Position Summary:
The Senior Manager, Raw Material Sourcing is responsible for developing and executing sourcing strategies for one of Canada's leading protein manufacturers. The role leads the strategic procurement of beef, pork, poultry, fish and other protein ingredients through a global supplier network while balancing cost competitiveness, food safety, supply continuity, sustainability and operational performance.
Reporting to the Senior Vice President, Sourcing & Procurement, this position shapes Sofina's protein sourcing strategy through supplier partnerships, market intelligence, working capital optimization and cross-functional leadership. The successful candidate collaborates with Operations, Planning, Finance, R&D, Commercial and Quality to deliver total value through innovation, supplier development, risk mitigation and continuous improvement.
Key Accountabilities:
- Establish and maintain relationships with global suppliers for fish, beef, pork, and chicken substitutes, ensuring compliance with food safety and regulatory standards.
- Develop and implement a strategy for managing and selling chicken and turkey quota to maximize value.
- Monitor and support plant operations to minimize the need for meat formulation substitutes and ensure that freezer inventory remains at optimal levels, with exceptions made for strategic inventory decisions.
- Manage co-cutting subcontractors to ensure timely delivery and product quality.
- Proactively address and manage any quality or delivery issues with suppliers and drive continuous improvement in supplier performance.
- Collaborate with internal teams to optimize the poultry value chain, enhancing efficiency and cost-effectiveness across the full value chain.
- Develop and oversee strategic inventory management to mitigate risks and accommodate demand surges while maintaining low inventory costs.
- Ensure that the right product is available at the right time for operational needs.
- Use world-class ordering processes and methodologies to ensure that orders are placed economically, minimally, and in a manner that mitigates potential risks
- Develop a process of exception handling that minimizes occurrences of future exceptions and provides advance warnings, so exceptions do not negatively impact operations.
- Develop processes and tools that provide the demand signal to our suppliers in a low-touch and accurate manner.
- Work with the suppliers to resolve all tactical quality, delivery, and pricing failure modes and track supplier performance and corrective action responses.
- Proactive and ongoing communication with the operations to ensure a high level of on-time-delivery.
- Develop a clear method for dealing with items that are critical to operations.
Requirements:
- Bachelor’s degree in business, Supply Chain, Agriculture, Food Science or related discipline.
- 8–15 years in sourcing, procurement or commodity management.
- Experience purchasing protein, agricultural commodities or food ingredients.
- Success negotiating complex commercial agreements.
- ERP experience; SCMP/CPSM/CPIM/MBA an asset.
- Demonstrated commercially acumen, with the ability to understand business drivers with financial outcomes
- Strategic thinker, strong negotiation skills, data-driven approach to decision making
- Proven ability to influence without authority, continuous improvement mindset
Hiring Range: CAD $95,800 - $145,800
Bonus: This position is eligible for a bonus up to 16.5% of base salary subject to the plan terms and conditions.
Please note that the expected hiring range provided is derived from a group of like roles within Sofina. The final offer amount for this role will be dependent on geographical region, applicable experience, skillset of the candidate and internal equity.
This position is currently an active vacancy.
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Sofina Foods Inc. is committed to providing accessible employment practices that are in compliance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (‘AODA’). Applicants are asked to make their needs/requirements, for the purpose of accommodation under AODA, known to Human Resources when they are contacted for an interview.