Senior Category Specialist

GAME ON – OLG needs you

We’ve said GAME ON, and we mean it – OLG is rapidly transforming its organization to better serve Ontarians by delivering great gaming experiences through our digital, retail lottery, and land-based gaming channels. Over the course of fiscal 2023-24, OLG delivered a record $2.4 billion in net profit to the Province of Ontario. OLG is now expanding our horizons even further, with a new strategic direction that builds on successes to date as a world class gaming entertainment leader with a globally admired omni-channel platform.

We are ready to take this game to the next level and need a passionate Senior Category Specialist to support the category management team to drive informed business decisions in the assigned category area(s) by bringing category expertise and assisting in the development of a specific category strategy in line with the needs of the organization. Actively contribute to a positive, productive, and innovative work environment to build strong, collaborative relationships with both internal and external stakeholders. .

YOUR ROLE IN THE GAME

Reporting to the Director Category Management, you will be empowered to:

Category & Specification Strategy

• Supports the development of the overall category strategy for assigned category area(s) through fact-based research and in-depth qualitative analysis of the category.
• Responsible for analyzing data to identify trends, creating and interpreting fact-based reports, and supporting the category management team in developing and executing strategies to achieve operational and financial excellence, mitigate risk and improve supplier performance.
• Performs research in support of these efforts, such as gathering internal and external data comprised of historical spend, budget forecasts and operating plans, economic and market trends, and supplier performance.
• Supports the strategic sourcing efforts by participating in the various steps of the process, as directed by the Category Manager and/or Director.
• Develops sourcing strategies for assigned sourcing events, such as SSRs, RFIs, RFQs and low risk RFPs.
• Develops insights about assigned categories, supplier relationships, and performance that informs business decision making.
• Develops the negotiation strategy and supports the negotiation of commercial agreements with suppliers through an end to end Source to Contract methodology.
• Supports the Category Manager in meeting with the divisional stakeholders by providing necessary reporting and insights on the assigned category area(s).
• Provides insights to support the Category Manager in maintaining and updating the Category Sourcing Plan for the assigned category area(s) to ensure strategies remain relevant to industry trends.
• Uses tools and techniques to profile; benchmark; research and assess the market for assigned category area(s); risks; competition; trends and new opportunities in order to ensure Category Plans remain relevant.

Supplier Selection

• Responsible for the execution of assigned sourcing events (SSRs, RFIs, RFQs and low risk RFPs) within assigned category area(s) to select vendor(s) for contract negotiation. Leverage alternate approaches to best support an efficient and transparent procurement process such as eProcurement tools & technology.
• Recommends the favorable sourcing approach, taking into consideration feedback from the divisional end users, the overall category strategy, market insights and previous sourcing events, and conducts / coordinates the selected tendering approach on their behalf to drive optimal third-party vendor relationships based on requirements.

Supplier & Contracts Management

• Supports the management of existing contracts in assigned category area(s) to ensure supplier performance, contract compliance, and optimization of contract terms.
• Throughout the execution of assigned contracts, ensures that the necessary evidences of changes, amendments or any significant events or shortcomings on the front of performance of contractual obligations are addressed, retained for records and are resolved in accordance with the policies in place in the organization.

Relationship Management

• Participates in relevant division business planning and review sessions to stay aligned with their priorities, current state of affairs, and upcoming changes.
• Supports operations improvement projects, including cost reduction, optimization, cost/benefit analyses · Stays up to date with market trends in assigned category area(s) to ensure the business is being supported in the right way, by the right vendors.

Continuous Improvement:

• Foster a culture of continuous improvement by leveraging LEAN type thinking to encouraged and recognize opportunities to generate and implement innovative ideas.

Culture of Engagement:

• Foster an environment that encourages employee engagement and motivates team members to perform at their very best.
• Lead business users through the sourcing process by demonstrating strong procurement knowledge and necessary meeting management skills.
• Focus on personal career development and pursuing opportunities to increase relevant knowledge and skills.
• Support OLG talent management succession planning strategy, by making sure capable people are identified and have action plans in place that align to individual and organizational needs.