Director, Merchandising Procurement – Canadian Tire – Toronto, ON

This full-time Director, Merchandising Procurement role at Canadian Tire in Toronto, ON leads procurement, sourcing, negotiation and vendor engagement strategies across a portfolio of merchandise divisions.

Day to day, you’ll partner with senior Merchandising leaders, run complex supplier negotiations, and apply financial modelling and market intelligence to sharpen sourcing decisions and improve margin performance across the organization.

About the Role: Director, Merchandising Procurement

The Merchandising Procurement team at Canadian Tire works across Merchandising, Global Sourcing, Vendor Management, Finance, Supply Chain, Consumer Brands, Quality and Product Stewardship. The Director shapes cost of goods, vendor strategy, sourcing resilience and long-term enterprise value across those functions.

You’ll develop and execute procurement strategies aligned with divisional priorities and category growth plans, lead high-stakes supplier negotiations, and advance procurement capabilities that strengthen Canadian Tire’s competitive position. The role also carries full team leadership responsibility for a group of procurement professionals.

Cross-functional work is central to this position. You’ll lead initiatives involving Merchandising, Supply Chain, Finance, Global Sourcing, Consumer Brands, Product Development, Quality, Product Stewardship and Technology, and contribute to broader procurement transformation priorities.

Benefits and Salary

Canadian Tire offers competitive salaries and wages, store discounts, and profit sharing for eligible employees. Retirement and savings programs are available to eligible employees as well.

The enhanced flex benefits program includes $5,000 per year in mental health benefits for benefits-eligible employees and their families, along with mental health tools and resources for all employees. Learning support is provided through the Triangle Learning Academy.

Responsibilities

The Director owns both the strategic and operational dimensions of merchandising procurement for a portfolio of divisions. Responsibilities span negotiation, analytics, vendor portfolio management, team leadership and cross-functional collaboration, with all activities tied to measurable commercial and procurement benefit objectives.

• Develop and execute merchandise procurement strategies aligned with divisional priorities, category growth plans, profitability targets and Canadian Tire’s broader procurement objectives.
• Partner with Merchandising VPs, AVPs and category teams to establish priorities and optimize value through line reviews, sourcing decisions, assortment strategies and vendor engagement activities.
• Lead complex supplier negotiations to improve total commercial value, including all-in margin, quote cost, landed cost, vendor funding, commercial terms, quality, innovation, exclusivity and supply continuity.
• Apply fact-based analytics, financial modelling, should-cost analysis, competitive benchmarking, consumer insights and market intelligence to shape sourcing strategies and negotiation plans.
• Identify and mitigate procurement and sourcing risks, including tariffs, commodity movements, geopolitical factors, ESG requirements, vendor concentration and category-dominant supplier exposure.
• Develop vendor portfolio and performance strategies, including scorecards, business reviews, governance, longer-term agreements and continuous improvement plans.
• Support assortment development by bringing procurement insight to targeted line reviews and identifying opportunities beyond the line-review cycle.
• Partner with Global Sourcing and Consumer Brands teams to optimize the role of direct imports and owned brands within the merchandise sourcing mix.
• Advance procurement practices, processes, tools, analytics and training to improve adoption, scalability, efficiency and decision quality across Merchandising.
• Build the team plan, set clear priorities, allocate resources and manage a portfolio of concurrent initiatives against commercial and procurement benefit objectives.
• Develop, coach and lead a high-performing team of procurement professionals, with accountability for collaboration, commercial curiosity and continuous improvement.
• Contribute to procurement transformation and other priority initiatives supporting the broader Procurement and Vendor Management mandate.

Requirements / Skills

This role requires 8 or more years of progressive experience in merchandising procurement, strategic sourcing, vendor management, category management, retail buying or a related commercial leadership function. A university degree in Business, Commerce, Supply Chain, Engineering, Economics or a related discipline is required. An MBA or professional procurement designation is considered an asset, as is global sourcing experience.

Candidates should bring a proven record of leading complex supplier negotiations, strong analytical skills and the credibility to influence senior leaders, merchants and supplier executives in a matrixed organization.

• Complex supplier negotiations: a proven record of delivering measurable cost, margin, commercial or strategic value.
• Retail merchandising knowledge: strong understanding of supplier economics, sourcing strategies and global supply chain dynamics.
• Commercial judgment: ability to balance cost, quality, innovation, risk, customer outcomes and long-term supplier value.
• Analytics and financial modelling: experience using financial analysis, procurement analytics and market intelligence to inform decisions.
• Stakeholder management: credibility and influence with senior leaders, merchants and supplier executives, supported by strong communication skills.
• Team leadership: experience leading teams and developing talent in a complex, matrixed organization.
• Process improvement: a track record of improving processes, tools and capabilities, with an interest in using data and technology to increase productivity and decision quality.
• Ability to prioritize and lead through ambiguity, drive change and deliver results in a fast-paced retail environment.
• University degree in Business, Commerce, Supply Chain, Engineering, Economics or a related discipline (required); MBA or professional procurement designation (asset).
• Global sourcing experience (asset).

How to Apply

To apply, use the link below to reach the official Canadian Tire posting on Workday. Have your resume up to date before submitting.

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