COO
- Montreal, QC, Canada
Full-time
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Job details
- Job type
- Full-time
- Apply by
- Posting language
- English
- Posted
Original job description
REPORTS TO
President and Owner
LOCATION
Montreal (St. Laurent, Québec)
On-site, with some US travel and occasional international trade shows
Our client is a North American importer and wholesale distributor with more than 20 years in business, buying excess and closeout inventory from major branded products and brands and selling it into the discount retail channel. The business has grown fast, and too much of how it runs still sits with the owner. This role exists to change that.
You’ll own everything after the buy: retail customer relationships, pricing and terms, inbound shipments, the 3PL relationship, warehousing and inventory, plus margin and cash discipline alongside a long-tenured accounts lead. Year one means mapping how the business really runs, writing the SOPs, putting controls on pricing, terms and approvals, and leading the office team. Then you’ll build the case for the next growth move, deeper in toys or into new categories sold to the same retailers.
THE HONEST PART
This is a hands-on seat in a small company, and the first six months are mostly in the weeds. The owner is decisive and knows his business well. You will need the confidence to push back, the judgment to know when, and the respect to remember it is his company. The growth direction is ambitious but not fully defined; you will shape it as you learn the business.
Required
WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR
- A senior operations role (COO, VP Operations, GM or equivalent) in consumer products distribution, wholesale, importing, or off-price and closeout trading
- Hands-on ownership of the chain after the purchase: customer pricing and terms, logistics and 3PL partners, and inventory
- Responsibility for margin, cash and reporting for a business or division
- Has turned a business or function that ran on one or two people's knowledge into documented, repeatable process
- Has hired and led a team
- Able to work on-site in Montreal, with some travel to the US
- Experience managing large discount or mass retail accounts
- Fluency in both English and French
- Has added a product category or new retail customers to a distribution business
More about this job
Responsibilities
Lead the business's post-purchase operations, including retail customer relationships, pricing and terms, inbound shipments, third-party logistics, warehousing, inventory, margins, and cash discipline. Document and standardize processes, establish controls and approvals, lead the office team, and develop a case for future growth through existing or new product categories.
Requirements
Candidates should have senior operations leadership experience in consumer products distribution, wholesale, importing, or off-price and closeout trading, with hands-on responsibility for customer pricing, logistics, inventory, margins, cash, and reporting. They should have documented and standardized processes previously dependent on individual knowledge, hired and led a team, and be able to work on-site in Montreal and travel to the US; experience with large discount or mass retailers, English and French fluency, and category or customer expansion are preferred.
Skills
- Operations Leadership
- Wholesale Operations
- Importing
- Pricing and Terms Management
- Logistics Management
- Inventory Management
- Margin Management
- Cash Management
- Financial Reporting
- Process Documentation
- Standard Operating Procedures
- Team Leadership
- Retail Account Management
Visa sponsorship
Not detected in the job text
Categories
- Management & Leadership
- Logistics
- Retail
- Finance & Accounting
- Sales
Keywords
- Chief Operating Officer
- Consumer Products
- Distribution
- Wholesale
- Importing
- Off-Price Trading
- Closeout Inventory
- Retail Customers
- Discount Retail
- Mass Retail
- Pricing
- Commercial Terms
- Inbound Shipments
- Third-Party Logistics
- Warehousing
- Inventory
- Margins
- Cash Discipline
- Financial Reporting
- Standard Operating Procedures
- Process Documentation
- Pricing Controls
- Approvals
- Team Leadership
- Product Category Expansion
- Customer Growth
- English
- French