Food & Service Innovation Strategic Sourcing Manager in Toronto

Reports To: Director Food & Service Innovation

Job Status: Full Time, Permanent, Salaried

Work Hours: Monday–Friday, 9:00 am–5:00 pm, with flexibility as required

Work Location: Hybrid (Onsite two to three times per week)

Compensation: $85,000-$90,000 commensurate with experience

About Real Food For Real Kids: Real Food for Real Kids (RFRK) is a growing company on a mission to make real food the standard rather than the exception. A multiple award-winning company recognized for excellence and innovation, we’re a leading healthy catering company for child care centres, schools and camps. RFRK proudly serves nutritious meals and snacks to thousands of children throughout the Greater Toronto & Hamilton Area every day. We’re well-positioned for growth into new markets and planning for significant expansion over the coming years.

The Opportunity: As the Strategic Sourcing Manager at Real Food for Real Kids, you will shape and execute the strategy behind off-the-shelf food, raw ingredients for RFRK-made recipes and products, packaging, and white-label products made with external co-manufacturers. You will connect culinary imagination with commercial strategy, creating sourcing plans and agreements that bring exciting new products to life, drive exceptional customer satisfaction, uphold our Real Food Promise, and align with RFRK's financial targets, KPIs, and strategic priorities.

What You Will Bring to the Table:

• Portfolio Strategy and Discovery: Set bold, multi-year strategies across off-the-shelf food, raw ingredients, packaging, and white-label or co-manufactured products. Balance spend, culinary and quality needs, growth plans, market conditions, and operational fit - then challenge the status quo when a better path is possible.
• Commercial Sourcing and Value: Support creative, well-structured RFx activity - including market scans, RFIs, RFQs, and RFPs - from supplier and co-manufacturer discovery through due diligence, evaluation, negotiation, recommendation, and implementation.
• Partnerships and New Possibilities: Build trusted relationships across suppliers, growers, processors, distributors, GPOs, and co-manufacturers that open doors to standout products, ingredients, and partners.
• Data Decisions and Team Leadership: Turn complex data into clear action. Build advanced spreadsheet and business-intelligence analysis of spend, demand, price, yield, freight, rebates, total cost, commodity and inflation trends, and sourcing scenarios.

Your Recipe for Success:

• Ten or more years of progressive strategic sourcing, procurement, or category-management experience in food manufacturing, foodservice, grocery, meal solutions, or a comparable environment.
• Deeply analytical and commercially sharp, you bring advanced total-cost and scenario modelling, contract and market analysis, and expert-level Excel or Google Sheets skills.
• At least three years of direct people leadership, including coaching, performance management, and developing employees for broader responsibility.
• Relevant post-secondary education or equivalent experience is required; a procurement designation and local-food sourcing experience are assets.

Physical Demands and Work Environment: Work takes place across office, production, warehouse, test-kitchen, and supplier environments. The role includes regular on-site work, occasional travel to supplier, farm, distributor, and manufacturing locations, time in refrigerated or frozen areas, and occasional lifting of samples or materials up to 23 kg (51 lbs).

Benefits & Savings Programs: Performance-based annual bonus, comprehensive benefits starting on Day 1, competitive RRSP Matching program, RESP Matching program for up to 2 children, parental leave top-up programs for new parents, access to virtual Healthcare Professionals through our 24/7 dedicated Employee Assistance Program, generous vacation time, eight Wellness Days each year, annual learning & development stipend.

This position is being advertised because the role is currently vacant and requires staffing. Real Food for Real Kids is an equal opportunity employer. We value diversity and inclusion in our workplace and at all levels of our organization. We strongly encourage applications from diverse backgrounds and communities.