VP, National Wholesale Merchandising, Marketing, Business Development & Ana

at  Loblaw Companies Limited

Referred applicants should not apply directly to this role.
All referred applicants must first be submitted through Workday by a current Loblaw Colleague.
Come make your difference in communities across Canada, where authenticity, trust and making connections is valued – as we shape the future of Canadian retail, together. Our unique position as one of the country’s largest employers, coupled with our commitment 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 collaboration 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.

ACCOUNTABILITIES:

• Oversees category business planning for Wholesale Club and the Affiliated Independents through assortment decisions, merchandising, sales promotion, price position and gross profit management.
• Lead and communicate opportunities to deliver category and customer growth strategies that address assortment, merchandising, marketing, and selling tactics through recommendations based on sound, focused analytics and implementing the necessary processes for improvement moving forward that drive market share gains
• Proactively develop and evolve improved pricing models ensuring that our products are priced to achieve sales, gross profit goals and market share.
• Strengthen our existing partnerships and vendor relationship as well as developing new relationships, to grow the product assortment, we offer to our customers.
• Collaboratively influence cross-divisional Business Unit Category teams where applicable, regarding the Banner product mix, promotions, and in-store merchandising execution to address local customer needs, resulting in greater sales and market share.
• Preserve and champion our Purpose of Helping Food Businesses Succeed and to be the most reliable Wholesaler for locally owned, independent food businesses by strengthening our everyday value proposition and is reflected in every Category strategic direction and initiatives.
• Lead Wholesale Club and AI merchandising team to create and communicate Banner-specific promotional programs; conduct post-mortems and provide core analytics that evaluate effectiveness, highlight key learnings, and identify future opportunities.
• Strategically partner with retail Operations to ensure specific merchandising standards and programs are embraced and executed effectively at the store level.
• Customize visual merchandising tools, events and programs, and store space utilization designs to be Banner relevant and address the variety of store sizes; communicate to Operations for execution.
• Conduct retail store visits with merchandising direct reports to ensure relationship with our Store Managers are maintained and business needs are identified.
• Execute control label objectives, specifically Sunspun product development by providing direction and leadership to category teams in achieving annual sales, share and profit objectives
• Build, lead, and develop the merchandising team by providing best leadership practices and strategic direction for the team.
• Provide Leadership to our Business Development Team to encourage 1:1 service, developing a partnership culture and connected experience with our business customers.
• Continuously transform and innovate our marketing programs improving both our reach and brand equity.
• Coach, develop and mentor direct reports. This includes explicit consideration of on-the-job training needs for each colleague, arranging appropriate training, providing timely feedback, and succession planning.
• Take a leadership role in our culture momentum “doing things The Wholesale Way” by helping to create an inclusive environment for our colleagues to THRIVE.

SKILLS, EXPERIENCE & EDUCATION:

• Post-secondary education in Business Management, Marketing, or related field
• 10+ years in Merchandising, Marketing, Sales, or a related role in the retail or wholesale business
• Minimum of 7- 10 years people leadership experience managing large multi-level teams through complexity
• Strategic thinker & visioning with the ability to inspire others
• A proven influencer with excellent negotiation skills
• Strong business acumen (analytical skills)
• Exceptional and proven business and financial acumen
• Strong leadership and team development skills capable of persuading and influencing others
• Ability to work collaboratively and cross-functionally at a senior level
• Highly organized, detail oriented with high standards for excellence for self and others
• Exceptional communication skills (both verbal and written)
• Colleague and Customer oriented
• Strong knowledge of Loblaw category management and strategy
• Background in operations / retail considered an asset
• A true team player who thrives in a fast paced and ambiguous environment, with a demonstrated ability to inspire teams while driving clear action and ownership.
• Proven ability to lead and motivate teams of different sizes and complexities working with in matrix organization.
• Proven ability to develop short- and long-term plans in line with corporate strategies.
• Excellent communicator up, down and across the enterprise.
• A strong understanding of the competitive landscape to recognize and capitalize on opportunities.
• Ability to gather and synthesize customer, competitor and market insight and information.
  Our commitment to Sustainability and Social Impact is an essential part of the way we do business, and we focus our attention on areas where we can have the greatest impact. Our approach to sustainability and social impact is based on three pillars – Environment, Sourcing and Community – and we are constantly looking for ways to demonstrate leadership in these important areas. Our CORE Values – Care, Ownership, Respect and Excellence – guide all our decision-making and come to life through our Blue Culture. We offer our colleagues progressive careers, comprehensive training, flexibility, and other competitive benefits – these are some of the many reasons why we are one of Canada’s Top Employers, Canada’s Best Diversity Employers, Canada’s Greenest Employers & Canada’s Top Employers for Young People.
  If you are unsure whether your experience matches every requirement above, we encourage you to apply anyway. We are looking for varied perspectives which include diverse experiences that we can add to our team.
  We have a long-standing focus on diversity, equity and inclusion because we know it will make our company a better place to work and shop. We are committed to creating accessible environments for our colleagues, candidates and customers. Requests for accommodation due to a disability (which may be visible or invisible, temporary or permanent) can be made at any stage of application and employment. We encourage candidates to make their accommodation needs known so that we can provide equitable opportunities.

Reporting directly to the Senior Vice President, National Wholesale, the Vice President, National Wholesale Merchandising, Marketing, Business Development & Analytics will work closely with respective Business Unit Category management, Operations, Marketing and Business Development Teams to customize national merchandising and marketing programs that matter most to our customers while maximizing contribution and sales. This will include responsibility to provide leadership and direction aligned to the business strategy in the areas of pricing, promotions, assortment, procurement for specified categories, analytics, and marketing in support of overall group objectives.