Creative Retail Sourcing Specialist

Sheridan College; Oakville; On-site; CAD 48,000 - 56,000; Full time

Job summary

Sheridan College is seeking a Creative Retail Sourcing Specialist to lead purchasing for Campus Store items, manage inventory and collaborate with merchandising and marketing teams. This on-site role supports a diverse student body with on-brand product assortments and strong vendor relations.

The candidate will drive cost-effective purchasing, oversee stock availability, and contribute to promotional and display strategies across campus stores and the online shop.

Qualifications

• Diploma or degree in purchasing/retail or related field.
• 5+ years experience with retail math and procurement in college/public sector.
• Experience with merchandising and vendor relations.

Responsibilities

• Execute purchasing for Campus Store general merchandise, apparel, art supplies, kits, and uniforms for college programs.
• Manage inventory, pricing, stock replenishment, returns, markdowns, and customer service.
• Support Visual Merchandising, planograms, and promotions for in-store and online platforms.

Skills

Retail math

Vendor relations

Merchandising

Analytical skills

Education

3-year Diploma or Degree in Purchasing, Retail, Merchandising, Business, Marketing Finance, Accounting or related field

Tools

Inventory management system

Job description

Preference will be given to qualified employees, as defined in the Full-Time Support Staff Collective Agreement. Should a suitable candidate not be found, external candidates will be considered.

Reporting to the Operations Manager, Campus Services, the Creative Retail Sourcing Specialist is responsible for executing sourcing strategies to reduce costs and analyzing vendor spend. The incumbent has strong knowledge of retail math, plays a key role in shaping the unique identity of the Campus Store by curating and sourcing a diverse range of fashion, lifestyle, art supplies, gift products, course-required supplies, kits, uniforms, as well as general supplies, and general merchandise that resonate with our student body, campus community, and brand values. This role blends trend awareness, supplier relations, and retail strategy to ensure an engaging, on-brand, and dynamic product assortment. The incumbent will work closely with merchandising, marketing, and store operations teams to bring in high-quality, sustainable, and locally relevant products that enhance the overall retail experience.

Collaborating with various departments and faculty, the incumbent will ensure the timely execution of orders. The incumbent ensures the availability and accuracy of inventory for sale in the Campus Store and the online retail platform. The incumbent assists with sales and merchandising strategies such as setting up displays, creating and executing promotional plans and shipping and receiving procedures.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Executing the purchasing activities of all Campus Store general merchandise, apparel, art supplies, kits, and uniform requirements for all college programs by:
  • Creating an ongoing schedule of activities and tasks to meet deadlines and handling pricing, inventory management, stock replenishment, returns, markdowns, and customer service concerns;
  • Processing adoptions into store inventory management system and troubleshooting as required while preparing and maintaining a master list of supplies, kits, and uniform adoptions, and following up with departments regularly to ensure adoption submissions are received on time;
  • Reviewing enrollment statistics and historical sell-through data to ensure cost- effective purchasing and researching market pricing, product specifications, and availability of stock, and updating the inventory management system accordingly;
  • Communicating any necessary updates to program coordinators and faculty with strong analytical skills and a deep understanding of retail math to drive profitability and optimize inventory performance;
  • Being accountable for inventory control, returns, markdowns, and write-offs etc. to effectively manage inventory levels, executing receiving functions and solve any shipping discrepancies that might arise;
• Executing Visual Merchandising, Planograms and Promotion in-store and online by:
  • Maintaining proper merchandise signage and ticketing for store shelves by observing displays of company products;
    • Removing damaged or freshness-dated products;
    • Tidying store shelves;
    • Providing optimum display of products;
  • Maximizing sales by identifying sales opportunities and promotions;
    • Studying product turnover;
    • Evaluating and redesigning floor plans and flow strategies;
    • Recommending liquidations;
    • Maintaining assortment and replenishment profiles;
    • Auditing buyer decisions;
• Event planning and vendor relations:
  • Attending vendor meetings and trade shows to stay apprised of current trends in the college retail sector, and establish relationships with vendors;
• Performing other related duties as assigned.

About You

You have the skills and knowledge to work with an increasingly diverse student and staff population as well as a proven commitment to anti-oppression, equity, and inclusion.

You have a client service focus with an aptitude to make connections, support others, provide excellent customer service and might identify as a community builder.

You demonstrate excellent judgement, creative problem-solving skills and conflict resolution skills.

You have excellent written and verbal communication skills, and ability to present to diverse audiences and communities.

The Successful Candidate Will Also Meet The Following Requirements

• 3-year Diploma or Degree in Purchasing, Retail, Merchandising, Business, Marketing Finance, Accounting or related field;
• At least 5 years of experience with retail math, merchandise, retail procurement in a college, retail, or public sector environment;
  • Experience with other roles in a retail environment, such as sales, merchandising, or retail management;
  • Effective communication and interpersonal skills;
  • Demonstrates creativity, initiative, analysis, problem solving and organization skills.

Who We Are

Every member of the Sheridan community is passionate about the transformational role we play in people’s lives. Our strategic plan, Sheridan 2027: Forging the Future (https://www.sheridancollege.ca/sheridan2027), charts a path towards a new ground-breaking model of higher education that reshapes post-secondary education and better prepares students for the future. We are committed to demonstrably advancing equity, diversity and inclusivity. Diversity is our strength and fuels our commitment to excellence. Across our campuses, we’re making meaningful strides towards developing an equitable and inclusive community.

For more information, visit: Why Work at Sheridan

Other Details

Department: Facilities and Campus Services

Primary Work/Campus Location: Trafalgar (may be assigned activities at any Sheridan campus)

Work Categorization: Resident Position | Fully on-site 5 days/week

Reference #: J0926-0594

Employee Group: Support Staff - Permanent

Type of Vacancy: This is a replacement position

Payband: G

Hourly Range: $35.29 - $40.73

Hours/Week: 37.5 hours

Hours: 8:30 am – 5:00 pm

Application Deadline: September 30, 2026

Sheridan is deeply committed to implementing the Calls to Action framed by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. We acknowledge that we live and work on the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nations, Anishinaabe Nation, Huron-Wendat and the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. Sheridan is situated on these lands, and it is our collective responsibility to honour and respect those who have gone before us, those who are here, and those who have yet to come. We are grateful for the opportunity to be working on this land.

Sheridan values the diverse and intersectional identities of its students, faculty, and staff. Sheridan regards equity and diversity as an integral part of academic excellence and is committed to accessibility for all employees. Sheridan seeks applicants who embrace our values of equity, anti-racism, and inclusion. As such, we encourage applications from qualified candidates who have been historically disadvantaged and marginalized, including those who identify as First Nations, Métis and/or Inuit/Inuk, Black, members of racialized communities, persons with disabilities, women and/or 2SLGBTQ+.

Sheridan is committed to accessibility for persons with disabilities. If you have any application, interview, or workplace accommodation requests, please contact Human Resources.

You may be asked to provide copies of your educational credentials at the time of interview. Upon hire, we require official confirmation of educational credentials and Canadian equivalency assessments, if applicable.