Manager Category Mgmt & Strategic Sourcing

Position Details

• Work Location: Metro Hall, 55 John St, Toronto, ON M5V 0C4
• Job Type & Duration: Full-time, Permanent Vacancy
• Hours of Work: Monday to Friday, 35 hours per week
• Posting Period: 20-Aug-2026 to 10-Sep-2026
• Affiliation: Non-Union
• Number of Positions Open: 1
• Division & Section: Purchasing & Materials Management, Purchasing Client Services

Major Responsibilities

Reporting to the Senior Manager, Category Management & Strategic Sourcing within the Purchasing & Materials Management Division, the Manager, Category Management & Strategic Sourcing (CMSS) provides leadership, expertise, and strategic direction to coach, mentor, and lead a team of procurement professionals. This team is responsible for developing and executing sourcing strategies that drive measurable business value, operational excellence, and financial benefits.

The Manager oversees complex, high-value procurement initiatives and leads cross-functional teams through the full strategic sourcing lifecycle. This includes developing and executing competitive procurement processes (RFX) and category strategies aligned with organizational priorities. The successful candidate is an accomplished procurement and category management leader with a proven ability to build strong collaborative relationships, influence diverse stakeholders, and deliver strategic business outcomes. You bring deep procurement expertise, a customer-focused approach, and a strong commitment to innovation and continuous improvement. Through your leadership, you will advance the goals of the Purchasing & Materials Management Division while delivering value across the City of Toronto and select City Agencies and Corporations.

• Leads the development and execution of enterprise-wide Technology and other assigned category strategies in partnership with divisional leadership to optimize procurement outcomes, mitigate risk, and maximize organizational value.
• Provides strategic leadership and support in the development of divisional procurement plans, ensuring alignment with corporate priorities, category strategies, and long-term business objectives.
• Oversees strategic sourcing initiatives across multiple Technology categories, ensuring compliance with municipal by-laws, procurement policies, governance frameworks, and applicable legislation.
• Leads the development of sourcing strategies, project scopes, business requirements, project plans, budgets, resource allocation, risk mitigation strategies, and implementation schedules for complex procurement initiatives.
• Partners with business leaders and cross-functional stakeholders to align procurement strategies, drive process improvements, enhance procurement policies, and support organizational change initiatives.
• Provides governance, strategic guidance, training, and advisory services on sourcing strategies, go-to-market approaches, evaluation methodologies, negotiation strategies, and contract award processes to ensure compliant, efficient, and value-driven procurement outcomes.
• Fosters a high-performing, innovative, and continuous improvement culture by coaching, mentoring, and developing procurement professionals while promoting collaboration and accountability.
• Directs the day-to-day operations of the assigned procurement team, including workload management, workforce planning, performance management, budget oversight, resource allocation, and employee development.
• Supervises the day-to-day operation of all assigned staff including the scheduling, assigning and reviewing of work. Authorizes and controls vacation and overtime requests. Monitors and evaluates staff performance, approves salary increments and recommends disciplinary action when necessary.
• Develops, implements, and continuously improves Service Level Agreements (SLAs) to support evolving business, operational, and customer service requirements.
• Leads complex business transformation initiatives related to Category Management and Strategic Sourcing, ensuring successful delivery within approved scope, budget, timelines, and quality expectations.
• Oversees the full strategic sourcing lifecycle, including project governance, business case development, project charters, budget management, quality assurance, risk management, change management, and stakeholder engagement.
• Prepares and review business cases, feasibility studies, cost-benefit analyses, sole-source justifications, procurement recommendations, and contract negotiation strategies to support executive decision-making.
• Leads the development, review, and approval of complex procurement documentation, including Requests for Proposals (RFPs), Negotiable RFPs (nRFPs), Requests for Expressions of Interest (REOIs), Requests for Information (RFIs), Requests for Quotations (RFQs), Statements of Work (SOWs), Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs), and Service Level Agreements (SLAs).
• Negotiates high-value commercial agreements with suppliers, including pricing, service levels, key performance indicators (KPIs), service credits, performance guarantees, and other commercial terms to achieve optimal value and mitigate organizational risk.
• Collaborates with Legal Services and business stakeholders to negotiate contractual terms and conditions that balance organizational objectives, stakeholder priorities, regulatory requirements, and supplier relationships.
• Influences stakeholders to achieve consensus on strategic procurement decisions, sourcing initiatives, and enterprise-wide category management strategies.
• Leads the implementation of procurement strategies and sourcing initiatives that enable the efficient, effective, and compliant acquisition of goods and services while maximizing value for the organization.
• Conducts business needs assessments, market intelligence, spend analysis, supplier analysis, and benchmarking activities; develop key performance indicators (KPIs); and obtain required approvals to support strategic sourcing initiatives.