Strategic Protein Procurement Lead

Kelly Services; Brantford; On-site; CAD 67,000 - 84,000; Full time

Job summary

Kelly Services in Brantford, Ontario is seeking a Protein Procurement Manager to coordinate procurement activities, manage supplier relationships, and collaborate with Walmart buyers and demand planning to ensure timely, cost-effective product availability. Meat protein experience is preferred but not required, with openness to fresh food/FMCG backgrounds.

The role is on-site, full-time, with responsibilities spanning procurement, demand planning, and new product development support.

Qualifications

• Experience in buying, purchasing, procurement or supply chain.
• Experience within a fast-moving fresh food or FMCG environment is preferred.
• Knowledge of meat/protein products is an asset but not required.
• Strong supplier relationship management and negotiation skills.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Strong organizational and time-management abilities with the ability to manage multiple timelines.
• Comfortable working with cross-functional teams including Procurement, Commercial, Demand Planning, Scheduling, Accounts and customers.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to make informed purchasing decisions based on supply, demand, pricing and service-level considerations.
• Experience with Foods Connected or similar procurement/supply chain platforms is an asset.

Responsibilities

• Act as a key point of contact between customers, suppliers and commercial teams.
• Organize and manage purchasing events with Walmart buyers.
• Work alongside the Procurement Insight team to guide and influence purchasing decisions.
• Load purchasing events and purchasing agreements into the Foods Connected platform.
• Maintain supplier price files, load agreed pricing and obtain supplier sign-off.
• Manage long-term contract purchasing and supplier purchasing models.
• Ensure all active product codes are accurately maintained within procurement documentation for both retail and primal products.
• Review retail order amendments and identify solutions to improve service levels.
• Manage purchasing timelines and ensure key deadlines are met.
• Attend S&OP meetings and contribute procurement insights and recommendations.
• Manage imported meat schedules, where applicable.
• Coordinate frozen and fresh stock held at external cold storage facilities, where applicable.
• Identify and escalation service-level challenges to the appropriate customer and commercial teams.

Skills

Procurement

Supplier management

Negotiation

Purchasing

Supply chain

Cross-functional collaboration

Tools

Foods Connected

Job description

Kelly Services in Brantford, Ontario is seeking a Protein Procurement Manager to coordinate procurement activities, manage supplier relationships, and collaborate with Walmart buyers and demand planning to ensure timely, cost-effective product availability. Meat protein experience is preferred but not required, with openness to fresh food/FMCG backgrounds.

The role is on-site, full-time, with responsibilities spanning procurement, demand planning, and new product development support.