligence, spend analysis, cost drivers, supplier capabilities, service requirements, risk considerations, and total cost of ownership.

o Support supplier and contractor rationalization, standardization, and tail spend reduction initiatives, including preferred supplier usage, multi-site consolidation, and improved contract coverage.

o Work with stakeholders to translate business requirements into clear statements of work, service levels, pricing models, deliverables, and technical or contractor requirements.

o Support post-sourcing implementation, including supplier or contractor transition, communication to sites, contract enablement, and early adoption follow-up.

· Stakeholder Value and Business Partnership

o Support the Category Director and act as a trusted advisor to internal stakeholders by preparing options, trade-offs, and recommendations for decision-making across Maintenance, Operations, Engineering, Reliability, Stores, Finance, Legal, Health & Safety, Environment, and site leadership.

o Coordinate cross-functional alignment on requirements, evaluation criteria, sourcing timelines, governance steps, and decision points.

o Develop analysis and options for improved sourcing models, such as master service agreements, blanket agreements, standardization, multi-site leverage, service-level commitments, and risk-sharing mechanisms.

o Challenge the status quo constructively by proposing alternative supply options.

o Communicate outcomes clearly through executive-ready summaries: value delivered, total cost impact, risk posture, and supplier performance expectations

· Contract Negotiation and Commercial Governance

o Support the Category Director in preparing and negotiating commercial and contractual terms; negotiate commercial and contractual terms that protect Kruger’s interests, including pricing, liability, service levels, safety and environmental requirements, contractor obligations, insurance, payment terms, termination, and change control.

o Support the development and maintenance of master service agreements, blanket agreements, rate cards, pricing schedules, and other commercial frameworks applicable to MRO and contracted services.

o Support contract development by preparing commercial inputs, coordinating redlines, tracking open points, and supporting internal alignment.

o Prepare governance and approval documentation for review, including sourcing rationale, award recommendation, financial impact, risk assessment, policy compliance, and decision records.

· Risk Management, Compliance and Supplier Performance

o Identify and document supplier, contractor and contractual risks, including operational continuity, critical services, sole-source exposure, contractor dependency, quality, safety, and downtime risk.

o Incorporate health & safety, environmental, regulatory, quality, technical specification, and business continuity considerations into sourcing strategies and contracts.

o Support contractor compliance requirements, including onboarding, site access, insurance, health & safety requirements, and compliance documentation in coordination with site teams.

o Support supplier and contractor performance management by preparing service expectations, performance indicators, and follow-up mechanisms related to delivery, service response, safety, quality and cost avoidance.

QUALIFICATIONS

· Bachelor’s degree in supply chain, business administration, finance, engineering, industrial maintenance, operations management, or a related field.

· Professional certification (SCMP or equivalent) preferred.

EXPERIENCE

· Minimum 7 years of demonstrated experience in strategic sourcing and contract negotiations, preferably with direct exposure to MRO, industrial supplies, maintenance services, contracted services, spare parts, repair services, site services, or manufacturing support categories, including supporting competitive sourcing events and negotiating agreements with measurable outcomes.

· Proven ability to support and coordinate sourcing initiatives that influence stakeholders and deliver value beyond price, including risk reduction, performance, standardization, and compliance.

· Practical experience using analytics and/or AI-enabled tools to improve sourcing effectiveness and speed (e.g., opportunity identification, benchmarking, contract review acceleration, supplier intelligence).

· Experience in manufacturing/industrial environments with cross-functional governance and compliance requirements, including collaboration with maintenance, reliability, operations, stores, facilities, project and contractor management teams, is preferred.

· Experience with eProcurement and/or eSourcing tools (Coupa, Ariba, SAP, Jaggaer, Ivalua, or equivalent), including workflows and sourcing event execution is preferred.

SKILLS AND ABILITIES

· Strong strategic sourcing toolkit, including category strategy, cost modeling, negotiation planning, supplier evaluation, spend segmentation, and total cost of ownership analysis.

· Excellent negotiation and contract acumen; confident engaging with suppliers, contractors and internal legal stakeholders.

· Strong stakeholder management: ability to facilitate discussions, influence through analysis, and balance competing priorities.

· Analytical orientation: comfortable with spend analysis, TCO concepts, benchmarks, inventory data, lead-time analysis, consumption trends, and service utilization data.

· Executive-ready communication: can synthesize complex topics into clear recommendations and concise updates.

SUCCESS IN THIS ROLE WILL BE MEASURED BY

· Delivery of measurable value through sourcing initiatives, including savings, cost avoidance, risk reduction, service performance, and compliance.

· Quality and timeliness of sourcing execution: well-structured events, clear recommendations, stakeholder alignment.

· Improved contract coverage, preferred supplier usage, tail spend reduction, and supplier/contractor performance.

· Effectiveness in supporting the Category Director through timely execution, high-quality analysis, disciplined follow-up, and well-prepared recommendations.

LANGUAGES

· Good verbal and written communication skills in French and English.

Knowledge of English is required for this specific position as Kruger deals with partners across North America and the successful candidate will be required to communicate frequently with them. Kruger has taken all reasonable steps to avoid imposing English language requirements, including assessing the actual language needs associated with the duties to be performed, ensuring that the language skills already required of other employees were insufficient for the performance of those duties, and limiting as much as possible the number of positions with duties requiring English language skills.