Procurement Operations Manager (Goods and Services)

About Us

At Service Nova Scotia, our Procurement division plays a pivotal role in driving the province’s procurement strategies. We are dedicated to the efficient, transparent, and sustainable acquisition of goods, services, and construction, ensuring that government departments can meet their diverse needs and support key public priorities.

As part of the provincial government, we collaborate closely with departments across sectors to ensure that procurement activities align with public policy, legislative requirements, and government objectives. We provide expert guidance and operational support, managing complex procurement activities while fostering a culture of innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement.

Our team is committed to optimizing procurement workflows, resolving challenges, and ensuring compliance with all policies and regulations. By streamlining processes and driving operational efficiencies, we play a critical role in ensuring the province’s procurement function supports public service delivery and advances the government’s strategic goals for the benefit of Nova Scotians.

About Our Opportunity

As the Procurement Operations Manager, you will take on a critical leadership role in ensuring the seamless and efficient management of procurement activities for requests submitted by provincial government departments. Your primary focus will be overseeing the entire procurement process, ensuring that projects move forward without unnecessary delays while maintaining operational efficiency across multiple procurement functions.

You will lead a team of Category Managers and Procurement Specialists, ensuring effective work allocation and guiding the team as they address challenges that may arise. While Category Managers focus on executing individual procurement projects, your responsibility will be to oversee the entire procurement workflow, prioritize tasks, manage backlogs, and maintain open lines of communication with client departments to manage expectations and resolve any issues.

A critical aspect of your role will be leveraging data to monitor procurement operations, identify bottlenecks, and reallocate resources as needed to maintain efficiency. In cases where resources are stretched and backlogs become overwhelming, you may take on projects directly to ensure continuity and meet deadlines.

You will also support the integration of new technologies, such as the upcoming SAP system, ensuring seamless transitions and improved decision-making. In addition, you will manage the performance and development of your team, contribute to policy development, and drive continuous process improvements. Your leadership will be crucial in advancing procurement operations and ensuring the efficient delivery of services to meet government needs. 

Primary Accountabilities

-Procurement & Process Optimization: Oversee the procurement process, ensuring efficient delivery. Prioritize tasks, allocate resources, manage backlogs, and resolve workflow bottlenecks using data insights to optimize performance.

-Team Leadership & Development: Lead and mentor a team of Category Managers, ensuring effective task allocation and performance management. Support Category Managers in overseeing Procurement Specialists, fostering professional growth, and promoting a high-performance culture.

-Technology Integration & System Management: Support staff in the integration of new technologies (e.g., SAP), ensuring smooth transitions and enhancing procurement decision-making and operational efficiency.

-Stakeholder Communication: Facilitate clear and effective communication between stakeholders, including upper management, clients, and suppliers. Manage expectations, address concerns, and proactively resolve issues to ensure smooth procurement operations.

-Policy & Process Improvement: Contribute to the development and continuous improvement of procurement policies and processes, identifying opportunities for efficiency and streamlining.

-Compliance & Reporting: Ensure adherence to procurement policies and regulations, overseeing operational reports on performance and compliance.

Qualifications and Experience

To be considered for this opportunity, you hold a bachelor’s degree in a related field (e.g., Business, Commerce, Administration, Human Resources, Engineering, or Science), or an equivalent combination of education and experience. In addition, you hold several years of management experience in procurement or operations, with a demonstrated ability to drive operational excellence and lead teams.

Further, you have: 

• Proven experience in implementing operational plans, managing service delivery, and presenting to stakeholders at all levels.
• Strong knowledge of lean methodologies and continuous improvement practices.
• Exceptional leadership skills, with a focus on team development, relationship management, and building a high-performance culture.
• The ability to adapt to and effectively implement new systems and technologies, ensuring smooth integration and user adoption.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with experience using data for decision-making and optimizing processes.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build relationships and influence stakeholders.
• Solid understanding of public procurement policies, trade agreements, and industry best practices.
• Experience in developing RFXs (Requests for Proposals, Quotes, and Information) and negotiating agreements is highly desirable.

LEADS

The Government of Nova Scotia has adopted the LEADS Leadership Framework.  During the interview, candidates will be expected to express how they have demonstrated the key behaviours and capabilities required to effectively lead in a caring and inclusive environment. LEADS Domains includes Leads Self, Engage Others, Achieve Results, Develop Coalitions and Systems Transformation. Please follow LEADS (novascotia.ca) for more information.

We will assess the above qualifications and competencies using one or more of the following tools: written examination, standardized tests, oral presentations, interview(s), and reference checks.

Applicants relying on education and experience equivalencies must demonstrate such equivalencies in their application.

Benefits

Based on the employment status and union agreement, the Government of Nova Scotia offers its employees a wide range of benefits such as a Defined Benefit Pension Plan, Health, Dental, Life Insurance, General illness, Short- and Long-Term Disability, Vacation and Employee and Family Assistance Programs.  For information on all our Benefit program offerings, click here: Benefits for government employees.

What We Offer

• Career Development where you have access to career guidance, tools, resources, and ongoing training for every stage of your career.
• Engaging workplace. Our Employees feel valued, respected, connected, and tuned in. We have forward-thinking policies and strategies.
• Countless Career Paths.
• A dynamic, client-focused office environment where service excellence and teamwork are our focus