Associate Vice President, Food

Federated Co-operatives Limited (FCL) is hiring an Associate Vice President, Food on a permanent basis located at our Home Office in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

Who we are:

As a co-operative, we do business differently. We believe in working together to serve Western Canadians, delivering profits back to our communities and investing in sustainable growth. Our work is guided by our values of integrity, excellence and responsibility and driven by our vision of building sustainable communities together. To learn more about who we are, visit www.fcl.crs. 

What you’ll do:

Under the direction of the Vice President, Consumer Products, you will provide the strategic direction for our Food, Liquor, Convenience Store and Pharmacy Departments. In this organizational leadership role, you will collaborate with department Directors and Managers to ensure our vision and mission are aligned throughout the business unit, while leading a diverse team.

• Business Leadership - You will collaboratively lead all areas of Food, Liquor, Pharmacy and Independent Business related initiatives to provide the best value for our local Co-ops and our communities. This includes cultivating collaborative relationships with local Co-ops and fostering productive relationships with vendors and local communities. You will be required to anticipate future customer needs as well as react to immediate needs by using analysis of market research and the competitive landscape, making data driven decisions. 
• People Leadership – You will provide leadership to 6 direct reports, as a strong advocate and role model for FCL’s values, vision, mission, brand and Co-op’s Employee Experience (You’re at Home Here). You will coach, develop, inspire, and motivate team members while managing and communicating vision and purpose of the organization, handling diverse relationships, and lead the operations team to assist with providing support at store level. 
• Organizational Leadership – Providing cross-collaborative direction for marketing services, retail facilities, finance, and technology teams with relation to key marketing initiatives, retail store development, retail accounting reporting or IT projects.
• Business Management – You will represent FCL within the industry and build upon external stakeholder relations to help improve overall corporate performance. Determine appropriate reaction to changing trends and issues with supplier performance to ensure efficient and profitable operations for the local Co-ops.
• Innovation – Develop the overall strategies for the Food, Liquor, Convenience and Pharmacy stores. This requires strong business acumen, creativity, and innovation management with the ability to assess opportunities that support our growth strategy, along with prioritizing key category management and operational initiatives. 
• Sales Strategies: Collaborating with a team of Directors and Managers, determine a plan of action to achieve desired sales and overall contribution to the Co-operative Retailing System (CRS). 
• 20% Travel: Visit and collaborate with local Co-ops to build relationships and influence execution.

Why it matters:

We feed and fuel Western Canadian communities by offering innovative products and providing unmatched service to Co-op member-owners and customers.

Who you are: 

You are looking for a career in Executive Leadership and:

• Have a minimum of 5 years of experience in a Category Management Director level role.
• Have a college or University Business degree or equivalent (a combination of relevant education and experience may be considered).
• Retail experience in Food/Grocery, Pharmacy or Liquor is an asset.
• Negotiation Training is an asset.
• You must have strong business acumen.
• You’re honest and trustworthy, results oriented and strive to be the best in what you do.
• You believe in collaboration, building relationships and value the perspectives of others.

Our organizational leaders receive competitive compensation packages, a comprehensive benefits package, and an employer-contributed pension plan. We encourage our employees to take advantage of on-going learning opportunities, to continue to grow and develop, and to foster a culture of teamwork and innovation.

We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations throughout the recruitment process to ensure an enjoyable candidate experience for all to allow you to be at your best. If you require an accommodation during the recruitment process, we invite you to submit your accommodation requests to us via fclhr@fcl.crs and we will work through your request with you. All information received will be kept confidential.

If this opportunity speaks to you, we invite you to apply online by April 24, 2024.

We thank all candidates for their interest, however only those selected to continue in the recruitment process will be contacted.  FCLHP

FCL embraces diversity and inclusion. We’re working to create a workforce that is as diverse as the communities we serve and an environment where every team member brings their whole self to work. We believe all candidates should feel at home with us and be given the opportunity to fully participate during the recruitment process.