Manager, Indirect Procurement at Gay Lea Foods in Toronto, ON, CA

Department: Procurement
Reports To: Director, Procurement
Location: Corporate Head Office (Hybrid)
Status: Full-Time
The pay range for the role is $95,300 to $145,300 plus bonus, comprehensive benefits, retirement savings plan, paid vacation, and other perks and opportunities
Position Summary
Gay Lea Foods is seeking an experienced and results-oriented Manager, Indirect Procurement to lead the development and centralization of indirect procurement across our Canadian operations.
This newly created role represents a unique opportunity to help build an enterprise-wide indirect procurement function from the ground up. The successful candidate will play a critical role in designing and implementing the future-state procurement operating model, establishing governance and sourcing processes, driving supplier consolidation, increasing spend visibility, and delivering measurable cost savings.
The ideal candidate combines strong category management and sourcing expertise with hands-on experience leading procurement transformation initiatives within a food manufacturing environment. Experience within the dairy sector and an established network of suppliers in the Canadian market are highly desirable.
Key Responsibilities
Procurement Transformation & Centralization
• Partner with the Director of Procurement to design and implement the indirect procurement centralization strategy.
• Support the development and implementation of the future-state procurement operating model, governance framework, policies, and sourcing processes.
• Lead change management efforts with plant, corporate, and functional stakeholders.
• Establish category management disciplines across indirect spend categories.
• Drive spend visibility, compliance, procurement controls, and supplier management best practices.
• Support the implementation of procurement systems, reporting tools, and performance metrics.
Strategic Sourcing & Category Management
Develop and execute sourcing strategies across key indirect categories, including:
• Maintenance, Repair & Operations (MRO)
• Facilities Management
• Utilities and Energy
• Corporate Services
• Professional Services
• Office & Operational Supplies
• Fleet and Vehicle Services
• Telecommunications
• Capital-related services and equipment support
• Other indirect spend categories as assigned
Supplier Relationship Management
• Build and maintain strategic supplier partnerships across Canada.
• Develop supplier performance scorecards and governance reviews.
• Identify opportunities for innovation, service improvements, and cost optimization.
• Collaborate with suppliers to improve operational performance and support business objectives.
Savings & Performance Delivery
• Identify and execute cost reduction initiatives.
• Deliver annual savings, productivity, and working capital targets.
• Develop category roadmaps and savings pipelines.
• Track and report realized savings through established governance processes.
• Support budget development and forecast assumptions related to indirect spend.
Stakeholder Engagement
• Serve as the primary procurement business partner for Operations, Finance, Engineering, Quality, IT, Human Resources, and Corporate Services.
• Build strong relationships across manufacturing sites to understand local requirements while advancing centralized procurement goals.
• Influence stakeholders and drive adoption of standardized procurement practices.
Spend Visibility, Reporting & Analytics
• Analyze spend data to identify sourcing opportunities and procurement risks.
• Develop dashboards, KPI reporting, and sourcing performance metrics.
• Monitor market trends, supplier performance, inflationary pressures, and industry developments.
Qualifications
Education
• Bachelor's Degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, Commerce, Engineering, or related field.
• SCMP, CPSM, CPM, or equivalent procurement certification is considered an asset.
Required Experience
• 7+ years of progressive procurement or strategic sourcing experience.
• 3+ years managing indirect procurement categories.
• Demonstrated experience in procurement transformation, centralization, or operating model redesign initiatives.
• Experience within food manufacturing, consumer packaged goods (CPG), or dairy manufacturing strongly preferred.
• Experience managing multi-site operations across Canada.
• Proven success delivering measurable sourcing savings and supplier management improvements.
• Experience building procurement processes, governance structures, and category management frameworks.
• Strong analytical, financial, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
Preferred Experience
• Dairy industry procurement experience.
• Established supplier network within the Canadian market.
• Experience supporting mergers, facility integration, or procurement organizational change initiatives.
• Working knowledge of ERP and procurement systems such as SAP, Microsoft Dynamics, etc

Gay Lea Foods is a Canadian, dairy farmer owned co operative with a clear purpose: to enrich life with dairy. Founded in 1958, the co operative produces high quality dairy products while creating lasting value for farming families, meaningful opportunities for employees, and positive impact in communities across Canada. As a co operative, Gay Lea Foods believes that when the business succeeds, its members, people, and communities should succeed along with it. To learn more, visit gaylea.com.
Gay Lea Foods is an equal-opportunity employer and values diversity in our workplace.
Reasonable accommodation is available upon request throughout our recruitment and selection process.
Gay Lea Foods may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support aspects of the recruitment process, including screening and assessment.
We are currently accepting applications for this open position.
Thank you for your interest in Gay Lea Foods.
Wishing you all the best with your career search!