Manager, Vendor Relations

Work Location

Toronto Corporate Office

About the Role

The Manager, Strategic Partnerships plays a critical role in translating merchandising and commercial strategy into mutually beneficial supplier partnerships and trade programming for SNDL's Cannabis Retail segment, supporting 120+ stores across the Value Buds and Spirit Leaf banners.

Reporting to the Senior Director, Category Strategy, you'll act as the day-to-day relationship lead for 50+ suppliers, managing all aspects of the vendor partnership lifecycle with a focus on driving overall retail revenue and margin growth.

Candidates based our of SNDL's Toronto (49 Spadina Ave) or Edmonton (17220 Stony Plain Rd) offices on a hybrid basis are strongly preferred. Exceptional candidates working remotely from Ontario, Alberta, or British Columbia may also be considered.

Responsibilities

• Act as the primary relationship lead for 50+ suppliers, managing all aspects of the partnership lifecycle including onboarding, business reviews, commercial negotiations, billing, collections, and issue resolution
• Partner with key suppliers to continuously refine joint business plans, aligning on growth targets, investment priorities, and commercial opportunities
• Lead the sourcing and set up of new suppliers to address assortment gaps and evolving customer needs, including the negotiation of commercial agreements
• Design and continuously improve supplier engagement processes, governance frameworks, planning cycles, and performance review cadences to create a consistent and scalable partnership model
• Develop reporting, scorecards, and business reviews that measure supplier performance, evaluate commercial program effectiveness, and identify growth opportunities
• Partner with Store Operations, Marketing, and Loyalty teams to ensure seamless execution of in-store and digital merchandising and promotions initiatives
• Across all the above, partner closely with Category Management, Merchandising Operations, Retail Planning & Analytics, Supply Chain, Store Support, Store Operations, Marketing, and Loyalty

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in retail merchandising / category management, trade marketing, commercial management, or a related role
• Experience working in a fast-paced retail and/or consumer goods environment. Bonus points if you have experience working in cannabis
• Proven experience managing external partnerships, negotiating commercial agreements, and influencing senior stakeholders
• Exceptional analytical skills with the ability to turn large amounts of disparate data into clear, actionable insights. Advanced proficiency in Excel with experience working with large datasets, financial analysis, and performance reporting is required
• Experience working with enterprise-grade BI systems. Bonus points if you have experience working with PowerBI
• Strong financial acumen with a solid understanding of retail KPIs, margin mechanics, promotional economics, and inventory metrics
• High attention to detail, strong communication skills, and the ability to manage multiple priorities across regions and timelines

What Makes SNDL a Great Place to Grow:

• Competitive compensation including performance-based bonuses and annual salary reviews.
• Comprehensive health and dental benefits, including a Healthcare Spending Account.
• Three weeks of paid vacation with annual rollover.
• Flexible, hybrid work arrangements to support work-life balance.
• Recognition and rewards programs that celebrate individual and team achievements.
• Employee & Family Assistance Program (EFAP) with mental health, financial, and family support.
• Employee perks and discounts program, offering savings across fitness, wellness, lifestyle, retail, and everyday services

We are grateful for the interest in this role from all candidates, however, we will be contacting only those that are selected for next steps in the hiring process.

Our Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion

SNDL is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to building a welcoming, inclusive, diverse and safe workplace where all of our team members have equal opportunity to succeed. We know this begins with recruitment. To honor our commitment, SNDL encourages applications from individuals of all backgrounds, sexual orientation, gender identity, ancestry, ages and abilities.

About SNDL

SNDL is one of Canada's leading and fastest-growing liquor and cannabis companies. As the country's largest private-sector retailer, our portfolio includes well-known banners such as Wine and Beyond, Liquor Depot, Ace Liquor, Value Buds, Spiritleaf, and Cost Cannabis.

We're also one of Canada's largest vertically integrated cannabis producers, recognized for our innovation, low-cost manufacturing, and award-winning brands including Top Leaf, Contraband, Palmetto, Bon Jak, La Plogue, Versus, Grasslands, Vacay, Pearls by Grön, No Future, and Bhang Chocolate.

Driven by purpose, performance, and people, SNDL is shaping the future of retail and cannabis by bringing people together th