Just north enough to be perfect, North Bay is a diverse community that offers a blend of opportunity and easy living. Servicing a regional catchment area of 112,000 people, this progressive city of 51,553 residents is nestled between Lake Nipissing and Trout Lake and is conveniently located just three and a half hours from major Ontario centers such as Toronto and Ottawa.

The Corporation of the City of North Bay (“the City”) is accepting applications for the position of Purchasing Advisor. Reporting to and working in close collaboration with the Manager of Purchasing, the Purchasing Advisor plays a vital role in ensuring the City delivers high‑quality services and capital projects in a fiscally responsible manner. The position provides oversight of day‑to‑day purchasing activities, ensuring procurement processes are fair, transparent, and compliant with municipal policies, legislation, and trade agreements.

Through strong operational oversight, supervision of procurement staff, and close collaboration with operational departments, the Purchasing Advisor supports timely, cost‑effective, and sound purchasing decisions. The role is essential to achieving value for money for taxpayers by promoting best‑practice procurement, supporting efficient service delivery, and ensuring public funds are used responsibly to meet the City’s operational and infrastructure needs.

Key Responsibilities:

Operational Procurement: The Purchasing Advisor oversees end‑to‑end competitive procurement for goods, services, and construction, ensuring compliance with municipal bylaws, trade agreements, and delegated authority. This role supports all procurement activities, serves as a primary vendor contact, and maintains auditable procurement records.
Planning and Compliance: The position supports procurement planning by contributing to annual planning, workload prioritization, and scheduling, and by monitoring compliance with legislation and procurement policies to ensure fair, open, and transparent processes. The Purchasing Advisor also contributes to the development and maintenance of procurement policies, procedures, templates, and tools, and supports audit activities, reporting, and continuous improvement initiatives.
Supervision and Staff Development: As a people leader, the Purchasing Advisor provides day‑to‑day supervision, coaching, and performance management for procurement staff, fostering consistent practices and a service‑oriented, collaborative team culture. The role supports operational continuity and acts for the Manager of Purchasing as required.
Inventory Management: The position provides support for inventory‑related procurement, collaborating with departments to assess risks, usage trends, and long‑lead‑time requirements for critical items. The Purchasing Advisor identifies value‑added procurement approaches and supports surplus asset disposition to maximize value recovery and responsible asset management.

Qualifications:

University degree or community college diploma in Purchasing, Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, Public Administration, Law, or a related discipline.
Completion of a professional procurement designation such as a CPPB.
Minimum four (4) years of progressively responsible experience in public‑sector procurement, preferably in a municipal or broader government environment.
Demonstrated experience managing or overseeing competitive procurement processes in accordance with legislation and trade agreements.
Supervisory experience providing guidance or functional oversight.
Strong communication, negotiation, and relationship‑management skills.
Excellent organizational, analytical, and problem‑solving abilities.
Experience using computerized financial, procurement, and ERP systems.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint).
Ability to work independently, exercise sound professional judgment, and manage multiple priorities within legislated timelines.

The following will be considered as assets:

Professional procurement designation such as CPPO, NIGP‑CPP, or equivalent.
Experience in a municipal or broader public‑sector environment with familiarity in municipal governance and financial administration.
Knowledge of municipal budgeting, capital planning, and public accountability frameworks.
Experience supporting capital or project‑based procurement initiatives.
Experience with contract administration, vendor performance management, or continuous improvement initiatives.

The City offers a comprehensive employer paid benefit package including Health and Dental Benefits, Life, Long-Term Disability, and AD&D Insurance as well as a comprehensive Employee Assistance Program (EAP).

The City is an Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System (OMERS) Employer – a Defined Pension Plan with Employer matched contributions.

Explore the OMERS Plan and learn more about the benefits of membership https://www.omers.com/

Qualified individuals interested in being considered for this position are requested to submit a resume and covering letter in one PDF document via email to: staffing@northbay.ca. Please identify the Posting ID: 26E-25 in the subject line. While this posting will remain open until it is filled, application reviews will begin May 18, 2026.

While we appreciate the interest of all applicants, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

Accommodation will be provided in all parts of the hiring process as required under the City of North Bay’s Accessibility Policy. We encourage applicants to make their needs known to Human Resources in advance.

Personal information is collected under the authority of the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.

An Equal Opportunity Employer

City of North Bay

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Purchasing Advisor