Protein Category Growth Lead, Market Specialist

Brunel; Amherst; On-site; CAD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Brunel is seeking a Protein Category Manager for a food service client in Amherst, Nova Scotia. You will drive growth in the Protein category, bridging global trends with local needs and coordinating with alliances, vendors, and sales teams.

You will commute to the client’s distribution center at least four days a week and travel across the Atlantic region for customer visits. The role requires deep protein knowledge, strong negotiation, pricing, and contract management to protect margins.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of deep knowledge in beef, lamb, seafood and poultry and supply chain dynamics.
• Strong grasp of Margin, Pricing and DC capacity metrics in perishables.
• Experience in the Atlantic market for protein categories.
• Ability to interpret data to make timely buying decisions.
• SAP experience is a significant asset for managing procurement data.

Responsibilities

• Make fast purchasing decisions on time-sensitive offers from vendors and strategic alliances to gain market advantages.
• Track market trends and commodity fluctuations to keep pricing competitive for the sales team.
• Sourcing unique opportunity buys to drive customer interest and incremental sales.
• Lead supplier-side contracting to secure optimal volume and pricing.
• Oversee protein contracts, aligning costs with sales commitments to safeguard margins.
• Monitor vendor and division contract compliance, escalating performance issues as needed.
• Source across national, regional, specialty, and local suppliers to maintain market-relevant inventory.
• Negotiate contracts with new regional suppliers and balance national goals with local demands.
• Forward-buy and secure supply ahead of seasonal demand spikes and commodity cycles.
• Serve as the protein SME for sales teams, participating in client meetings and reviews.
• Educate and coach sales reps on market trends, product details, and selling strategies to boost margin growth.

Skills

Protein category expertise

Market analysis

Cross-functional collaboration

Intrapreneurial mindset

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

SAP

Job description

Brunel is seeking a Protein Category Manager for a food service client in Amherst, Nova Scotia. You will drive growth in the Protein category, bridging global trends with local needs and coordinating with alliances, vendors, and sales teams.

You will commute to the client’s distribution center at least four days a week and travel across the Atlantic region for customer visits. The role requires deep protein knowledge, strong negotiation, pricing, and contract management to protect margins.