Export Operations & Office Manager

About the Opportunity

Our client is a rapidly growing Canadian specialty food manufacturer serving grocery, club and foodservice customers across Canada and the United States. The President and senior leadership team remain deeply involved in major customer relationships and international growth.

They are looking for a high-trust, highly organized operator who can keep the office moving and manage the administrative backbone behind U.S. export activity: files, documents, samples, follow-up and coordination. This is a visible role beside senior leadership where pace, judgement and follow-through matter.

How We Work - Read This Before You Apply

We are fast-paced, entrepreneurial and less corporate. That is not branding. It is the job.

• The customer comes first. Internally, it matters less who won the argument than whether the buyer, broker and order are taken care of.
• Decisions are made quickly. A request for a file, sample or answer the same day is normal.
• You will work across office, warehouse and production. Titles do not protect anyone from doing what needs to be done.
• Heavy corporate protocol, long approval chains and waiting to be invited into a conversation will be frustrating here.
• Professional with customers. Informal, direct and low ego inside the business.

Why This Role Exists Now

• U.S. club, grocery and foodservice volume has grown to the point where export administration needs a dedicated point person.
• The office needs someone who closes loops so senior leadership can stay focused on customers, growth and production.
• International expansion beyond Canada and the U.S. may create additional support work, but the core mandate is customer, office and U.S. export execution.

Office and Senior Leadership Support

• Coordinate calendars, meeting preparation, triage and follow-up for senior leadership.
• Keep records, shared inboxes and files organized and usable.
• Support onboarding and day-to-day office coordination.
• Protect leadership time by solving routine issues independently and escalating only what truly requires senior attention.

U.S. Export Operations

• Prepare and manage commercial invoices, packing lists, certificates, specification and allergen packs, lot information and label support.
• Coordinate retailer and club onboarding files accurately and on customer timelines.
• Manage samples, trade-show follow-up and the documentation trail behind U.S. shipments.
• Coordinate with freight forwarders, brokers, warehouse and production so customer commitments are executed cleanly.
• Support work on other international markets when leadership prioritizes a specific opportunity.

Special Projects and Cross-Functional Support

• Create simple checklists and templates so recurring work becomes easier and more reliable.
• Improve follow-through across production, warehouse and office teams.
• Step into cross-functional work as priorities change during the week.

What Strong Looks Like

• 3-7 years of experience in executive support, office management, customer operations, sales coordination or export administration.
• Food manufacturing, CPG, frozen logistics or retailer/club coordination is a meaningful advantage.
• Hands-on experience with U.S. export paperwork, commercial invoices, packing lists, customer files, samples or related documentation.
• Broker, FDA, CBP or cross-border logistics exposure is helpful, but speed of learning matters just as much.
• Exceptional organization, follow-through and discretion. You close loops without being asked twice.
• Comfort working directly with founders, owners, Presidents or senior executives.
• Strong Microsoft 365 skills and confidence working with ERP systems and digital records.
• Able to manage multiple priorities, make practical decisions and solve unfamiliar problems without waiting for a playbook.
• French or Spanish is an asset.
• Comfortable working fully on-site in an active manufacturing environment.

What This Role Is Not

• Not a VP of International Sales. Market strategy and pricing remain with senior leadership.
• Not the Controller and not a bookkeeping role.
• Not remote and not a relocation mandate.
• Not a protocol-heavy corporate role. If you need a large organizational ladder to get a decision, this environment will frustrate you.

What We Offer

• Daily exposure to senior leadership in a Canadian food business scaling in the U.S.
• A broad, visible role with meaningful influence on customer execution and office effectiveness.

Room to grow into a larger operations, customer-operations or business-support role as the company scales.