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Head of Foods, Canada

Job ID:
R-31413
Category:
Customer Development
Location:
Toronto, Ontario
Date posted:
02/03/2025
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ABOUT UNILEVER

With 3.4 billion people in over 190 countries using our products every day, Unilever is a business that makes a real impact on the world. Work on brands that are loved and improve the lives of our consumers and the communities around us. We are driven by our purpose: to make sustainable living commonplace, and it is our belief that doing business the right way drives superior performance. At the heart of what we do is our people – we believe that when our people work with purpose, we will create a better business and a better world. 

At Unilever, your career will be a unique journey, grounded in our, collaborative, and flexible working environment. Our organizational ambition centers around creating workplaces that foster equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging across all aspects of our business. We don’t believe in the ‘one size fits all’ approach and instead we will equip you with the tools you need to shape your own future.

JOB PURPOSE

In Foods North America, we look to bring the taste everyone loves to brighten every day. Through our two verticals, Condiments and Cooking Aids & Mini Meals, we aim for market-leading volume growth and sustainable UOP growth.

We are a nearly €250m Canadian Foods business, primarily driven by our two power brands Hellmann’s and Knorr across the condiments, bouillon, sides, and cups categories.  The Foods business in Canada is a market leader with a track record of strong results.

WHAT WILL YOUR MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES BE

The Head of Foods, Canada, has E2E responsibility for owning the P&L and inspiring our dedicated, cross-functional team to deliver. As a member of the Foods North America leadership team, this role has ownership to deliver in-year while also shaping the portfolio for the future. Reporting to the General Manager of Foods North America, this is a critical role combining strategic vision with world-class execution ability to drive top- and bottom-line.

  • Line leadership of Foods-dedicated Marketing, Sales, and Category Strategy & Planning teams to deliver BU P&L and business objectives
  • Build and execute brand marketing plans in Foods CA to win with consumers and customers
  • Champion of Foods industry excellence - ensuring our teams are supported with proper capability training, externally focused insight, and rigorous prioritization
  • Collaborate with North America R&D and the global Business Group to drive multi-year innovation
  • Leader in developing Foods Long Range Plan, with a clear vision for future growth opportunities and shape of customer strategy to deliver.
  • Developskey customer & channel drivers to deliver Annual Operating Plan (AOP); communicate & deliver with the field team.
  • Makes strategic trade-offs and defineinvestment framework (Trade, SM, ISV, Retail coverage)to deliverAOP. 
  • Playsa critical role in Foodsbusiness operations to provide accurate and efficientcustomer insights intothe S&OPprocess.
  • Bring the category customer voice into the Foods business; Pioneer ‘consumer love’ for the Business Unit and Business Group
  • Use Shopper Insights and trends to understand and leverage new opportunities for growth as the path to purchaseevolves
  • Leverage Net Revenue Management (NRM) strategies and capabilities to drive investment for the future
  • Lead a cross-functional organization spanning category strategy, category & shopper insights, channel & customer planning, and shopper marketing

WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO SUCCEED

Experiences & Qualifications

Must Have’s & Experience Required

  • Minimum 10-15 years of related Marketing and/or Sales experience
  • Senior leadership experience in multiple categories and/or channels
  • Must be based in Toronto
  • Deep knowledge of the Canadian foods market and relevant category & brand experience
  • P&L management responsibility
  • Demonstration of an entrepreneurial mindset and strong bias for action with proven results leading and motivating internal cross functional teams and external partners
  • Experience developing and executing disruptive strategies in highly competitive segments
  • Consumer love, a passion for food trends for all segments of the Canadian market
  • Ability to impact and influence different areas of the organization. Experience setting and rallying different stakeholders behind the established vision; ability to liaise with regional and global teams at all levels.
  • Create a clear view of the future state, helping others understand and feel how things will be different when this is achieved. Have a practical know-how, demonstrating results orientation while empowering and holding the team accountable for results.
  • Experience depth in top-to-top selling and negotiation
  • Strong analytical skills with the ability to develop strategies, tactics and measurable implementation plans across commercial teams
  • A visible mentor and coach with a track record of successfully developing top talent

Leadership

  • You are now a Leader of Change. People look to you to provide safety in a storm, and you also appropriately challenge to get even better results. You role model resilience and care. You navigate these uncertain times by flexing plans and your leadership style, always with authenticity.
  • You are still responsible for delivering to the highest standards. You must be resilient so you can lead others to deliver with passion through uncertainty and create opportunities through the core and beyond. You must be able to flex your style and your plans to guide others through difficult times.

Behaviors You’ll Need to Succeed

  • Care: You must deeply care about our people and brands to be successful in this role. You are a culture builder and a servant leader, removing roadblocks to energize and get the best out of our brilliant people.
  • Challenger: You are passionate about uncovering opportunities to grow, and organizing workstreams to deliver
  • Collaborator: You believe in the prioritization of the collective agenda over the individual one and are build deep relationships across teams

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Unilever Canada is an organization committed to diversity and inclusion to drive our business results and create a better future every day for our diverse employees, global consumers, partners, and communities. We believe a diverse workforce allows us to match our growth ambitions and drive inclusion across the business. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national or ethnic origin, marital status, family status, disability, genetic characteristics, and a conviction for which a pardon has been granted.

If you are an individual with a disability in need of assistance at any time during our recruitment process, please contact us at NA.Accommodations@unilever.com. Please note: These lines are reserved for individuals with disabilities in need of assistance and are not a means of inquiry about positions or application statuses.

Unilever Canada est une organisation engagé à la diversité et à l'inclusion pour stimuler nos résultats d'affaires et créer un meilleur avenir chaque jour pour nos employés, les consommateurs globaux, les partenaires et les communautés. Nous croyons qu'un effectif diversifiée nous permet de faire correspondre nos ambitions de croissance et de stimuler l'inclusion dans l'entreprise. Tous les candidats qualifiés recevront la considération pour un emploi sans égard à la race, la couleur, la religion, le sexe, l'orientation sexuelle, l'identité ou l'expression de genre, l'âge, l'origine nationale ou ethnique, l'état matrimonial, la situation familiale, l'invalidité, les caractéristiques génétique, et une condamnation pour laquelle un pardon a été accordée.

Si vous êtes une personne handicapée qui a besoin d'aide à tout moment au cours de notre processus de recrutement, veuillez communiquer avec nous au NA.Accommodations@unilever.com. Veuillez noter: ces lignes sont réservées aux personnes handicapées ayant besoin d'aide et ne sont pas un moyen d'enquêter sur les postes.

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