quark expeditions

Quark Expeditions is the leading polar expedition travel company headquartered in Toronto, Canada. We operate cruises to Antarctica and Arctic regions (Greenland, North Canada, Svalbard) on board of 3 modern polar expedition ships – Ultramarine, Ocean Explorer, and World Explorer. Since 1991, Quark has been establishing a tradition of firsts in polar travel: as the first to transit the Northeast Passage with adventure travellers; the first to take travellers to the far side of Antarctica; and the first to circumnavigate the Antarctic continent with guests. Quark Expeditions is part of Travelopia, the world’s leading experiential travel business, owned by KKR.

We are looking to hire a Senior Procurement Manager to join our team! Reporting to the SVP of Operations and Product, you’ll play a key role to ensure timely, efficient, and effective procurement of goods and services required for operations of our 3 polar expedition ships. You'll work with Operations and Finance to analyze external spend, identify areas of opportunities and risks, define procurement / efficiency plans, and drive hands-on implementation of procurement process / RFQs / contracting / savings tracking.

What we’ll offer:

• Base salary (85,000 – 150,000 CAD, based on a combination of factors, including location and experience) + Bonus of up to 20 percent
• Health Benefits
• 401K
• Paid Time Off
• FAM trips

What you’ll do:

Run procurement and contracts for expedition ship operations, including crewing, maintenance, catering, charters, fuel, helicopters, port services, guest accommodations, IT services, onboard goods, and insurance, ensuring efficient and reliable service delivery.

Spend Analysis, Opportunity Assessment, and Planning:

• Collaborate with Finance and Operations teams to improve the external spend baseline:
• Analyze spend by supplier, product/service, and current pricing models, benchmark costs of similar products/services, and assess contract duration and termination clauses

Identify and prioritize cost-efficiency opportunities:

• Tender processes, demand management, in/out-sourcing, design-to-cost, and solution changes.
• Develop an annual procurement/cost-efficiency plan passionate about securing reliable and efficient supply while maintaining functionality, quality, and reliability

Deliver Procurement/Efficiency Actions to Drive EBITDA Benefits:

• Conduct tenders and contract renegotiations by defining requirements, analyzing options, preparing RFQs, negotiating terms, and finalizing agreements to secure approvals and cost efficiencies
• Drive demand management, identify alternative solutions or suppliers, and implement operational improvements to enhance cost/benefit outcomes and efficiency

Contracting:

• Build contracting timelines for key categories based on contract durations, operational needs, and supplier readiness
• Implement procurement strategies and draft, review, and finalize contracts with legal team support, ensuring they align with operational, quality, and safety requirements
• Lead contract terms and changes for alignment with suppliers and organizational goals

Supplier Relationship Management:

• Develop supplier scorecards and establish vendor performance tracking processes
• Support vendor business reviews led by relevant teams

Process Improvement:

• Identify and implement continuous improvements in procurement processes and reporting
• Chip in to product development and commercial strategies with insights on product cost

Budgeting:

• Assist the Finance team during the annual budget process, provide details of contracts and pricing models, and help set accurate spending budgets for future periods.

What you’ll bring:

• Experience of driving procurement work in comparable to Quark context and track record of delivering significant savings by (a) competitive tenders / contract negotiation; (b) demand management measures, (c) shift to more cost-effective solutions.
• Excellent analytical skills; adopt fact‐based decision making; naturally seeks to leverage and/or integrate market data, spend analytics, and cost modelling.
• Strong negotiation skills with a track record of successful contract management and cost savings.
• Expertise in strategic sourcing. Knowledge of some of spend areas relevant to Quark is an advantage, but not a must have.
• Excellent communication skills, including written, verbal and presentation skills; comfortable and credible with both internal collaborators and external audiences o Able to work up, down, and across large organization
• A flexible, dynamic, self-demanding and proactive individual; able to motivate him/herself and others; easily accepts constructive input from others o Bias for action and track record of driving tangible impact

We believe people perform best when they can be their true selves and diverse teams drive better results. We’re committed to fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment where everyone can succeed.

Travelopia ensures an inclusive workplace for all. If you need accommodations during the recruitment process, please inform us here: Talent@Travelopia.com

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