Associate Category Manager, Store Supplies & Uniforms
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.
The Associate Category Manager, Store Supplies & Uniforms will join a team of others reporting to the Director, Strategic Sourcing Store Supplies. You will heavily support the development and execution of category strategies, strategic sourcing initiatives, supplier relationship management, and contract administration. This role combines strong analytical capability with supplier and stakeholder engagement to identify sourcing opportunities, manage risk, improve category performance, and support value delivery across assigned categories.
What You’ll Do
- Conduct supply market, category, supplier, and spend analyses to identify sourcing opportunities, market developments, risks, and potential savings.
- Build and maintain category fact bases using multiple data sources; translate complex or ambiguous data into clear insights and recommendations.
- Support category strategy development and execution, including sourcing baselines, scenario modelling, benefit assessments, and key performance metrics.
- Analyze supplier bids and proposals, including advanced cost and price analysis and multivariable regression techniques where appropriate.
- Use historical and market data to develop supplier profiles, assess risk, and quantify opportunities.
- Support and help manage strategic supplier relationships, including performance, risk, compliance, and continuous improvement activities.
- Prepare and assess sourcing scenarios and support e-Sourcing activities, including supplier engagement and e-catalogue enablement.
- Partner with internal stakeholders to understand business requirements, resolve issues, and ensure sourcing activities reflect business needs.
- Prepare recurring and ad hoc analyses and presentations for category management and business stakeholders.
Contract & Procurement Support
- Assist in the preparation and initial review of various contract documents (e.g., Master Agreements, Statements of Work, Confidentiality Agreements), by referencing company policy and basic contract principles, and by relaying feedback from Business Stakeholders.
- Provide initial support for inquiries from Business Stakeholders related to contract documents and explain recommended processes to Business team members for various contract-related requests (e.g., termination requests, scope commitments).
- Assist with the development of contract summaries, including risk summaries.
- Review legal terms in contracts to identify potential discrepancies or areas needing further alignment with procurement objectives, legal requirements, and company policies.
- Handle various administrative tasks, such as managing enterprise contract tools, coordinating and tracking internal approval and signature processes to meet deadlines, and responding to general contract-related inquiries.
- Track contract renewal dates and flag upcoming expirations to ensure necessary actions are taken before the contract ends
What You'll Bring
- Minimum bachelor’s degree in Business, Supply Chain, Operations, Engineering, Business Management, or a related field or
- 1-3 years of relevant experience in strategic sourcing, category management, procurement, financial analysis, or another analytical business function.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to conduct reliable quantitative analysis and summarize complex data into actionable insights.
- Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint; experience with Microsoft Access or similar data tools is an asset.
- Basic understanding of contract provisions, contract administration, and risk identification.
- Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.
- Effective written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present ideas and analysis in clear, business-friendly language.
- Ability to work collaboratively and communicate effectively with stakeholders and management at different levels.
- Fluency in written and spoken English.
Assets
- Experience in category management or strategic sourcing within a retail environment.
- Experience with SAP, Ariba, Fieldglass, or e-Sourcing platforms.
- Experience reviewing Repair & Maintenance, Construction & Design, Store Supplies, or related contracts.
- Category-specific knowledge and experience with supplier performance measurement and tracking.
Our Culture
At Loblaw, we respect the environment, source products with integrity and make 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.
Loblaw recognizes Canada's diversity as a source of national pride and strength. We have made it a priority to reflect our nation’s evolving diversity in the products we sell, the people we hire, and the culture we create in our organization.
Accommodation is available upon request for applicants with disabilities in the recruitment and assessment process and when hired.
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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