Financial Operations and Infrastructure Development are pleased to announce that Jim Onderwater joins as the new Senior Procurement Officer. Jim will be sitting within Infrastructure Development, Project Services working alongside Procurement Officer, Gillian Zhang to meet Project Services’ procurement requirements.
Jim joins the university from Rossdown Farms, where he served as the Manager of Supply Chain and Purchasing, a role in which he led a number of strategic initiatives including achieving over 10% cost savings through a reduction in vendor quantity and inventory.
Jim brings a strong manufacturing background, spending over 15 years in the private sector prior to his transition into public procurement. He brings over 20 years of experience managing a wide range of materials and service contracts including those for transformers, wire and cable, underground civil construction, battery installation, and backhoe services. He strategically went to market for helicopter services, reducing the number of vendors from 45 down to 18.
Jim is a Certified Professional in Supply Management (CPSM), Certified in Production and Inventory Management (CPIM), and Supply Chain Management Professional (SCMP).