Senior Strategic Sourcing Specialist- Packaging

Lactalis Group; Toronto; On-site; CAD 88,000 - 111,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

A Competitive Base Salary

Performance-Based Bonus System

4 Weeks of Vacation

Benefits starting day 1

Pension Program with Employer Match

Job summary

Lactalis Canada is seeking a Senior Buyer to develop and execute sourcing strategies for packaging categories, manage supplier relationships, and negotiate commercial agreements. The role ensures supply continuity and drives cost reductions across North America, collaborating with operations, marketing, finance and global procurement.

You will participate in cross-functional projects for launches, line extensions, and process optimization, contributing to Lactalis’ growth and commitment to

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required. Five to seven years of procurement experience preferred.
• Experience in a food company is a plus.
• Strong negotiation and presentation skills are essential.
• Proficient with MS Office, especially Excel and PowerPoint.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute sourcing strategies for packaging categories across North America.
• Manage supplier relationships and negotiate commercial agreements.
• Identify cost reduction opportunities and ensure supply continuity.
• Collaborate across Plant Operations, Packaging Development, Marketing, Finance, and Global Procurement to align goals.
• Lead or support bid processes and supplier evaluations.

Skills

Negotiation

Presentation

Analytical thinking

Stakeholder collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Supply Chain, Procurement

Tools

MS Excel

MS PowerPoint

Job description

About Us

Welcome to Lactalis Canada! We’re proud to be Canada’s #1 branded dairy company and to be consistently recognized as one of the country’s top employers by Forbes. Our purpose is to enrich and nurture the lives of Canadians by offering the best of dairy from Canada’s favourite dairy brands like Cracker Barrel, Black Diamond, Balderson, Astro and Lactantia. In fact, our products can be found in over 90% of Canadian refrigerators in any given time. As part of Lactalis Group, the world’s leading dairy company, we remain focused on innovation and quality and are seeking like-minded individuals to join us as we continue our growth journey.

About Us

Welcome to Lactalis Canada! We’re proud to be Canada’s #1 branded dairy company and to be consistently recognized as one of the country’s top employers by Forbes. Our purpose is to enrich and nurture the lives of Canadians by offering the best of dairy from Canada’s favourite dairy brands like Cracker Barrel, Black Diamond, Balderson, Astro and Lactantia. In fact, our products can be found in over 90% of Canadian refrigerators in any given time. As part of Lactalis Group, the world’s leading dairy company, we remain focused on innovation and quality and are seeking like-minded individuals to join us as we continue our growth journey.

Job Purpose

The role is responsible for developing and executing sourcing strategies for packaging categories, managing supplier relationships, negotiating commercial agreements, identifying cost reduction opportunities, and ensuring supply continuity across Lactalis North America. The role includes strategic sourcing, supplier performance management, market intelligence, risk mitigation, contract management, budget support, and continuous improvement initiatives. Additionally, the Senior Buyer will collaborate with Plant Operations, Packaging Development, Marketing, Finance, Supply Chain and Global Procurement Team to align duties with the company’s goals and values.

Responsibility

• Achieve budget objectives by identifying, developing, and supporting North American sourcing strategy initiatives for the assigned portfolio or the North American Sourcing
• Support/lead the development of local /regional sourcing strategies for the Category managed, using detailed analysis of historical & current spend data, combined with sourcing and research of new suppliers.
• Achieve budget objectives by identifying, developing and supporting North American sourcing strategy initiatives for the assigned portfolio or the North American Sourcing.
• Leads in the implementation, and management of the strategy for the Category, making sure the needs and specifications of each Business Unit are considered.
• Provides general support for Purchasing team (Canada & US) in SRM, support of quality documentation collection, pricing, design, timeline creation, business cases, etc.
• Identifies and develops productivity projects for Lactalis Canada and other Lactalis affiliates in North America.
• Support the bid process by consulting with users to determine the expectations; preparing bid documents; performing bid analysis, teaming up and/or leading the negotiation and preparing the recommendations regarding vendor contracts and presenting the recommendations.
• Support global negotiation initiatives led by corporate office global procurement by providing information such as pricing specifications and vendor listings and negotiating at local level.
• Identify and execute negotiation cost savings initiatives.
• Identify and execute value analysis and vendor transfer savings opportunities as a cross-functional effort to deliver cost reduction targets and optimize other performance measures such as on-time delivery & lead time on purchased goods and services, without jeopardizing quality, flexibility and supply continuity.
• Participate as an active cross-functional team member, along with Supply Chain, Operations, Finance, Quality, Technical Packaging, Sales and Marketing and other key functional areas of the business for effective project execution such as new launches, line extensions, and process optimization. The scope includes sourcing, pricing, as well as sharing process improvements ideas provided by the vendors.
• Develop supplier relationships to optimize supplier quality and performance, including continuous improvement, innovation, and reduction in total cost of ownership to add value to North America region. Support supplier quality and supplier non-conformance concerns.
• Perform administrative duties such as tracking cost savings initiatives, providing monthly status reports vs. objective targets reviewing and validating pricing and communicating the pricing to master data for upload.
• Act as a Single Point of Accountability (SPA) for internal customers; operations/marketing/sales to support them in pricing, design, timeline creation, business cases, etc.
• Develop relationship and work collaboratively with Packaging Services to ensure alignment on all cost savings activities and streamlining initiatives are met.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Supply Chain, Procurement or another appropriate discipline
• Three (5) to seven (7) years’ experience in a Procurement function, preferably at a food company
• Industrial and/or Supply Chain Purchasing experience preferred
• Experience at paper/glass/metallic packaging categories is an asset
• High level of initiative, and strong interpersonal skills.
• Strong negotiation & presentation skills
• Strong planning, project management, leadership skills and execution skills
• Rigorous data driven/analytical capability and ability to present data to a leadership level
• Proficient with Microsoft Office including advanced proficiency MS Excel and MS PowerPoint
• Ease of presenting in front of small to medium size groups and leadership
• Ability to prioritize and meet deadlines within specified time constraints
• Ability to operate in a team environment with the ability to motivate others
• Ability to adapt in a changing work environment
• Bilingual (French/English) is an asset

What Lactalis Will Offer

Lactalis Canada believes in rewarding its people with the following comprehensive benefits package and perks:

• A Competitive Base Salary
• A Performance-Based Bonus System
• 4 Weeks of Vacation
• Benefits starting day 1
• A Pension Program with an Employer Match at 100% of up to 6%
• Tuition reimbursement plan of up to $3,000/year
• A Volunteer Day to give back to your community
• Learning and Development opportunities
• A commitment to internal career advancement with potential for international mobility

Our ESG Commitment

Our ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) roadmap drives our sustainability mission. We aim to positively impact communities and the planet by enabling stakeholders including our people, consumers, customers, suppliers, dairy farmers, government, and industry partners to have a positive impact on the wellbeing of our communities and the planet through all that we do.

Our Commitment To DEI

Fuel Our Culture with Your Uniqueness! Lactalis thrives on the value each person brings. We're dedicated to amplifying diverse voices, inviting personal and professional growth, and embracing everyone's true selves. We're committed to crafting an environment that genuinely welcomes all, reflecting the richness of our people and communities. We apply an equal access to employment program and invite women, aboriginal people, visible minorities, and people with disabilities to apply.

Our promise extends to accessible processes and spaces. If you require accommodation due to a disability (which may be visible or invisible, temporary, or permanent), please inform our Talent Acquisition team – confidentiality will be maintained.

Note

Lactalis Canada does not conduct credit or background checks through LinkedIn. If required, we'll contact you after signing a Job Offer.

Compensation

As part of our commitment to fairness, trust, and transparency and our ambition to be an Employer of Choice, the base salary range for this position is: $88,400.00–$110,500.00 .

Please note: Along with a comprehensive Total Rewards package, your actual base salary will be fair, competitive, and be based on your skills, experience, and qualifications.