Purchaser/ Planner

Sunrise Farms; Waterloo; On-site; CAD 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading food solutions company in Waterloo is seeking a Scheduler/Purchaser to ensure a smooth flow of materials for production. This role involves managing purchase orders, vendor relationships, and inventory logistics to optimize efficiency. The ideal candidate has a college diploma, experience in purchasing or scheduling, and strong organizational skills. This role is crucial for maintaining operational efficiency and quality standards.

Qualifications

• 2-3 years of purchasing, inventory, or production scheduling experience preferred.
• Awareness of food safety and quality control practices.

Responsibilities

• Determine daily, weekly, monthly usages of ingredients and create purchase orders.
• Manage and optimize vendor relationships; monitor inventory levels.
• Expediting and follow up on orders ensuring timely deliveries.
• Participates in production scheduling and updates commitments.
• Generate and analyze purchasing and scheduling reports.

Skills

Strong planning and organizational skills

Attention to detail

Strong communication skills

Problem solving and critical thinking skills

Proficiency in ERP/MRP systems

Advanced Microsoft Excel skills

Flexibility to respond to time-sensitive issues

Education

College diploma in Supply Chain or Business

Completion or enrollment in Supply Chain Management courses

Tools

ERP/MRP systems

Microsoft Excel

Job description

Grand River Foods is a leading food solutions company serving customers in the North American grocery and food service industry. As a member of the Sunrise Farm family, we remain as dedicated as ever to both providing a quality work environment for our employees, as well as producing only the highest quality products for our customers. We are known for the great care we take with clients and employees alike.

Position Summary: The Scheduler/Purchaser’s key responsibility is to ensure smooth and timely flow of materials required for production at Grand River Foods. Reporting directly to the Supply Chain Manager, this position will be responsible for both scheduling production needs and purchasing ingredients and packaging supplies. This role serves as a critical link between procurement, production and inventory control – ensuring the right materials are available at the right time, in the right quantities. Success in this role requires strong coordination , attention to detail, and proactive communication across departments and with external vendors to maintain efficiency and accuracy within our supply chain.

PRIORITY: This role is central to the daily execution of our plant’s operations. Take initiative in managing and aligning material availability with production plans, ensuring minimal disruption and maximum efficiency. Actively managing vendor relationships and inventory flow to help support a culture of continuous improvement, safety, and quality.

POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Determine daily, weekly, monthly usages of ingredients and packaging supplies; create purchase orders using MRP System.
• Follow all company purchasing policies, ensuring clarity and accuracy from PO creation to accounts payable process.
• Manage and optimize vendor relationships; monitor inventory levels and adjust orders based on consumption patterns.
• Expediting and follow up on orders ensuring materials are shipped and delivered on promised dates, and able to resolve situations such as delivery timing conflicts.
• Participates with Production Schedule process and stakeholders, updates all committed shipments and ETA’s with direct team and shared stakeholders.
• Supports inventory (on site, third party) logistics management team and process as needed, communicates regularly regarding updates to usage, damage, launch and in-process relaunch activities with greater team perpetually.
• Support and participate in audits (e.g., BRC, SQF, internal audits) related to procurement and inventory traceability.
• Provide regular updates to plant leadership (as needed) regarding backorders, aging reports, and liabilities.
• Generate and analyze purchasing and scheduling reports to identify trends, opportunities, or areas for improvement.
• Serve as a backup for other supply chain functions during absences or peak demand periods.
• Other duties as required.
  
  

REQUIRED SKILL, EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS:

• College diploma with some exposure/education in Supply Chain or Business.
• Completion or enrollment in Supply Chain Management courses would be an asset.
• 2-3 years of purchasing, inventory, or production scheduling experience preferred.
  
  

COMPETENCIES AND ATTRIBUTES:

• Strong planning and organizational skills to effectively manage materials and production schedules in a fast-paced environment.
• Attention to detail to ensure accuracy in purchase orders, inventory tracking, and scheduling.
• Strong communication skills (written and verbal) to collaborate effectively with internal teams, external vendors, and cross-functional stakeholders.
• Demonstrated problem solving and critical thinking skills to anticipate and resolve supply issues proactively.
• Proficiency in ERP/MRP systems and advanced Microsoft Excel skills (e.g., formulas, pivot tables, lookups) to analyze inventory, usage, and aging reports and support data-driven decision-making.
• Dependable and accountable, with a strong sense of ownership.
• Awareness of food safety and quality control practices.
• Adaptability to shifting production needs and priorities, with the flexibility to respond to time-sensitive issues while maintaining composure.
  
  

#IND2

#IND3

At Sunrise Farms we are proud to be an equal-opportunity employer. All qualified individuals, regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or any other identifying characteristic are encouraged to apply.

Please note that the expected new hire salary range provided is derived from a group of like roles within Sunrise Farms. The final offer amount for this role will be dependent on geographical region, applicable experience, and skillset of the candidate.