Category Manager, Strategic Sourcing, Packaging

Job summary

The Category Manager will develop and execute strategic sourcing initiatives for packaging to optimize costs, quality, and supply chain reliability. They will manage vendor relationships, lead contract negotiations, and drive continuous improvement through data-driven analysis.

Job details

We are seeking an experienced sourcing manager to join our Packaging Strategic Procurement team! In this role, you will be responsible for developing and executing sourcing strategies to improve our cost structure, the quality of our products, the reliability of our supply chain, and will play a leading role in supporting innovation through new product development. You will have key responsibilities over SKU ideation and onboarding, vendor selection and relationships, price negotiations and contract management, budgetary planning and continuously improving our end-to-end sourcing process. In this role, you will help drive the strategy and framework for how the business interacts with its supplier base and have a direct stake in affecting bottom line profitability. You will... Take full ownership of assigned categories to develop and optimize our supply network. Refine and implement a sourcing and supply chain strategy for a selection of categories that optimizes process, reduces risk, and improves our cost structure Build and maintain a strong supplier base that align with our company values; own relationships with our strategic suppliers, including performance management and innovation activities Manage cost savings initiatives through our strategic sourcing process to ensure that we hit our targeted budget Leverage large internal datasets and industry benchmarks (including market, supplier, and SKU analysis) to drive continuous improvement, identify opportunities for cost reduction, and identify/implement best practices Develop a culture of continuous improvement, both internally and externally through data-driven reporting and effective project management to identify and drive opportunities for quality improvement and implement best practices Onboard new vendors and new SKUs to drive cost savings and improve customer experience Proactively manage quality specifications and potential issues that might impact ingredient standards Work with the Procurement Operations Team to set execution plans and develop best practices for tracking contract compliance by our vendors You are… Data-driven – You can organize, explore, and synthesize unstructured data into actionable insights to better inform operational decision-making Intellectually curious – You have an insatiable desire to understand how and why things work, identify data-driven insights, and consistently challenge the status quo Detail-oriented – You possess strong organizational skills and demonstrate a methodical approach to your work A self-starter – You are highly motivated and passionate. You’re eager to take on new projects without knowing exactly what you will uncover Agile – You thrive in fast-paced and dynamic environments and are comfortable working autonomously A critical thinker – You use logic to identify opportunities, evaluate alternatives, and synthesize and present critical information to solve complex problems. An excellent communicator – You can explain complex (often technical) information to a variety of audiences Collaborative - You are prepared to work collaboratively across many different HelloFresh teams and functions A project manager - You have exceptional project and people management skills You have... 3-5 years of relevant experience working with relevant industries in supply chain operations and strategic sourcing functions; or working in operations strategy focused management consulting 3+ years of packaging sourcing experience preferred Undergraduate degree preferred or equivalent relevant experience Fluent in Microsoft Office applications (especially Excel and Powerpoint) and Google Suite applications (especially Google sheets) Experience successfully leading large initiatives and sourcing events through strategic sourcing processes You'll get... Box Discount - Amazing discounts on 1 box per week! 75% discount on weekly HelloFresh and Chefs Plate meal kits AND 50% off weekly Factor meal box. Health & Wellness - Health & Dental benefits from day 1, a Health Spending Account, unlimited access to the Headspace app to meet your self-care needs, and 25% discount on GoodLife fitness memberships! Vacation & PTO - Time off is also an important part of self-care! We offer generous vacation and PTO to help you create a good work-life balance. Family Benefits - A parental leave top-up program for expectant parents. Growth & Development - We support your career progression, provide development opportunities, and invest in your continued learning through our organization wide L&D fund. Work Hard & Have Fun - From team socials to engaging company days, you’ll have plenty of opportunity to experience the fun! Diversity & Inclusion Initiatives - With impactful ERG’s like FreshPride, Women Empowered and LIMES, we are committed to our diversity, equity & inclusion efforts. Food Puns - this one is kind of a big dill if you haven’t already noticed. We even have some punny meeting room names! Flexible Hybrid Approach At HelloFresh, we know that flexible work arrangements are essential in enabling you to do your best work, while balancing your personal and life needs. Offering remote work flexibility, along with the opportunity to interact and collaborate in the office are all a part of creating a great employee experience. To meet these needs, we are pleased to provide Flexible Hybrid work. Flexible Hybrid is a people-first approach that is based on choice, trust, personalization, and empowers teams to choose when and how often they work from the office and work from home, in addition to team days and company days. This means a minimum of 2 days in office per week, with most teams in office between 2-3 days a week. #LI-HYBRID Working Conditions It’s no surprise that as a food company, we use many ingredients that may be considered common allergens (i.e. peanuts, tree nuts, milk, etc.). Whether this role is based out of our headquarters or one of our distribution centers, it is possible that you may be exposed to such allergens in this role. If you have any concerns with being exposed to any particular food ingredients, including meat, please disclose this during the hiring process. Toronto, ON Pay Range $85,000—$100,000 CAD

What you’ll do

The Category Manager will develop and execute strategic sourcing initiatives for packaging to optimize costs, quality, and supply chain reliability. They will manage vendor relationships, lead contract negotiations, and drive continuous improvement through data-driven analysis.

Requirements

Candidates should have 3-5 years of experience in supply chain operations or strategic sourcing, with a preference for packaging-specific expertise. A bachelor's degree is preferred, along with strong proficiency in Microsoft Office and Google Suite applications.

Benefits

• Health insurance • Dental benefits • Health spending account • Headspace app access • Fitness membership discount • Paid time off • Parental leave top-up • Professional development fund • Meal kit discounts

Listed skills

• Google Suite · Preferred
• Process Optimization · Preferred
• Supply chain management · Preferred
• Data analysis · Preferred
• Quality Improvement · Preferred
• Microsoft Office · Preferred
• Project management · Preferred

Other relevant skills

Identified from the job description. Confirm important requirements above.

• Strategic sourcing
• Packaging procurement
• Supply chain management
• Vendor selection
• Contract management
• Price negotiation
• Data analysis
• Project management
• Cost reduction
• SKU management
• Process optimization
• Microsoft Office
• Google Suite
• Performance management
• Quality improvement
• Customer Experience Improvement
• Supply Chain Strategy
• Cost Structures
• Intellectual Curiosity
• Self-Starter
• Frontline Decision-Making Autonomy
• Ideation
• People Management
• Supply Chain
• Complex Problem Solving
• Organizational Skills
• Google Sheets
• Procurement Strategy
• Planning
• Self-Motivation
• Quality Improvement
• Contract Compliance
• Microsoft Excel
• Agile Methodology
• Management Consulting
• Procurement
• Continuous Improvement Process
• Contract Management
• Cost Reduction
• Critical Thinking
• Performance Management
• Equities
• Packaging And Labeling
• Innovation
• Project Management
• New Product Development
• Operations
• Microsoft PowerPoint
• Refining
• Stock Keeping Unit

Job areas

• Logistics
• Management & Leadership
• Food & Beverage
• Consulting
• Data & Analytics
• Strategic Sourcing Category Manager
• Procurement / Sourcing Manager
• Supply, Distribution and Related Managers
• Purchasing Managers