Director - Sourcing, Melons, Tropical & Bananas

Loblaw Companies Limited•Cambridge, ON

6d•CA$120,000 - CA$154,000

About The Position

Reporting to the Sr. Director- Sourcing, the Director, Sourcing will be the subject matter expert dedicated to specific categories who will be relentlessly focused on securing the best cost for the enterprise. The Director, Procurement will be accountable for negotiating with vendors to purchase products for the Discount, Market, Wholesale, SDM divisions and leverage the scale of the organization to enable the delivery of better value for the customer. The role is also responsible for using their deep knowledge of the vendors and the marketplace to advise the Merchandising and Category teams on the category’s short-term and long-term strategy.

Requirements

Demonstrated success in a procurement or merchandising role
Demonstrates a passion for buying and confident negotiator
Ability to influence internal/external partners
Excellent communication (verbal, written and comprehension) and presentation skills
The desire to drive innovation across the business and develop ongoing costing strategies to support business needs
A strategic attitude with a demonstrated track record of achieving performance achievements
Demonstrates strong Financial Competence
Strong leadership skills
Proven collaboration skills

Nice To Haves

Candidates who are 18 years or older are required to complete a criminal background check.

Responsibilities

Meets with Category Director(s) in Merchandising to understand procurement needs, and to identify and evaluate vendors based on a set of criteria/scorecard to select the best vendor
Negotiates with National Brand vendors for 1st cost (which includes baseline Over & Above case rates to deliver category 1st cost targets and budget along- side enterprise objectives
Works with the Commodity Cost Review team to assess how vendor costs are tracking relative to market trends (using playbook as a guide)
Initiates and owns the vendor Request for Proposal (RFP) process to source products that align to the category strategy and objectives
Participates in the Enterprise Joint Business Planning (JBP) process, using reports and materials created by the JBP team and meets with the Merchandising teams in advance to plan cost driven initiatives and annual building blocks annual building blocks
Shares information with the Merchandising and Control Brand teams on new products available and market trends to help inform category strategy and product development
Serves as first touchpoint with vendors for all 1st cost related troubleshooting
Develops 1st cost procurement strategies using levers (ie: commodity driven, RFP) aligned with the category playbook in partnership with merchandising.
Completes negotiations for new and existing products, and collaborates with the Category Director in Merchandising to obtain final decisions on products
Provides insight and input with new innovative sourcing and procurement opportunities that can be tied to trends in the market, through research, analysis of vendor landscape, all tied to improving cost and category strategy (ie: packaging, CSR opportunities, logistics, production efficiencies)
Collaborates with category teams for quality related issues
Participates in supplier facing enterprise initiatives
Accountable for delivering budgeted 1st cost targets
Works with the Procurement Support team members for new vendor setup and new items that required a first cost signoff in the system in collaboration with the Central Data Management (CDM) team to ensure data is correct and up-to-date
Collaborates with category teams to source new, sustainable products and vendors such as attending industry trade shows and other mechanisms to build best in class procurement across Loblaw
Collaborates with the Replenishment and Transport teams to resolve major inventory issues as they arise i.e. over-orders, shorts shipments
Facilitation where needed on major vendor stock supply chain issues
Provides updates to the VP of Sourcing on Sourcing strategies and initiatives and raises risks/decisions as required
Conducts and reviews post-mortem analysis on the effectiveness of vendor management and procurement, and finds opportunities for improvement
Works with the Merchandising team to review performance metrics such as Sales, Market Share, Trading & Contribution Margin, Tonnage, and determines any specific action and support required from a costing and sourcing perspective.
Guides, coaches, and motivates Procurement team members, and conducts performance reviews
Building and leading diverse teams that foster a workplace of inclusiveness and belonging