Interim Director, Procurement

Reports to: Associate Vice‑President, Finance
Location: Virtual
Duration: 6 Months
Our client, a large and complex Canadian academic institution, is seeking an experienced Interim Director, Procurement for an initial six-month mandate.
The organization is looking for a seasoned procurement leader who can provide strong operational leadership while bringing the experience, perspective and confidence to challenge existing thinking, act as a positive disruptor and elevate the overall value, impact and reputation of Procurement across the institution.
Reporting to the Associate Vice‑President, Finance and leading a team of five, the Interim Director will ensure the continued effective operation of the procurement function while helping the organization consider how Procurement can become a more strategic, progressive and value‑adding partner to the broader institution.
The successful interim will bring credibility as both an experienced procurement operator and strategic advisor. They will engage and develop the existing team, build stronger relationships with internal stakeholders, challenge established practices where appropriate, and identify opportunities to improve processes, technology, supplier management, organizational risk and financial value.
THE MANDATEThe Interim Director will assume leadership of the procurement function and provide stability, direction and mentorship to the team through a period of transition.
A significant component of the mandate will be to examine how Procurement is positioned and experienced across the organization. The Interim Director will work closely with stakeholders to demystify procurement, simplify how internal clients navigate centralized procurement and build greater understanding of the value that an effective procurement function can bring to the institution.
This is not simply about maintaining the existing procurement operation. The Interim Director will be expected to challenge current approaches, identify opportunities for improvement and leave the function stronger, more professional and better positioned for the future.
KEY PRIORITIESOperational Leadership and Team Development
Provide hands‑on leadership and oversight of the procurement function and its team of five.
Ensure continuity and effective delivery of procurement activities throughout the six‑month transition.
Engage, coach and support team members, bringing additional procurement expertise, knowledge and external perspective into the function.
Assess current capabilities, ways of working and opportunities to strengthen the effectiveness and professionalism of the team.
Create clarity around priorities, accountability and service expectations.
Strategic Procurement Leadership
Assess the current procurement operating model and identify opportunities to elevate Procurement from primarily a transactional function to a more strategic enterprise partner.
Develop or refine the procurement strategy and establish clear priorities for improving value, service, governance and organizational impact.
Challenge existing practices and conventional thinking, bringing external best practices and practical ideas from other large, complex organizations.
Identify opportunities to generate measurable financial and non‑financial value through improved sourcing, vendor management, demand management and procurement practices.
Stakeholder Engagement and Procurement Brand
Build strong relationships across a complex academic and administrative stakeholder environment.
Improve stakeholders’ understanding of when, why and how Procurement should be engaged.
Demystify procurement policies and processes and make the function easier to navigate for internal clients.
Strengthen the internal brand and credibility of Procurement by positioning the team as pragmatic business partners rather than simply a control or compliance function.
Educate stakeholders on procurement responsibilities, processes, policies and the value of early Procurement involvement.
Policy, Process and Governance
Review existing procurement policies, procedures and governance structures and identify opportunities for modernization and simplification.
Establish clearer, more user‑friendly processes that balance strong governance and risk management with an effective stakeholder experience.
Identify unnecessary complexity, duplication or friction within existing procurement processes.
Strengthen transparency, consistency and accountability across procurement decision‑making.
Technology and Procurement Enablement
Review how technology is currently being leveraged across the procurement function and identify opportunities to improve efficiency, visibility and user experience.
Review the institution’s current purchase card program, associated technology and vendor arrangements and identify opportunities to improve functionality, controls, adoption and organizational value.
Assess whether existing procurement technology and processes are delivering sufficient value and identify opportunities for improvement or modernization.
Consider how automation, analytics and emerging technologies could enable a more efficient and insight‑driven procurement function.
Strategic Sourcing and Collaboration
Review key supplier relationships and sourcing strategies to identify opportunities to generate additional savings and organizational value.
Explore collaborative procurement and group‑buying opportunities with universities and other broader public sector organizations across Canada.
Identify areas where increased purchasing leverage, category management or consolidated sourcing could deliver improved commercial outcomes.
Bring an external market perspective on procurement models, technologies, supplier strategies and emerging practices.
Risk and Supply Chain Transparency
Assess procurement and supply‑chain risks across the institution and identify areas where governance, visibility or controls could be strengthened.
Improve transparency across key supplier relationships, contractual commitments and supply‑chain dependencies.
Consider emerging risks related to supplier concentration, continuity of supply, compliance, cybersecurity, sustainability and broader geopolitical or economic disruption.
Ensure procurement decisions appropriately balance financial value, service, risk and institutional requirements.
IDEAL EXPERIENCEThe successful interim will be a seasoned procurement executive who has previously led procurement within a large, complex and highly stakeholder‑driven organization.
Significant senior procurement leadership experience, ideally 15+ years across progressively responsible procurement, strategic sourcing and supply‑chain roles.
Previous experience leading a procurement function within a university, college, healthcare organization, government entity, Crown corporation or another broader public sector organization.
A strong understanding of public‑sector procurement principles, governance, competitive procurement, accountability and transparency.
Demonstrated success developing and implementing procurement strategies that have delivered measurable savings, value creation and service improvement.
Experience transforming or elevating a procurement function beyond transactional execution toward a more strategic business‑partner model.
Strong experience with procurement technology, e‑procurement, purchase cards, spend analytics and technology‑enabled process improvement.
Experience evaluating vendors, commercial arrangements and procurement platforms and challenging whether existing solutions continue to provide appropriate value.
Demonstrated ability to review and improve procurement policies, processes and governance without creating unnecessary bureaucracy.
Strong strategic sourcing, contract negotiation and supplier management experience.
Experience exploring collaborative procurement, consortium purchasing or group‑buying arrangements would be highly valuable.
A track record of strengthening procurement teams through coaching, knowledge transfer, capability development and improved ways of working.
Exceptional stakeholder engagement skills with an ability to influence senior leaders and build credibility across decentralized and complex environments.
Experience working effectively in environments where stakeholder education, relationship building and change management are critical to improving the adoption of centralized procurement.
LEADERSHIP PROFILEThis mandate will suit a senior procurement leader who combines practical operational capability with strategic perspective.
They will be comfortable getting close enough to the work to understand what is happening while resisting the temptation to simply operate the existing model. They will ask difficult questions, constructively challenge established practices and bring solutions grounded in experience from other complex organizations.
The successful interim will be:
A positive disruptor who is comfortable challenging the status quo while bringing stakeholders with them.
Pragmatic and commercially minded, with a strong orientation toward measurable value.
Comfortable operating within the governance and accountability requirements of a broader public sector environment.
Collaborative and highly credible with senior stakeholders.
An effective coach who enjoys developing people and transferring knowledge.
Curious and externally focused, bringing ideas, benchmarks and best practices into the organization.
Able to balance strategy with execution and quickly identify where the greatest opportunities for improvement exist.
Skilled at simplifying complexity and making procurement easier for stakeholders to understand and navigate.
OUTCOMESAt the conclusion of the six-month mandate, the organization should have:
A stable, engaged and effectively led procurement team.
A clearer strategic direction and priorities for the procurement function.
Improved stakeholder understanding of Procurement and a stronger internal reputation for the function.
More effective and user‑friendly procurement policies and processes.
Identified opportunities for measurable savings and increased organizational value.
A clearer roadmap for procurement technology and improved utilization of current systems.
Recommendations regarding the purchase card program, technology and vendor arrangements.
Greater visibility into supplier and supply‑chain risk.
Identified opportunities for collaborative procurement and group purchasing with peer institutions.
Increased procurement capability through coaching and knowledge transfer to the existing team.
Practical recommendations for the future operating model, capabilities and leadership requirements of the procurement function.
This is an opportunity for an experienced procurement executive to make a meaningful impact over a relatively short period: stabilizing the function today while helping define what a more strategic, progressive and value‑adding procurement function should look like for the future.
Lee Hecht Harrison Knightsbridge Corp. is committed to providing equitable treatment and accommodation to ensure a barrier‑free recruitment process. In accordance with the Ontario Human Rights Code, Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act and our AODA policy, a request for accommodation will be accepted as part of the hiring process. If you require accommodation to apply or if selected to participate in an assessment process, please provide your accommodation needs in advance to the Recruitment Lead for this opportunity.
We thank all interested candidates in advance;
however, only individuals selected for interviews will be contacted.
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