Buyer, Control Brands - H&E

Referred applicants should not apply directly to this role.

All referred applicants must first be submitted through Workday by a current Loblaw Colleague.

Come make your difference in communities across Canada, where authenticity, trust and making connections is valued - as we shape the future of Canadian retail, together. Our unique position as one of the country's largest employers, coupled with our commitment to positively impact the lives of all Canadians, provides our colleagues a range of opportunities and experiences to help Canadians Live Life Well®.

At Loblaw Companies Limited, we succeed through collaboration and commitment and set a high bar for ourselves and those around us. Whether you are just starting your career, re-entering the workforce, or looking for a new job, this is where you belong.

Why is this role important :
Reporting to our Procurement Director you’ll participate in every aspect of category procurement including domestic and offshore sourcing, vendor relationship and performance management, RFPs, cost negotiations and cost mitigation, supply risk management, quality management, vendor onboarding and much more. You’ll also work with the Director to provide our retail divisions with rich category insights on cost inflation forecasting, commodity trends, competitive landscape analytics and global product innovation.

What you'll do:

Vendor Management

• Attends meetings with vendors and supports enhancing vendor relationships with the Director, Procurement by conducting comprehensive vendor reviews, consolidating information from multiple sources, and providing analysis-based recommendations
• Responsible for complete vendor management including Vendor and 1st cost maintenance, initiating article creation, vendor education and training resulting in 100% master data integrity
• Overall Supplier management, ensuring thorough understanding / communication of control brand standards, factory compliance and governance for existing, new and prospective suppliers
• Continually review vendor landscape including identifying gaps in vendors for driving innovation, alternative sources of supply, and continuous improvement
• Responsible for troubleshooting as it relates to first cost (data integrity, process clarifications, billings)

Category & Procurement Strategy

• Supports procurement team with new innovative sourcing and procurement opportunities that can be tied to trends in the market, through research, analysis of vendor landscape, commodity reviews, market, trade organizations, trade shows, vendor and factory visits all tied to improving cost and category strategy (ie: packaging, CSR opportunities, logistics, production efficiencies)
• Conducts analysis to support the Merchandising team to review performance metrics such as Sales, Market Share, Trading & Contribution Margin, Tonnage (Article Growth, and provides potential specific actions from a costing and sourcing perspective.
• Accountable for delivering budgeted 1st cost targets to drive savings opportunities and cost mitigation strategies
• Work with Loblaw Brands Product team to determine the appropriate categories and schedule to execute RFP / RFQ / RFI resulting with a formal presentation to the business supported with options and recommendations

Assortment Planning & General Administrative Duties

• Ensures master data integrity when setting Sets up new vendors, new articles in the system, and working with the Central Data Management team and vendors to ensure data is correct
• Collect liability, coordinate and execute exit of discontinued articles for flawless planogram transitions
• Develops consolidates ad-hoc reports from multiple data sources and complete analysis as required by Director, Procurement to support decision making
• Identifies time saving opportunities for process improvement, adapts strategy to changing conditions within pre-determined milestone targets

Inventory Management

• Exceeds service level and availability targets by collaborating with LCL support functions (e.g., Replenishment, Transport, Central Data Operations, Finance) and coordinating across merchandising teams to assist in resolving any major issues as they arise i.e. over-orders, shorts shipments
• Facilitation, root cause analysis and data based recommendations on all vendor stock supply chain issues
• Communicate and refresh forecasts developed by Category Teams to new and existing suppliers
• Support Loblaw Brands Product Development, Global Vendor Management and Category Teams to address vendor compliance issues pertaining to supply and contractual obligations
• Relentless pursuit of offshore purchasing efficiencies

Role Requirements:

• Have proven success in a procurement, merchandising or logistics role
• Demonstrates a passion for sourcing, exhibits creative problem solving skills and a confident negotiator
• Highly organized with attention to detail, project management prioritization and delivering on schedule in fast-paced environment
• Ability to influence internal/external stakeholders
• Excellent communication (verbal, written and comprehension) and presentation skills
• Accurate note taking and disciplined follow-up
• Flexibility to work from downtown planogram lab and attend meetings at 1 President's Choice Circle in Brampton while based at 2 Fraser Ave office

Our commitment to Sustainability and Social Impact is an essential part of the way we do business, and we focus our attention on areas where we can have the greatest impact. Our approach to sustainability and social impact is based on three pillars - Environment, Sourcing and Community - and we are constantly looking for ways to demonstrate leadership in these important areas. Our CORE Values - Care, Ownership, Respect and Excellence - guide all our decision-making and come to life through our Blue Culture. We offer our colleagues progressive careers, comprehensive training, flexibility, and other competitive benefits - these are some of the many reasons why we are one of Canada’s Top Employers, Canada’s Best Diversity Employers, Canada’s Greenest Employers & Canada’s Top Employers for Young People.

If you are unsure whether your experience matches every requirement above, we encourage you to apply anyway. We are looking for varied perspectives which include diverse experiences that we can add to our team.

We have a long-standing focus on diversity, equity and inclusion because we know it will make our company a better place to work and shop. We are committed to creating accessible environments for our colleagues, candidates and customers. Requests for accommodation due to a disability (which may be visible or invisible, temporary or permanent) can be made at any stage of application and employment. We encourage candidates to make their accommodation needs known so that we can provide equitable opportunities.

Please Note:
Candidates who are 18 years or older are required to complete a criminal background check. Details will be provided through the application process.