Assistant Manager, Product - 12mth Contract

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. 

Assistant Product Manager, Strategic Initiatives

At Loblaw, we help millions of Canadians get through their best days, worst days, celebration days, and every day. Through our innovation and quality products, we’re here for our friends, neighbors, family members and colleagues.

We succeed through collaboration and commitment and set a high bar for ourselves and those around us.

We’re looking for adaptable people who are thrilled to join us in our goal of helping Canadians Live Life Well®. Whether you are just starting your career, re-entering the workforce, or looking for a new job, this is where you belong. We promote leaders at every level and support our people to follow their passion.

Why is this role important?

The Assistant Product Manager to the Strategic Initiatives team works in a fast-paced environment to support Loblaw Brands multi-year strategic initiatives and special project sprints that enable our beloved brands, including President’s Choice and No Name.  The successful candidate will liaise with our supplier base ensuring their contributions to the project are complete and on time. They are also responsible for leading communications and meetings with many internal stakeholders to support project milestones, provide progress updates and meet final target launch dates.

What You'll Do:

• Monitor the development and execution process with Vendors/PM/PD/QAS/RA/PT to ensure on-time completion of specialty projects
• Develop project timelines and assign tasks to team members within SAP system
• Support the PM in chairing project kick-off meetings with the vendor. Develop vendor-specific timelines and communicate all of the information a vendor will require in order to support the on-time delivery of a project, as well as understand LCL critical path milestones
• Responsible for the listing of all approved projects in the internal Loblaw Brands systems
• Responsible for creating master label copy direction, as well as artwork circulation to studio teams and vendors
• Support the PM in leading design kick-off meetings to ensure team alignment to the project strategy by gathering information and samples
• Lead monthly reviews with individual product teams to update on progress within existing portfolios
• Manage the critical path file for all active projects and report on project status
• Chair weekly team meetings with the team (PM/PD/QA/RA/PT) to review project status, escalate risks, solution challenges impacting project timelines
• Act as a liaison between the project team and the in-house editorial, design, and production team
• Assist the PM, when required, in preparing for Quarterly Imitative updates using Microsoft PowerPoint and Excel
• Create and analyze reports from MicroStrategy, PowerBI, ABI, and SAP as required

What You'll Need:

• Post-secondary education
• Well-developed project management skills are essential, experience in project management is an asset
• Highly organized, able to prioritize effectively and work independently in a fast-paced environment
• Advanced excel skills is an asset
• An ability to tell a story through data, and an eye for reporting
• Strong work ethic with a passion for detail and accuracy
• Strong time management skills and problem-solving skills
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, both oral and written
• A natural curiosity to learn new things, and a mind for simplifying complex ideas
• An outstanding ability to manage ambiguity and for bringing teams together to deliver big ideas
• Outstanding decision-making skills required to achieve organizational objectives with an understanding and consideration to the impact on other work groups
• Diplomacy, constructive thinking and innovative approach to drive solutions
• Basic knowledge of retail merchandising or product manufacturing processes

Loblaw is committed to sustainability by sourcing products with integrity and making a positive difference in the community. 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.

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.

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.  
 
Please Note:
Candidates who are 18 years or older are required to complete a criminal background check. Details will be provided through the application process.

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