Principal Procurement Specialist

Job Overview

The Principal Procurement Specialist is responsible for interpreting internal or external business issues and recommending best practices. They will be tasked with solving complex Procurement-related problems and will work independently with minimal guidance. The Principal Procurement Specialist may be responsible for leading functional teams or projects and is regarded as a specialist in Procurement. As such, they must have in-depth expertise in Procurement as well as broad knowledge of the Procurement discipline within the Supply Chain function.

Key Tasks and Responsibilities

• Plan, organize, and manage the procurement of materials, equipment, and services required for projects per company and client requirements; in compliance with established company policies and procedures
• Interface with the procurement function and other McDermott departments for all matters related to the procurement of material for projects
• Work closely with PPMs
• Oversee all procurement activities associated with the effective procurement of project materials, equipment, and services scopes per Project or end-user schedules, specifications, and budgets
• Implement the Project Procurement Execution Strategy applicable to each project
• Manage the Project Procurement group to undertake RFQs, commercial evaluations, and PO award
• Resolve all commercial and Terms and Conditions criteria and issues related to RFQs and PO’s
• Monitor all project procurement-related activities and performance, providing direction and support needed to team members, to ensure the successful delivery of project requirements
• Liaise with vendors, coordinate and assume lead participation in vendor commercial clarification meetings and/or conference calls, and act as the company focal point on commercial discussions with vendors during the preorder stage, i.e., from RFQ to PO award for projects procurement
• Liaise with individual Project Procurement Managers/Coordinators on all procurement matters related to the execution of the Project Procurement Strategy and the effective award of PO’s for Project materials, equipment & services scope
• Liaise with Engineering and QC on technical matters related to an RFQ and/or PO in the pre-award stage
• Liaise with Legal to resolve vendor T&Cs and Accounts Payable to resolve vendor payment issues
• Monitor and review market conditions and report price and delivery trends for Project materials and equipment
• Ensure conformance with the company policies and Procurement procedures by the Project Procurement group and contribute to continuous improvement of procurement work methodologies and processes
• Supervise, train, and coordinate the activities of buyers and supporting staff and provide continuous support to staff in their undertaking of all tasks and activities
• Undertake regular staff performance reviews
• Provide procurement reports as necessary and undertake tasks, activities, and assignments at the direction of the management

Essential Qualifications and Education

• Bachelor’s Degree (or equivalent) in Supply Chain Management (or a relevant discipline) or HSD/GED/IGCSE with 10 years of relevant experience
• 8-12 years of relevant experience
• Professional Procurement qualification
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to collect, organize, analyze, and disseminate information with attention to detail and accuracy
• Proficient in MS Office suite applications, preferably with intermediate MS Excel skills
• Experience in a database query or programming languages (e.g., SQL)
• Experience in data visualization using Power BI, Tableau, or similar dashboarding application
• Strong verbal and written communication skills