Category Specialist - Procurement and Supply Chain

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Our Analytics site located in Quebec City (Pierre-Ardouin site) is recruiting a Category Specialist – Procurement and Supply.

This is a dynamic and highly collaborative role focused on strategic sourcing and the procurement of mechanical commodities supporting ABB Canada’s manufacturing operations. The Category Specialist – Mechanical works closely with Engineering, Manufacturing, Planning, Quality, Logistics teams and suppliers to ensure a continuous supply of mechanical components while achieving cost, quality, delivery and sustainability objectives.

The successful candidate will be responsible for developing and implementing category strategies for mechanical components such as machined parts, castings, forgings, sheet metal, fabricated assemblies, molded plastic components, enclosures, hardware and other mechanical products. The role requires a strong understanding of supplier capabilities, manufacturing processes, cost drivers and market trends to optimize supplier performance and ensure supply continuity.

Success in this role requires strong analytical, negotiation and project management skills, as well as the ability to build strong supplier relationships and collaborate across multiple functions. The Category Specialist – Mechanical will proactively identify supply risks, lead continuous improvement initiatives, negotiate commercial agreements and contribute to the achievement of ABB’s operational and strategic objectives.

This position supports ABB Canada’s Automation, Measurement & Analytics division and is based in Quebec City.

The work model is hybrid, with three days per week on site.

Responsibilities

• Category Strategy: Develop and implement category strategies for mechanical components, castings, forgings and plastics, ensuring that suppliers are capable of meeting the company’s current and future requirements, and ensuring that all stakeholders understand the strategies and execute processes accordingly.
• Strategic Sourcing: Lead requests for quotations (RFQs), supplier evaluations, commercial negotiations and contract management activities for mechanical components and assemblies. Conduct market research and analysis to identify trends, price fluctuations and opportunities to collaborate with new suppliers. Communicate market trends, including market drivers, cost structures, supply outlooks and technical developments.
• Supplier Relationship Management: Build strong relationships with strategic suppliers while monitoring their performance through key performance indicators, including quality, on-time delivery, responsiveness, cost competitiveness and production capacity.
• Cost Optimization: Identify and implement cost reduction opportunities through supplier competition, negotiations, value engineering, productivity initiatives and should-cost analysis.
• Supply Continuity and Risk Management: Identify and mitigate supply chain risks, including those related to supplier capacity, raw material availability, geopolitical events, long-lead-time components and single-source suppliers. Develop contingency plans to ensure business continuity.
• Continuous Improvement: Lead initiatives aimed at increasing category maturity, including the use of digital tools to improve visibility into spend with lower-tier suppliers (tier-N) and proactively manage risks.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Collaborate with Engineering, Manufacturing, Planning, Quality, Logistics, Operations teams and global counterparts to resolve supply issues, support manufacturing requirements, improve supplier performance and implement sourcing initiatives.
• Engineering Change and Lifecycle Management: Support Engineering Change Orders (ECOs), supplier changes, product transfers and lifecycle management activities to ensure supply continuity.
• Capacity and Demand Management: Collaborate with suppliers and internal planning teams to ensure that production capacity and material availability are sufficient to meet evolving customer demand.
• Supplier Development: Lead supplier development initiatives, corrective actions, continuous improvement projects and performance reviews in collaboration with the Supplier Quality team. Define and implement standard local agreements with key suppliers, while providing and maintaining standard conditions in purchasing contracts and terms and conditions, in accordance with company directives and guidelines.
• Compliance and Reporting: Ensure that sourcing activities comply with ABB policies, contractual requirements and regulatory standards. Prepare and communicate reports on supplier performance, cost savings, sourcing initiatives and supply chain risks.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in Engineering, Production or Operations Management, Supply Chain Management or a related field.
• Minimum of 10 years of experience in strategic sourcing, procurement or category management within a manufacturing or industrial environment.
• Fluency in French and English; English is required to communicate with suppliers and stakeholders outside Quebec.
• Strong experience in sourcing mechanical commodities such as machined components, castings, forgings, sheet metal, plastics, fabricated assemblies, motors, hardware and custom mechanical parts.
• Experience developing category strategies, managing supplier relationships and negotiating commercial agreements.
• Ability to read and interpret technical drawings, technical specifications and Bills of Materials (BOMs).
• Strong understanding of mechanical manufacturing processes, including machining, fabrication, stamping, casting, injection molding, welding and assembly.
• Demonstrated experience leading supplier negotiations, cost reduction initiatives and supplier performance improvement programs.
• Strong analytical, negotiation, project management and stakeholder management skills.
• Experience with ERP systems (SAP is an asset) and Microsoft Office, particularly Excel.

Employment Equity & Inclusion Statement (Canada)

ABB values the dedication, commitment, and expertise of all our employees. As an Employment Equity Employer, we are committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace. We actively support the principles of the Employment Equity Act and strive to build a workforce that reflects Canada’s diversity, including:

• Women

• Indigenous Peoples

• Members of visible minorities

• Persons with disabilities

ABB is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. If you require accommodation during any stage of the recruitment process, we encourage you to let us know.