Manager, Strategy - 18 Month Contract

Loblaw Companies Limited; Toronto, Golden Horseshoe; On-site; CAD 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company in Canadian retail is seeking a strategic leader to manage key initiatives for the Home, Entertainment, Health and Beauty department. This role involves collaborating with various teams to optimize strategies and improve profitability. Candidates should have a background in retail or related fields, strong analytical skills, and effective communication capabilities. The position offers opportunities for professional growth within a company recognized for its commitment to diversity and sustainability.

Benefits

Competitive benefits

Progressive careers

Training and flexibility

Qualifications

• Minimum 2 years of relevant work experience in retail or related fields.
• Retail operations experience and knowledge of Loblaw systems are assets.

Responsibilities

• Manage strategic initiatives for Home, Entertainment, Health and Beauty department.
• Provide analytical support to drive retail excellence and operational efficiency.

Skills

Communication

Problem Solving

Critical Thinking

Time Management

Curiosity

Education

Post-secondary undergraduate degree

Tools

Python

SAS

R

SQL

PowerBI

Job description

Come make your difference in communities across Canada, where authenticity, trust, and making connections are valued – as we shape the future of Canadian retail, together. Our unique position as one of the country's largest employers, coupled with our dedication 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 teamwork 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!

Role Mandate:

Manage and lead the development and implementation of key strategic initiatives for Home, Entertainment, Health and Beauty (HEHB) department across Supermarket and Hard Discount Divisions by collaborating with Category, Operations, Promo, and Capital teams. Provide analytical support to enable the Divisions to drive retail excellence, operational efficiency, optimize merchandising, and improve profitability. The successful candidate will be expected to travel between our Toronto and Brampton locations as needed (2 Fraser Avenue, Suite 100 Toronto, Ontario and 1 President’s Choice Circle Brampton, respectively).

What You'll Do:

Strategy Development

• Act as a strategic thought leader, providing data-driven insights and identifying opportunities to drive sales, share, and profit growth.
• Support the development of category-specific strategies and associated tactics that improve our competitive position and accelerate financial performance.
• Lead the category and planogram review process for HEHB, partnering with Category and Control Brand teams to conduct in-depth analysis focused on identifying space and assortment optimization opportunities, and driving strong governance to ensure on-time execution.

Strategic Initiative Support

• Track and evaluate market share results to assess category strategies, identify drivers of outperformance, and diagnose underperformance at the banner and category levels.
• Develop tangible metrics to measure success of strategic initiatives, ensuring performance tracking towards targets and translating results into actionable next steps.
• Create reports and conduct large data set analyses surrounding pilot program results; engage data-driven insights and financial impacts with Category and Senior Leadership.
• Design and develop program/project presentations for key executive stakeholders within the business.

Quarterly and Annual Planning

• Support and execute key initiatives from the Division’s annual plan, leading analytics and strategy development with internal stakeholders.
• Collaborate with Category teams to ensure strategies support the divisional annual plan.

What You'll Need:

• Minimum 2 years of relevant work experience, preferably in retail, merchandising, management consulting, or consumer goods.
• Post-secondary undergraduate degree in finance, economics, commerce, engineering, or related fields.
• Retail operations experience and knowledge of the Loblaw enterprise systems are assets.
• Excellent communication skills, comfortable presenting to senior executives.
• Proficiency with data analytics tools such as Python, SAS, R, SQL, PowerBI is advantageous.
• Attention to detail, strong time management, problem-solving skills, critical thinking, and resourcefulness.
• Curiosity and willingness to learn.

Our commitment to sustainability and social impact guides our business practices, focusing on Environment, Sourcing, and Community pillars. We value our CORE Values – Care, Ownership, Respect, and Excellence – which are reflected in our Blue Culture. We offer progressive careers, training, flexibility, and competitive benefits, making us one of Canada's top employers, including recognition as a top diversity, green, and young employers.

If your experience aligns with the role, we encourage you to apply, welcoming diverse perspectives and experiences.

We are dedicated to diversity, equity, and inclusion, creating accessible environments for all candidates and colleagues. Accommodation requests can be made at any employment stage.

Please Note: Candidates aged 18 or older must complete a criminal background check, with details provided during the application process.