JOHNVINCE FOODS
Manager, SAP Solutions · Centre of Excellence Manager
555 Steeprock Drive, North York, Ontario. Full time, on site.
ABOUT JOHNVINCE COMPANY
Johnvince Company™ is a leading North American snacking organization with more than 50 years of food manufacturing and commercial expertise.
Founded in 1973, we have evolved from a family-run business into a vertically integrated enterprise spanning nuts, candy, chocolate, fruit bites, popcorn, pantry staples, and private label innovation. Today, we operate 10 facilities across North America with more than 2,000 team members.
We scale with disciplined execution, entrepreneurial drive, and an unwavering commitment to quality, safety, and performance.
Our Purpose: Exceeding customer cravings, one bite at a time.
Our Vision: To lead the way in redefining customer experiences through flavourful snacking and service solutions.
We are guided by five core values:
- We Lead by Legacy
- We Are Customer Obsessed
- We Are Entrepreneurial & Results-Driven
- We Own It
- We Win Together
Safety, quality, and integrity define how we operate across every business unit within the Johnvince Company™ platform.
ABOUT THE PROGRAMME
We are consolidating several businesses onto one SAP S/4HANA platform. Three entities are live. Further entities go live in 2027 and 2028.
Alongside SAP we are delivering analytics on SAP Business Data Cloud, demand and supply planning, manufacturing execution, ecommerce, and spend automation. The SAP platform is the spine that all of it connects to.
This is not a maintenance role. This is a live program with published readiness gates and a business that is changing how it works at the same time. We are building an internal organization that owns the system rather than renting one.
ROLE DESCRIPTION
Manager, SAP Solutions · Centre of Excellence Manager
REPORTS TO | Chief Information Officer |
TYPE | Permanent |
BASED | Toronto, on site |
PARTNERS WITH | The business process owners, the master data function, the technical and integration teams, the programme leadership, and the systems integrator and AMS partners |
WHY THIS ROLE EXISTS
This is the person who leads the functional team through go-live and then runs the Centre of Excellence. It is a working leadership role. Five functional leads report to you, and you are expected to sit down in any one of those streams and do the work: read the configuration, write the test script, work the defect, explain the process to the business owner. We are not hiring someone to manage a status report.
WHAT YOU OWN
- The functional team across order to cash, procurement, plan to manufacture, record to report and extended warehouse management
- Master data standards within your streams: holding the team to them, and the measures that show whether we are, in partnership with the master data function
- Design quality within each stream and consistency between them
- Functional test execution across the three passes, and the defect backlog
- The design and documentation standard across the streams, and holding the team to it
- The working relationship between the functional team and the business process owners
- After go-live, the Centre of Excellence: demand intake, release management, the enhancement backlog, the AMS service relationship, and the capability plan for the team
YOUR FIRST SIX MONTHS
- Take ownership of the functional team and give us an honest assessment of depth by stream
- Get into the system. You should be able to walk any stream design without the analyst in the room
- Own the defect backlog through the three test passes, with the burn-down visible weekly
- Build the Centre of Excellence operating model, ready to switch on at go-live
- Develop the team. Sit in their designs, read their test scripts, and close the gaps you found in the depth assessment. Two seats are contract today and we want permanent capability, not renewals
TEAM AND CAPABILITY
- Make sure each stream is trained by the people who tested it, not by a vendor
- Set the documentation standard, and keep it current rather than written once
- Build a plan to convert contract capability into permanent capability, with named successors
WHAT YOU NEED TO HAVE DONE BEFORE
- At least eight years in SAP functional delivery, including at least three leading a team
- Led a functional team through at least one full SAP lifecycle to go-live and into hypercare
- Personally configured in at least two SAP modules, recently enough to still be credible. We will ask you to walk through a design decision you made yourself
- Run or stood up an application support or Centre of Excellence function: intake, prioritization, release, service levels
- Managed a third party AMS provider against a contract
- Worked to master data governance in SAP: standards, ownership models and data quality measures
- Willing and able to pick up stream work directly when a lead is absent or a stream is behind
- A degree in business, information systems, engineering or a related field. SAP certification in at least one module is preferred
HELPFUL, NOT ESSENTIAL
- Manufacturing or food distribution
- Multi-entity rollout after an initial go-live
- S/4HANA specifically, on RISE or another cloud deployment
- Converting contract capability into permanent capability
HOW YOU WORK
- You can sit in any stream and do the work, not only review it
- You explain a design decision and its trade-off without reaching for jargon
- You are comfortable telling a business leader that what they asked for is not what they need
- You develop people rather than route the work around them
AFTER GO-LIVE
This role becomes the Centre of Excellence Manager, owning the run organization and the rollout of the remaining entities.
WHY CONSIDER THIS OPPORTUNITY
- Competitive compensation, designed to reward performance and expertise
- Comprehensive health and dental benefits
- A talented, supportive team and a business that makes things you can hold
- Plenty of snacks, and access to our signature products
- Real career growth: this seat becomes the Centre of Excellence Manager
- An award winning organization, recognised as one of Canada's Safest Manufacturers and a Best Managed Companies Platinum Member
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS
This position is classified within our Management Career Framework.
The following position is a Level M3, with a starting range of $135,000 to $150,000 CAD annually, commensurate with experience and qualifications.
This role provides both strategic and hands-on functional leadership for the organization’s SAP environment, leading the functional team through implementation, go-live, and hypercare before transitioning into ownership of the SAP Centre of Excellence. The role is responsible for functional leadership across key SAP business processes, solution and design quality, testing and defect management, master data standards, documentation, team development, and partnership with business process owners, technical teams, systems integrators, and AMS providers.
Following go-live, the role assumes responsibility for the SAP Centre of Excellence, including demand intake, prioritization, release management, enhancement planning, application support, third-party AMS relationships, team capability development, and the continued rollout of SAP across the organization.
Progression within the Management Career Framework is based on sustained leadership performance, business impact, talent development, operational excellence, successful delivery of SAP initiatives, and contributions to organizational growth and capability.
In addition to competitive base compensation and participation in management incentive programs, where applicable, we offer a comprehensive total rewards package including extended health, dental and vision coverage, paid time off, and ongoing professional development opportunities.
Compensation details will be discussed with qualified candidates during the recruitment process.
COMMITMENT
Johnvince Company™ committed to fostering an inclusive, respectful, and equitable workplace where diverse perspectives strengthen performance and decision-making.
We welcome applications from all qualified individuals and provide accommodations throughout the recruitment process in accordance with applicable legislation.
If this role fits your experience, apply directly to this posting with your resume and cover letter. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.
If you require accommodation due to a disability or medical condition at any point in the hiring process, please contact Human Resources at hrteam@johnvince.com or 416-636-6146 extension 5800 and we will work with you to meet your needs.
Join a company shaping the future of snacking.
We thank all applicants for their interest. Only those selected for an interview will be contacted.
