Director of Procurement
Description
Summary of Primary Functions
As Director of Procurement, you will lead the procurement function across Ivanhoe Electric Inc. and its subsidiaries: capital projects, site operations and corporate spend, from office services and IT to vehicle fleets and field equipment. The current focus is the Santa Cruz Copper Project as it advances into execution,with the role will extend to new projects and sites as the company grows. You will build and develop the procurement and contracts team, run tenders, negotiate contracts within delegated authority, and support the Vice President, Commercial Operations on the company’s major contracts.
Role Purpose
Reporting into the Vice President, Commercial Operations, the role is accountable for implementing and operating a consistent, efficient and auditable procurement process across all Ivanhoe Electric spend: corporate, projects and operations. The Vice President establishes commercial strategy and policy and leads negotiation of major contracts; the Director owns day-to-day procurement execution, team performance, purchasing processes and systems, and negotiations within delegated authorities. Procurement approvals and contracts execution must follow the company’s approved Delegation of Authority.
The Director of Procurement works closely with engineering, construction, project controls, finance, legal, IT and administration, as well as EPCM contractors, contractors and suppliers. The objective is that every commitment, large or small, is competitively sourced, well structured, properly approved and actively managed through close-out.
Specific Responsibilities/Essential Functions
Health & Safety
- Embody and promote the ‘Zero Harm’ values of Ivanhoe Electric.
- Be a role model that promotes Ivanhoe Electric’s business culture and contributes positively to program goals by striking the right balance for our teams, stakeholders and community.
- Ensure health, safety and environmental performance is a core criterion in contractor prequalification, evaluation and award.
Key Responsibilities
Team Leadership
- Lead, organize, staff and develop the procurement and contracts team; establish clear roles, package ownership, priorities and capabilities appropriate to Santa Cruz execution and future company operations.
- Assign package ownership, set priorities and review the team’s evaluations and commercial positions.
- Ensure the team uses the company’s standard contract templates (LNTPs, master service agreements, purchase orders and EP, EPC and EPCM agreements), and route any deviations to the Vice President, Commercial Operations and Legal.
- Oversee procurement performed by the EPCM contractor and consultants on the company’s behalf.
Sourcing, Tendering & Negotiation
- Manage sourcing and tendering end to end: market engagement, prequalification, RFP packages, bidder communications, clarifications and evaluation.
- Negotiate contracts and purchase orders and recommend them for award, and for major contracts prepare the bid evaluation and negotiation positions and support the Vice President, Commercial Operations, who leads the negotiation.
- Approve day-to-day spend that has already been authorized, such as releases against approved budgets, purchase orders and master agreements. All new spend is approved by the Senior Vice President, Operations.
- Apply evaluation frameworks and conflict-of-interest controls that keep tender processes transparent, consistent and defensible.
- Prepare award recommendations and approval papers, reviewed by the Vice President, Commercial Operations, for approval by the Senior Vice President, Operations and, where required, the executive team and board.
Corporate & Operations Procurement
- Own procurement of corporate and indirect spend, including office space and services, IT hardware and software, professional services, travel and facilities.
- Manage vehicle fleets and equipment rentals, including trucks and light vehicles, under master rental and lease agreements, with consistent rates, insurance and driver requirements.
- Set up master service agreements and preferred-supplier arrangements that business units and sites can use without re-tendering routine purchases.
- Extend procurement support to new projects, sites and acquisitions as the company grows.
Cross-Functional Coordination
- Work with Project Controls to align procurement packages and commitments with approved budgets, schedules and cost structures; maintain accurate commitment data and coordinate procurement-related changes and forecasts. Coordinate with Engineering on scope, specifications and technical evaluations, and with Construction on contractor interfaces and execution readiness.
- Work with Finance on payment terms, securities and cash flow, and with Legal on contract terms.
- Make sure procurement timing supports critical-path dates, and flag schedule risk from late awards early.
Contract Administration & Supplier Management
- Oversee contract administration, amendments and change orders from award through close-out, escalating claims and disputes to the Vice President, Commercial Operations.
- Build and maintain one approved supplier and contractor base for the whole company, including regular performance reviews.
- Consolidate spend across business units to use the company’s combined buying power, and identify cost savings.
- Track commercial and supply-chain risks, including currency, escalation, tariffs and lead times.
Policy, Systems & Reporting
- Implement and enforce the procurement policy, procedures and delegation of authority set by the Vice President, Commercial Operations, and recommend improvements.
- Run procure-to-pay processes and systems with Finance, including requisitions, purchase orders, purchasing cards and spend reporting.
- Maintain the procurement pipeline and contract commitments register, and report status, awards, commitments and risks to the Vice President, Commercial Operations.
- Keep contract records complete and auditable in the document management system, in line with public-company controls and anti-corruption requirements.
Preferred Skills, Knowledge, and Experience
- Bachelor degree in Business Administration, Engineering, Supply Chain or a related discipline; professional certification (CPSM, CIPS/MCIPS) is considered an asset.
- Minimum 15years of experience in procurement, contracts or commercial roles, including at least 3 years leading a procurement team.
- Experience in mining, underground construction or heavy industrial projects.
- Experience running procurement across a whole company, including corporate and indirect spend, fleet and equipment, and site operations.
- Track record of running competitive tenders and negotiating construction, services and equipment contracts, and supporting negotiation of major contracts.
- Working knowledge of contract law fundamentals, construction contract forms and commercial risk management.
- Experience implementing and improving enterprise procurement workflows and systems, including requisition-to-purchase-order controls, approval matrices, supplier master data, and integration with finance and accounts payable; experience with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is an advantage.Strong leadership, negotiation and communication skills, with the ability to build structure and teams in a growing organization.