Indirect Procurement Lead

About the role

Kalmar Solutions LLC is looking for a driven Market Area Procurement Lead for North America to join our Ottawa team.

Responsibilities

• Cost-Saving Initiatives: Lead cost-saving initiatives by identifying opportunities for RFQs, process optimization, supplier renegotiation, and Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) initiatives.
• Contract Negotiation & Compliance: Lead contract negotiations for procurement projects and contracts, ensuring compliance with legal and commercial terms, as well as Kalmar internal policies and local legal requirements.
• Supplier Relationship Management: Build and maintain strong relationships with preferred suppliers, ensuring high levels of collaboration, mutual benefit, supplier consolidation, tail spend reduction, and key supplier development.
• Process Improvement & Innovation: Identify inefficiencies in local procurement processes and drive improvements in the source-to-pay process, including requisitioning, purchasing, invoicing, and payment to enhance efficiency and PO compliance.
• Business Partnering: Drive communication between business functions and central category management teams, working closely and proactively with finance, operations, and other relevant departments to align procurement activities with business needs.
• Performance Reporting: Provide regular reporting to country directors and controllers on procurement performance, developing dashboards to track sourcing performance against targets for cost, quality, and delivery.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Finance, or Engineering.
• At least 5 years of experience in Procurement and Strategic Sourcing, featuring proven track records in managing complex sourcing projects, process improvement activities, and executing transformational change within a large, matrix-structured multinational company.
• Understanding of TCO with practical deployment in procurement areas, basic financial acumen, legal awareness, and experience with contract negotiations and business plan development.
• Working experience with financial aspects of procurement (e.g. working capital, cashflow), at least basic knowledge on contractual mechanism (able to negotiate contracts independently beyond pricing terms).
• Strong negotiation, influencing, and relationship-building skills, with successful collaboration with key stakeholders at the executive level.
• The ability to gather relevant information systematically, grasp complexities, cope with ambiguity, and manage multiple projects while remaining focused on key deliverables.
• Strong awareness and adherence to safety protocols to ensure a secure work environment for yourself and your colleagues.

Benefits

• Rewards that truly count: We offer meaningful development opportunities through varied assignments, fair and gender-neutral pay, and flexible working conditions — all within a culture that values your growth and celebrates success.
• Competitive Benefits: Medical, Dental and Vision coverage are effective day one of employment; flexible spending account, company paid Short- and Long-term disability coverage; company paid life insurance policy (2X’s annual salary up to $200k); options for additional life insurance coverage for employee, spouse and dependents at affordable rates; safe harbour 401K plan with company match of 6% (no vesting)
• Safety that moves us forward: Beyond physical safety, you'll benefit from the stability of a long-standing company established in the 1940s, offering strong job security and a reliable foundation for your career where you are empowered to speak and be heard.
• Purpose that drives change: You'll contribute to solutions that transform global trade, creating environmental and operational innovations. You'll be in the driver's seat of ideas, developing digital technologies that set industry standards and position us as the forerunner.
• People who move together: You'll collaborate with a global team, build strong relationships, solve challenges, celebrate wins, and connect with colleagues and clients in an open, sustainable culture

What we offer you

• Green business is good business – it’s not just a slogan; we’re investing in fossil-free steel and real change.
• Global network of 5,200 professionals across 120+ countries, where your work drives innovation, sustainability, and meaningful impact around the world.