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Welcome to Gordon Food Service! We are excited that you are thinking about opportunities with us, and we have an amazing story to share. Here’s a quick glance of who we are and the impact you could have on the food service industry. There’s a seat at our table for you…
Position Summary:
Supports sourcing strategies, onboarding process of new vendors, and new product validation in alignment with Gordon Food Service Category merchandising strategies. Uses knowledge and resourcefulness to support daily business needs and ensure customers receive exceptional service and technical support. Provides performance analysis recommendations to support the Business Manager with category management decision-making and merchandising strategy development to maximize Gordon Food Service (GFS) sales and profits.
Essential Functions:
Communication & Relationship Building
Develops communication of relevant product and vendor information to support Division needs, procurement, logistics, quality assurance, brands and other departments as appropriate.
Build relationships and ensures vendor performance through regular communication and Vendor Business Reviews.
Collaborates with Merchandising and Marketing Service Center (MMSC) to resolve issues and share ideas.
Serves as a support person for team to help with questions and troubleshooting issues.
Item & Vendor Management
Provides support and recommendations for product sourcing and validation.
Collaborates with the Business Manager and Category Teams to ensure that appropriate products are effectively prioritized, marketed, and merchandised.
Negotiates cost with special order vendors and updates vendor cost in GFS’ cost system. Implements proper margin of special order(s) in the system.
Collaborates with EPO vendors to expedite Customer Development Specialist’s (CDS) rush orders.
Initiates, negotiates and executes the return of drop-ship products to special order vendors.
Approves new product setup and executes introduction, conversion, and discontinuance.
Executes all aspects product life-cycle management, from initial sourcing and market introduction to deletion.
Effectively manages expenses associated with tools and promotions within budget.
Works collaboratively with other peers towards continuous improvement of existing processes and development of new tools to drive greater business efficiencies
Works with Quality Assurance to review compliance for product recalls and withdrawals for assigned product lines
Develops and manages strategic relationships with select vendors through regular communications and Vendor Business Reviews.
Represents NA Merchandising Operations on special projects or cross-functional teams.
Collaborates with the divisional key customer stakeholders, regional merchandising teams, and Home Office teams to establish appropriate sales, brand, and margin on item/vendor portfolios.
Assists with interviewing, onboarding, and training of new team members
Business Analytics
Collects, analyzes, summarizes and presents product sales and financial performance data to create recommendations and implement improvements in support of category analysis, business strategy, CMR preparation and vendor business reviews.
Responsible for acquisition, accuracy, timeliness and relevance of core product data information.
Assists the Project Manager in supporting the corporate marketing campaigns including campaign reporting.
Performs other duties as assigned.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
Marketing / Product – knowledge of principles and methods for merchandising products and services. Knowledge of product and marketing segments.
Project Management Skills – able to understand, follow and create processes in order to complete projects.
Self-Management – Must have good time management and organizational skills to manage multiple projects simultaneously and to complete assign work on time and on budget. Must be results oriented and have excellent team skills.
Customer Service — Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
Business Acumen – Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
Data Analysis / Analytics Skills – Proficiency in analyzing information; able to use analytics and associated tools (e.g., Excel, Access) in creative ways to tell the product story, garner buy-in, provide insights and to support decision-making.
Active Listening — giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Complex Problem Solving — identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Critical Thinking — using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Judgment and Decision Making — Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Speaking and Writing — Requires effective verbal, written, and presentation skills in order to support projects, convey findings, share strategies and implement product marketing/merchandising presentations, or to sell an idea in a variety of ways including written correspondence, face-to-face, or group meetings.
Coordination — adjusting actions in relation to others’ actions.
Maintains a working knowledge of quality assurance requirements and vendor compliance.
Maintains knowledge of industry trends and developments by reading appropriate books, journals and other literature and attending related conferences, seminars, etc. Maintains industry relationships to share issues and ideas.
We thank all applicants for their interest, however only those selected for the next stage will be contacted. Gordon Food Service is an equal opportunity employer who strives to provide an inclusive work environment that involves everyone and embraces the diverse talent of its people. All qualified applicants and employees will receive consideration for employment, or in terms or conditions of employment, without regard to any enumerated or analogous grounds of discrimination, including race, religious beliefs, colour, gender, gender identity, gender expression, physical disability, mental disability, age, ancestry, place of origin, marital status, source of income, family status, sexual orientation or status as a qualified individual with disability.
If you require reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process due to a disability, please submit your request to talentcanada@gfs.com and use the words “Accommodation Request” in your subject line.
