About this Senior Project Buyer role at Thales
Ottawa, ON., (CAN.), Hybrid
Position Summary
In fast changing markets, customers worldwide rely on Thales. Thales is a business where brilliant people from all over the world come together to share ideas and inspire each other. In aerospace, transportation, defence, security and space, our architects design innovative solutions that make our tomorrow's possible.
For decades, Ottawa has been a global technology leader. Today, Canada’s capital holds one of the brightest and most diverse technological ecosystems in North America. The Thales Ottawa office has been a major supplier and long-term trusted partner to DND, enabling the Canadian Armed Forces and the Canadian Coast Guard to achieve mission success.
Thales has a vacancy for a Senior Project Buyer to support the AJISS Engineering Changes Team across the Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ship In-Service Support (AJISS) program. As a Senior Project Buyer, you will translate engineering change requirements into purchasable, executable work packages—ensuring Purchase Orders (POs) are issued on time, supplier commitments are aligned to delivery and milestone expectations, and risks/issues are identified early and resolved decisively. You will also increase organizational knowledge by mentoring, improving practices, and strengthening end-to-end purchasing/supply execution. You will act as an experienced and independent owner for purchasing execution and supply readiness that enables engineering change delivery and act as the interface between the AJISS engineering team, procurement, and suppliers, ensuring projects meet their targets, risks are managed, and communication remains transparent.
Regulatory Compliance Requirement
This position requires direct or indirect access to hardware, software or technical information controlled under the Canadian Export Control List and /or the US the Export Administration Regulations (EAR). All applicants must be eligible or able to obtain authorization for such access.
Key Areas of Responsibility
- Own end-to-end AJISS engineering-change procurement/supply execution: manage sourcing, PO creation/issuance, supplier documentation, and ensure technical/contractual alignment (scope, quantities, specs, terms, lead times, quality/compliance, delivery).
- Drive schedule and milestone performance: track work package progress, proactively identify risks (lead time slippage, capacity, technical clarifications, documentation readiness), and lead recovery actions/escalations to protect AJISS deliverables.
- Manage defense-approved/program-relevant suppliers: build and maintain relationships, support readiness and delivery planning, and ensure suppliers meet commitments for delivery dates, quality, and required documentation.
- Serve as cross-functional purchasing interface: partner with engineering, program/project management, category management, quality, operations, finance, legal, and bid/capture; provide transparent status, forecasts, and risk reporting with timely escalation.
- Run post-award supplier execution & performance management (where applicable): monitor delivery performance, execute supplier recovery/containment support, conduct performance reviews, and ensure corrective actions are initiated, tracked, and verified.
- Support change governance and continuous improvement: represent procurement interests in change review boards and cross-functional meetings; continuously improve purchasing/supply execution workflows to reduce cycle time, rework, and schedule variance (including lessons learned and templates).
- Ensure compliance and audit-ready evidence: maintain complete, accurate, and audit-ready records of orders, compliance artifacts, correspondence, and acceptance evidence; ensure all interactions meet contractual, ethical, and regulatory requirements.
- Escalate and lead resolution of systemic issues: identify root causes of purchasing/supply bottlenecks and propose practical mitigations (alternative suppliers, revised delivery sequencing, PO scope/terms updates, revised recovery plans).
- Be a go-to resource and (where needed) mentor others: support the team proactively, reduce friction between functions, and share process knowledge/best practices.
Engagement Points:
Internal:
- Work Package Manager (WPM) / Project Manager (PM): alignment on scope, schedule, risks, issues, and supplier performance; ensure purchasing actions support recovery and commitment management.
- Engineering Design Manager (EDM) / Engineering: Collaborate to clarify technical requirements, manage Statement of Work (SoW) deliverables, and ensure seamless management of technical interfaces.
- Procurement / Category Management: Ensure sourcing strategies are aligned, coordinate handover from pre-award activities, and provide feedback on supplier performance for future sourcing decisions.
- Project Manager: Track and forecast costs, support and manage budgets/EAC, and control milestones and payments related to supplier contracts.
- Quality / Safety / RAM / Industrial / Operations: Monitor and manage supplier performance in quality, safety, industrialization, compliance and timely delivery.
- Legal / Commercial: Support contract variations, claims, disputes, and escalations, ensuring adherence to contractual and legal requirements.
- Bid / Capture Teams: Provide insights on supplier performance, risks, and costs to inform bids and proposals for future projects.
External:
- Key suppliers / subcontractors: Manage day-to-day commercial, and performance relationships to ensure project success.
- Customer representatives (where appropriate): Coordinate supplier-related matters impacting project delivery and customer commitments.
- Auditors or regulatory bodies (as required): Provide evidence of supplier compliance with contractual, ethical, and regulatory requirements.
Minimum Qualifications
- 8+ years’ relevant experience in procurement, supply chain, commercial or contract management, with clear exposure to post award supplier management.
- Experience in procurement or supply chain within the defense or high-compliance industry, ideally supporting in-service support or engineering change programs.
- Strong project management and milestone tracking skills using relevant tools (e.g., SAP, MS Project).
- Excellent supplier engagement and relationship management abilities.
- Proactive risk identification and mitigation skills; able to challenge delays constructively.
- Effective communicator in cross-functional, high-stakes environments.
- Working knowledge of defense industry regulations, government contracting, and AJISS program requirements is highly desirable.
- The candidate must meet all the following criteria:
a) possess a university degree in any field and possess a minimum of 2 years of demonstrated experience in a procurement and finance related activity within the last 5 years or possess a diploma from a recognized college program in procurement, finance, economics, commerce, accounting or materiel management and possess a minimum of 3 years of demonstrated experience in a procurement and finance related activity within the last 6 years; and
All applicants must be able to obtain a Canadian NATO Secret clearance and meet the eligibility requirements outlined in the Canadian Controlled Goods Registration Program and ITAR.
Preferred Qualifications
- Professional qualifications or training in one or more of the following:
- Procurement / supply chain (e.g. CIPS or equivalent)
- Project management (e.g. PRINCE2, APM or equivalent)
- Commercial / contract management
- Degree (or equivalent experience) in business, commercial, engineering or related discipline.
Values & Behaviours
- Customer focused, delivering on commitments to internal and external stakeholders.
- Collaborative, building strong relationships across functions and with suppliers.
- Accountable, taking ownership for outcomes and driving issues to resolution.
- Agile, adapting quickly to changing priorities, scope and constraints.
- Innovative, seeking continuous improvement in supplier performance and ways of working.
- Ethical and transparent, acting with integrity in all supplier interactions.
Special Position Requirements
- Role will require working from both office (3) and home (2) (hybrid).
- Schedule: 40 working hours per week Monday- Friday. Flexible time, however, accommodating core hours of 9 am-3 pm, project needs and global/international time zones.
Pay Transparency
The anticipated Total Target Compensation (TTC), inclusive of annual salary and bonus eligibility, for this role is $60,000 to 100,000 CAD Annual. The Company reserves the right to ultimately pay more or less than the posted range and offer additional benefits and other compensation, depending on circumstances not related to an applicant’s status protected by local, provincial, and federal laws.
AI
We use artificial intelligence–enabled tools as part of our recruitment process to support activities such as candidate discovery, résumé matching, and interview scheduling. These tools may help screen and assess applications and recommend potential matches based on the requirements within the job description. All hiring decisions, including candidate evaluation, selection, and disposition, are made by human recruiters. Artificial intelligence does not make hiring decisions on our behalf.
What We Offer
- Thales provides an extensive benefits program for all full-time employees working 24 or more hours per week and their eligible dependents, including the following:
- Company paid Extended Health, Dental, HSA, Life, AD&D, Short-term Disability, Cancer Care Program, travel insurance, Employee Assistance Plan and Well-Being program.
- Retirement Savings Plans (RRSP, DCPP, TFSA) with a company contribution and a match to a DCPP, with no vesting period.
- Company paid holidays, vacation days, and paid sick leave.
- Voluntary Life, AD&D, Critical Illness, Long-Term Disability.
- Employee Discounts on home, auto, and gym membership.
Why Join Us?
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Thales provides an extensive benefits program for all full-time employees working 24 or more hours per week and their eligible dependents, including the following:
• Company paid Extended Health, Dental, HSA, Life, AD&D, Short-term Disability, Cancer Care Program, travel insurance, Employee Assistance Plan and Well-Being program.
• Retirement Savings Plans (RRSP, DCPP, TFSA) with a company contribution and a match to a DCPP, with no vesting period.
• Company paid holidays, vacation days, and paid sick leave.
• Voluntary Life, AD&D, Critical Illness, Long-Term Disability.
• Employee Discounts on home, auto, and gym membership.
Thales is an equal opportunity employer which values diversity and inclusivity in the workplace. Thales is committed to providing accommodations in all parts of the interview process. Applicants selected for an interview who require accommodation are asked to advise accordingly upon the invitation for an interview. We will work with you to meet your needs. All accommodation information provided will be treated as confidential and used only for the purpose of providing an accessible candidate experience.
This position requires direct or indirect access to hardware, software or technical information controlled under the Canadian Export Control List, the Canadian Controlled Goods Program, the Canadian Industrial Security Program, the US International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and/or the US Export Administration Regulations (EAR). All applicants must be eligible or able to obtain authorization for such access including eligibility to the Canadian Controlled Goods Program and able to obtain a Canadian NATO Secret clearance.
