National Sourcing Manager

Ready to Make an impact?

Sobeys is full of growth opportunities, and we are looking for top talent to join our National Sourcing team. With continued focus on stores and the customers we serve, we strive to advance our position as a top retailer in Canada by driving profitable growth and exceptional value.

If you are a natural negotiator, enjoy managing relationships with multiple stakeholders and have deep knowledge of grocery and fresh category management, then this is a great opportunity for you. The National Sourcing Manager will be responsible for the negotiation of national contracts with all national suppliers of Empire Co.

Here’s where you’ll be focusing:

Manage Merchandising Relationships

• Establish and maintain strong partnerships with various levels of merchandising leaders across Empire Company.
• Lead regular and on-going discussions with each Business Unit
• Understand the strategy of each Business Unit and respect the differentiators within each format
• Influence the merchandising teammates to support a common vision and unified strategy

Execute the strategic plan for all National Supplier contracts / agreements

• Work collaboratively with all Business Unit Category Management teams to identify the objective before entering each supplier negotiation.
• Conduct and manage the national negotiations for the aggregate needs of Empire Co. Business Units, responsibly leveraging national volume/activity potential to lower product costs and ensure alignment with company strategies
• Deliver on the key performance indicators that will form the basis for negotiation and allow for continuous improvement
• Lead alignment across business units to leverage our scale with suppliers
• Leverage qualitative feedback from Business Units to maximize Empire Co. performance
• Implement industry best practices identified by the organization

Research Supplier Intelligence

• Research the business of the supplier (pricing trends, market constraints, regulatory issues etc., that the supplier may not share).
• Research wholesale cost (transportation, packaging etc.)
• Be an expert in the respective category’s commodity area and be able to relate the strategic commodity opportunity by understanding cost-supply components, projected market fluctuations, weather impact, quality status, growing areas and freight implications

Manage Supplier Relationships

• Establish and maintain proactive and consultative relationship with suppliers conducting business with Empire Co.
• Lead effective contract negotiations that align to Empire Co. Business Unit strategies, whilst maximizing Empire Co. revenue
• Adhere to organizational values
• Manage supplier compliance with Empire Co. policies and procedures
• Revisit performance often and identify issues early to avoid future conflict
• Improve the visibility of Empire Co. purchasing power within the national supplier community

What you have to offer:

• Exceptional negotiations skills
• Strong analytical skills and financial acumen
• Skills in Integrating quantitative and qualitative information to draw accurate conclusions
• Knowledge of the commodities market
• Strong collaboration skills.
• A University degree
• 8 years direct or relevant experience in merchandising with demonstrated experience managing end-to-end margins.
• Exceptional communication skills both oral and written, bilingual (French / English) preferred.