Procurement & Contracts Specialist

Procurement & Contracts Specialist

COVE

Dartmouth, NS

Who is COVE?
 

COVE is a tech hub and commercialization partner home to more than 400 organizations that use its facilities, services and programs.  COVE brings together industry, academia and government to accelerate marine technology development and commercialization - from seabed to space - ensuring resilient supply chains built with Canadian solutions. Through its vast international network, COVE has been at the forefront of providing invaluable networking opportunities, fostering connections, and leading discussions within the global marine technology community.  

COVE spearheads programs aimed at nurturing talent, expediting the release of technology products, and bolstering the success of emerging ventures by startups, scaleups, and SMEs. These initiatives, coupled with COVE's ability to harness diverse skills and expertise nationally within the innovation ecosystem, serve as an enabler for overcoming industry challenges, driving economic growth, and delivering value to investors.  

As COVE experiences rapid expansion, we are actively seeking to expand our team to further bolster our transformational influence on the marine sector. We recognize that our journey toward this goal hinges on the strength of our team - a group of individuals who collaborate, innovate, and continually strive for excellence. Join us as we embark on this exciting journey of discovery and advancement.  

The Opportunity

The Procurement & Contracts Specialist plays a key role in the procurement and contract management process to ensure the efficient lifecycle management of contractual agreements and purchase orders. Responsibilities include preparing, reviewing, and executing purchase orders and contracts with the goal of increasing profits, reducing risk, and closing deals quickly, efficiently and accurately.

This role is also responsible for creating standardized contractual language and templates, liaising with legal counsel as required, and will act as the single point of contact for COVE employees regarding procurement and contract related information. 

What You'll Do:

• Oversee procurement processes and contract management, ensuring alignment with corporate strategy and compliance standards.


• Develop and maintain a database of all contracts to ensure well organized and key information is always on hand, including naming nomenclature and version controls. 


• Source, negotiate, and execute contracts while ensuring cross-functional alignment with department heads and Finance. Develop and update, as required, key contract templates for general use.


• Manage the systems and processes for contract lifecycle tracking, renewal notifications, and monitoring, ensuring a seamless contract management experience for all stakeholders. 


• Support cross-departmental teams to mature procurement strategies and enhance process efficiency to drive key outcomes, optimizing cost-effectiveness and ensuring seamless integration of services and tools across COVE.


• Lead ongoing improvement efforts within the procurement department by examining data, pinpointing opportunities for improvement, and executing strategies to optimize processes, enhance productivity, and provide tangible benefits to COVE. 


• Serve as a single point of contact for COVE teams regarding procurement, contract related issues and issue resolution. Communicate procurement and contract-related information to internal stakeholders.


• Support the requests for proposals process and review proposals from potential vendors. 


• Provide support in negotiating contract terms and conditions and ensure that contractors are in compliance with legal requirements, specifications and regulations.


• Draft, redline, and edit contracts, while reviewing for contractual risks. Ensure accuracy, efficiency, and relevancy of all contracts and work with all parties to ensure understanding and compliance with COVE’s policies. 


• Facilitate and manage contract approval processes and enter contracts and purchase orders into Lightyear Accounting System for proper approvals.


• Work with contractors and Accounts Payable (Finance) to resolve invoice and contractual issues. 


• Take a pro-active approach in keeping departments on task relating to procurement deliverables/needs etc.
  


• Ensure compliance with COVE’s policies and procedures, including human resources, safety, and operational standards.


• Take on additional responsibilities as required to support the success and growth of COVE’s programs and strategic initiatives.
  

What You Bring:

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Supply Chain Management, Finance or a related field.


• 5 years' relevant experience in supply chain management or related role. 


• Ability to assess and balance legal, financial and enterprise risks. 


• Demonstrated experience building working relationships internally and serving as a business partner to department heads, with superior communication skills, both written and verbal, to effectively interact with internal stakeholders at all levels. 


• Proficient in written and spoken English, with a strong command of contracts, legal terminology, and professional communication.


• Outstanding organizational skills and attention to detail, with the ability to manage multiple projects and priorities simultaneously. 


• Proven track record of continuously improving processes to drive efficiency gains and deliver desired business outcomes.


• Familiarity with relevant regulations, compliance requirements, and industry best practices related to procurement processes and contract management. 


• Excellent interpersonal skills including the ability to problem solve matters with stakeholders and all levels of staff. 


• Ability to meet deadlines under pressure while maintaining a positive attitude. 
  

Additional Assets:

• Experience with platforms such as ERPs, procurement, or purchase order systems. 

Working at COVE

At our core, we are a team driven by our passion for empowering marine tech innovators, serving as unwavering advocates for every visionary who walks through our doors. Integrity, creativity, and diversity are not just values to us - they are the bedrock of our identity. We thrive within an integrated team environment, where collective efforts culminate in tangible results. Embracing diversity in our workforce is paramount for fostering genuine collaboration and fulfilling the impactful responsibilities we hold within our community. We cultivate a workplace culture that celebrates individual differences, ensuring that each person's unique talents and strengths are fully recognized, appreciated, and utilized. Operating within a hybrid and flexible work environment allows us to optimize the collective potential of our highly collaborative team, enabling us to achieve the best possible outcomes.

Benefits:

• Opportunity to learn and make an impact by working for a dynamic, growing company on meaningful projects that find solutions to real-life problems.


• Comprehensive paid time off including vacation, personal sick time, and additional days for family illness or medical appointments.


• Hybrid work model with flexibility to work remotely 1 day/week.


• Team wide bonding activities and casual work environment.


• Tech focused office location, convenient via transit and bike paths. 


• Employee wellbeing including full medical & dental benefits and a health spending account.


• Group RRSP matching program & Income Insurance Plans.
  


• Maternity & parental leave top-up allowance.
  


• Learning and growth opportunities.


• Employee referral program.


• Competitive salary.

Talent Pool

As part of our ongoing recruitment efforts, we continually identify candidates who demonstrate the skills, experience, and potential to contribute to our organization. By submitting your application, you will be considered for current and future opportunities that match your qualifications and interests.

Should your profile align with our current or future needs, a member of our recruitment team may reach out to you to discuss potential opportunities and to further assess your fit for specific roles within our organization.

Don’t meet every single requirement? At COVE, we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive and authentic workplace, so if you are excited about this role, but your past experience does not align with every single qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyways. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

We are committed to ensuring accommodations are made available to persons with disabilities during the recruitment, assessment and selection processes and will provide reasonable accommodation upon request.

We offer an excellent working environment where life balance is valued. Our people and their commitment to quality work is what drives our success. You can find out more information about COVE at  . Salary for this position will be commensurate with experience, note that relocation costs are not supported.

To be considered for this position, please apply online by clicking “Apply”. The deadline for submission is April 3rd, 2026 at 5pm (Atlantic). We thank all candidates for their interest; however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.