Vice President, Defence Supply Chain Development

Business Development Bank of Canada · Montréal

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• Flexible and competitive benefits, including an Employee Savings and Investment Plan where BDC matches part of your voluntary contributions, a Defined Benefit Pension Plan, a $750 wellness and health care spending account, to name a few   

• In addition to paid vacation each year, five personal days, sick days as necessary, and our offices are closed from December 25 to January 1

• A hybrid work model that truly balances work and personal life

• Opportunities for learning, training and development, and much more... 

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POSITION OVERVIEW 

Reporting to the Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer, the VP, Defence Supply Chain Development will lead BDC’s Defence Supply Chain Development Platform to strengthen and expand the participation of Canadian SMEs in strategic defence supply chains. Through the development of strategic partnerships with Prime Contractors and Tier-1 Suppliers and in collaboration with key ecosystem partners, this leader identifies the areas of the Defence supply chain that could be strengthen sovereign capabilities and further Canadian SME participation. 

Prioritising the Naval and Air domains, including uncrewed vehicles, the VP will lead a team of domain supply chain experts. The AVP, Financing – Defence Sector and their team reports directly to the VP, strengthening cohesion and increasing synergies between the Defence Sector domain leads and the Financing team to better support Canadian entrepreneurs across the Defence Platform. The VP is ultimately accountable for building the platform, establishing strategic partnerships with Prime Contractors and Tier-1 Suppliers, fostering key ecosystem relationships, and increasing the participation of Canadian SMEs in strategic defence supply chains. 

 
CHALLENGES TO BE MET

1. External leadership and intelligence gathering 

• Build and maintain executive relationships with Prime Contractors, Tier-1 suppliers, government stakeholders, and industry associations. 

• Engage senior industry leaders to identify emerging defence opportunities, future procurement priorities, and supply chain challenges. 

• Ensure opportunities identified by industry are aligned with the operational requirements and strategic priorities of DIS and the Defence operators. 

• Influence supplier development and procurement pathways to increase Canadian SME participation in strategic defence programs. 

• Position BDC as a trusted partner, supporting ITB obligations and supply chain enablers within Canada's defence ecosystem. 

Objective: Identify emerging opportunities and influence SME participation pathways. 

2. Strategic prioritization and deployment of organizational efforts  

• In alignment with BDC Defence Strategy objectives, define and continuously reprioritize BDC's focus across Air, Naval, Space, Cyber and land. Initial focus will be on Air and Naval with a special attention to Arctic capabilities  

• In partnership with the ecosystem, refine the capability and capacity gaps where SME scale-up is most critical to defence supply chain resilience in alignment with the DIS. 

• Determine where BDC intervention will create the greatest impact for SMEs, Prime Contractors, and Defence operators. 

• Provide strategic leadership to identify, prioritize, and advance high-value defence supply chain opportunities through coordinated financing, equity, advisory, and ecosystem support. 

• Leverage intelligence from Prime Contractors and Tier-1 Suppliers, and ecosystem partners to accelerate SME readiness and participation in targeted supply chains. 

Objective: Identify and prioritize supply chain gaps where BDC can accelerate SME growth and strengthen Canada's defence industrial capacity. 

3. Solution Alignment and Deployment  

• In collaboration with Financing, GTC, BDC Capital, and Advisory Services, enable the deployment of capital and advice to support Canadian SMEs participating in strategic supply chains. 

• Where necessary, work in collaboration with Product Development, to develop new offers that meet the needs of specific Defence Supply chains requirements, for example: 

• Foster partnerships and matchmaking opportunities that connect SMEs to procurement and growth opportunities. 

• Develop initiatives that accelerate SME readiness and participation in strategic defence supply chains. 

Objective: Enable the deployment of BDC solutions that accelerate SME growth and participation in priority defence supply chains. 

KPIS 

• Prime and Tier-1 partnerships established. 

• SMEs engaged, developed, and integrated into defence supply chains. 

• Financing and advisory support deployed to through selected Primes and ecosystem partnerships  

• Economic and strategic impact generated. 

 
WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR 

• 15+ years in one or more of: 

• Aerospace/ Naval industry within a Supply Chain function for a prime / Tier 1 

• Defence sector: military or commercial experience 

• Industrial strategy 

Critical Experience 

• Deep understanding of Prime / Tier-1 Supply chain capabilities, processes and buying behaviour 

• Experience with major procurement programs 

• Understanding of industrial participation requirements 

• Large ecosystem leadership experience 

This position’s duties require access to confidential information. As a condition of employment, the position therefore requires a "secret" security clearance. The selected candidate will therefore have to submit to an investigation by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service. Satisfactory results are a condition of employment. 

Proudly one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers and one of Canada’s Best Diversity Employers, we are committed to fostering a diverse, equitable, inclusive and accessible environment where all employees can thrive and feel empowered to bring their whole selves to work. If you require an accommodation to complete your application, please do not hesitate to contact us at accessibility@bdc.ca.

While we appreciate all applications, we advise that only the candidates selected to participate in the recruitment process will be contacted.

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