Director, Strategic Partnership Management

Loblaw; Toronto; On-site; CAD 128,000 - 176,000; Full time

Job summary

Loblaw Companies Limited is seeking a Director, Strategic Partnership Management to turn partnership priorities into disciplined execution. Reporting to the SVP, this role leads governance, operating rhythm, and performance management for Loblaw’s strategic partnership with EQ Bank and relationships with Payments Networks.

You will build governance structures, coordinate cross-functional plans, drive growth roadmaps, manage contractual commitments, and provide concise executive reporting.

Qualifications

• Proven experience mobilizing and managing strategic partnerships in complex, matrixed organizations.
• Ability to design and execute governance structures across multiple partners.
• Strong communication and influencing skills for senior leadership alignment.

Responsibilities

• Establish and run governance frameworks, operating procedures, reporting structures and decision-making cadences for Loblaw/EQ Bank partnership and Payments Network relationships.
• Lead day-to-day operational management of the EQ Bank strategic partnership, serving as main working-level contact and escalating issues.
• Prepare concise executive governance reporting, including Monthly Business Reviews and senior leadership updates.
• Lead annual partnership planning, aligning objectives, consolidating cross-functional plans, and monitoring delivery.
• Drive execution of partnership growth and transformation roadmaps, coordinating across Finance, Legal, Compliance, Technology, Operations, Loyalty, Real Estate, Insurance and Master Brand.
• Oversee performance against contractual commitments, including Transition Service Agreements with EQ Bank, service levels, billing, and commercial outcomes.
• Manage relationships with Payments Network partners (Visa, Mastercard, Global Payments) and governance reporting.
• Monitor regulatory requirements, support planning and delivery oversight, ensure governance compliance.
• Identify and elevate risks with Legal, Risk and Compliance teams for audits and risk management.
• Build stakeholder relationships, clarifying roles, timelines and deliverables across multiple workstreams.
• Identify opportunities to improve governance, reporting, and automation.

Skills

Strategic partnerships

Governance frameworks

Stakeholder management

Executive reporting

Cross-functional coordination

Financial/operational acumen

Payments ecosystem knowledge

Job description

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.

What the role does

The Director, Strategic Partnership Management turns Loblaw’s strategic partnership priorities into disciplined execution. Reporting to the SVP, Strategic Partnership Management & PC Services, this role leads the operating rhythm, governance and performance management for Loblaw’s strategic partnership with EQ Bank and its relationships with key Payments Networks.

The Director creates the structure that keeps complex partnerships moving: clear governance, aligned objectives, strong cross-functional coordination, transparent executive reporting and timely escalation of risks and issues. The role is a central connector across Loblaw, EQ Bank, Payments Network partners and internal teams, helping ensure contractual commitments, strategic initiatives and commercial outcomes are delivered effectively.

What you'll do

• Establish and run governance frameworks, operating procedures, reporting structures and decision-making cadences for the Loblaw / EQ Bank partnership and Payments Network relationships.
• Lead the day-to-day operational management of the EQ Bank strategic partnership, serving as the primary working-level point of contact and escalating material issues to the SVP as required.
• Prepare clear, concise executive governance reporting, including Monthly Business Reviews, committee materials and senior leadership updates covering performance, shared objectives, strategic initiatives, risks, issues and dependencies.
• Lead the annual partnership planning process by aligning shared objectives, consolidating cross-functional plans and roadmaps, and monitoring delivery against plan throughout the year.
• Drive execution of partnership growth and transformation roadmaps, coordinating across Finance, Legal, Compliance, Technology, Operations, Loyalty, Real Estate, Insurance and Master Brand.
• Oversee performance against contractual commitments, including Loblaw obligations under Transition Service Agreements with EQ Bank, service-level performance, decommissioning plans, financial and billing obligations, and commercial outcomes.
• Manage the operating relationship with Payments Network partners, including Visa, Mastercard and Global Payments, and maintain effective governance and performance reporting.
• Monitor Payments Network requirements and bulletins, support the planning and delivery oversight of regulatory changes, and ensure applicable contractual and enterprise governance requirements are met.
• Identify, assess and elevate contractual, operational, financial and reputational risks, partnering closely with Legal, Risk and Compliance on regulatory requirements, audits and risk-management activities.
• Build strong relationships across internal and external stakeholders, creating clarity on roles, responsibilities, timelines and deliverables while maintaining momentum across multiple workstreams.
• Identify opportunities to improve the efficiency, automation and continuous improvement of partnership governance and reporting.

Qualifications & Experience

• Proven experience mobilizing and managing strategic partnerships, enterprise transformation programs or other complex cross-functional initiatives.
• Demonstrated ability to design, establish and execute governance frameworks in complex, matrixed organizations and multi-partner or multi-vendor environments.
• Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills, with the ability to build alignment across senior leaders, business teams and external partners.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including significant experience preparing concise executive-level reporting and governance materials.
• Strong business, financial, commercial and operational acumen, with the ability to translate strategy and contractual commitments into practical execution.
• Knowledge of payments ecosystems, digital commerce and customer loyalty strategies.
• High attention to detail, strong organizational skills and a track record of timely execution across multiple priorities and domains.
• Proactive, adaptable and comfortable navigating ambiguity and unfamiliar subject areas while maintaining accountability and momentum.

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.

Hiring Range / Échelle salariale à l’embauche :$128,000.00 - $176,000.00 / 128.000,00$ - 176.000,00$ (per year / par an).

A candidate’s experience and knowledge as well as the geographical region in which the position is located may be factored into the pay a candidate receives for this position.

This posting is for an existing vacancy.

The Company uses artificial intelligence for the purpose of screening, assessing and/or selecting applicants for this position.

/ L’expérience et les connaissances d’un candidat ainsi que la région géographique dans laquelle le poste est situé peuvent être prises en compte dans la rémunération qu’un candidat reçoit pour ce poste.

Cette offre d’emploi concerne un poste vacant existant.

L’entreprise utilise l’intelligence artificielle dans le but de filtrer, d’évaluer et/ou de sélectionner les candidats à ce poste.

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