DIRECTOR, SUPPLY CHAIN – KICKING HORSE COFFEE CO. LTD. – INVERMERE, BRITISH COLUMBIA

THE ORGANIZATION

Our client, Kicking Horse Coffee Co. Ltd., has been named one of the Best Workplaces in Canada by Great Place to Work for three years in a row. Founded and nestled in the beautiful Canadian Rocky Mountains, the scenic valley of Invermere, British Columbia, Kicking Horse Coffee prides themselves in being a fast-growing company, with a “kick ass” culture that currently employs over 120 people in a 66,000-square foot roasting and packing facility. Their company culture is to work hard and to have fun. Their question to the world is, “How will you wake up and kick ass with us?”

As Canada’s  #1 leader in selling whole bean organic coffee for over 20 years; they are experiencing gains in ground coffee and cold brew in premium and natural markets keeping their brand sophisticated and versatile, yet accessible and approachable. Currently operating in Canada and the United States, Kicking Horse Coffee intends to triple their growth in the next 3 – 5 years with plans for greater market share in the United States.

With a reputation renowned for their superior, consistent taste and respected for their relentless commitment to good and sustainable practices; their Kick Ass blend was named Canada’s  Fairtrade Product of the Year in 2016. Kicking Horse customers are loyal, fervent and demand goodness in every cup of their deep, dark, and delicious, roasted coffee products.

Employees of Kicking Horse Coffee live the core values in every aspect of their operation. Their values are their roadmap for decision making and their guidebook for behaviour. They are their mantra; its why they wake up and kick ass everyday.

Core Values

AWAKE: We make an effort to be informed and keep current with local, national, and international affairs. We care about improving lives in the local communities and at source. We consistently seek to reduce our environmental footprint. We support people and organizations who make the world better. Our actions inspire those around us to wake up and kick ass.

AUTHENTIC: We are the same person at work as we would be anywhere else. We may wear hairnets, but we wear no masks. We are accountable, we own our personal actions and decisions. We don’t  blame others. Disagreements are respectfully challenged, and quickly resolved; never ignored. We bring hard work and good fun together, and it shows.

INCLUSIVE: We have fun together! Everyone belongs – belongs to the team and belongs to our story. Everyone is included. We go out of our way to engage our team members. We are open, we do not judge. We expect the same from others. We are loyal. Others have our respect in speech and action, present or absent. We support each other. Always. We celebrate. We regularly recognize team and individual accomplishments.

CURIOUS: Ask. Try. Learn. Repeat. We are self-motivated to learn more about what makes us better. We seek opportunities to be faster, better, smarter. Mistakes are opportunities to improve. We make them once, acknowledge, learn, and move forward. We tackle challenges with enthusiasm and focus. Our ideas lead to innovation, big or small. If curious is bold, imaginative, and innovative; then that’s us.

COURAGEOUS: We are excited to meet big goals, and stoked when they are exceeded. We aren’t afraid of hard work. We get’ er done! We annihilate mediocrity. We speak up. Even when it’s scary or intimidating. We dare to do things differently. We are fiercely committed to extraordinary quality, and proud of our products and brand. Change doesn’t scare us. We’ve  got grit!

For further information on Kicking Horse Coffee Co. Ltd., please visit their website at: www.KickingHorseCoffee.com.

LIVING IN INVERMERE, BRITISH COLUMBIA – THE COLUMBIA VALLEY

Known as The Valley of a Thousand Peaks,  the Columbia Valley is located between the Rocky Mountains and the Purcell Mountain Range in British Columbia’s Kootenay-Rockies region.

Regional Statistics:

• Population of over 9,000 permanent and 20,000 seasonal residents.
• Immediate access to the Alberta market with close proximity (3-hours driving; 276 km) to Calgary.
• Canadian Rockies International Airport within 1.5-hour drive (140 km).

Lifestyle and Recreation:

• Natural and recreational attractions including Kootenay National Park, Lakes Windermere and Columbia, the Purcell and Rocky Mountain ranges, the mighty Columbia River, and the largest continuous wetlands in North America.
• Unlimited year-round outdoor recreation including Nordic and downhill skiing, hiking, mountain biking, kayaking, canoeing, hunting, fishing, wildlife viewing, mountaineering, white-water rafting, snowmobiling, and bird watching.
• Lake Windermere Whiteway – a 35 km groomed track that is a paradise for skaters and skiers and creates a recreation area used by anglers, curling bonspiels, hockey tournaments and more.
• Championship golfing with 15 courses located within the region.
• Check out these links for a peek at summer and winter activities:
• Take Me There – Columbia Valley – YouTube Take me There
• World’s Longest Ice Skating Trail – The Whiteway – Take Me … – Bing video Take me There

Family Activities and The Arts:

Safe, family-friendly communities bustling with activities and educational opportunities. Organized sports and arts programs include freestyle, downhill and Nordic skiing; hockey; gymnastics; dance; martial arts; music and more. Cultural activities include festivals, films, live music, and visual arts.

Education and Health Care:

Post-secondary education is available through College of the Rockies; excellent pre-schools and public schools serve all communities.  Accessible health care with Invermere & District Hospital serving the Columbia Valley and family doctors available for new residents.

For More Information Visit:

• Columbia Valley, BC – Imagine Kootenay –  Imagine Kootenay
• Link to the 20th anniversary party that paints a great picture of the mountain culture. Made In The Mountains | Kicking Horse Coffee Kicking Horse Living in the Columbia Valley

THE OPPORTUNITY

As the Director, Supply Chain you will report into the Chief Operating Officer and be a key member of the Operations team. This is an exciting opportunity as it is a new role within the organization. The successful candidate will have responsibility for providing strategic leadership and operational accountability to build and develop an effective and efficient supply chain that allows for continued growth within the North American market. You will have full oversight over purchasing, warehousing, inventory management, transportation, logistics, production planning and order fulfillment. In the words of Kicking Horse Coffee, “Whoa, this is a BIG GIG!”

If you are an individual that is driven to look at each challenge that comes to light, as an opportunity; you have a proven ability to bring and implement best-in-class business practices, always asking the question “is there a better way?”, then this is an incredible opportunity for you. You will teach Kicking Horse Coffee a thing or two about efficient and effective Supply Chain Management and share your wealth of expertise. You will help them up the ante on timely and accurate order fulfillment in the midst of accelerated growth. You will hire, lead, and develop a team of supply chain professionals taking them to the next level in their careers. You will explore new models of distribution, including the direct business model, analyzing if there are more effective ways to achieve triple growth revenue while exceeding customer expectations in order fulfillment.

This is an amazing opportunity for an individual who has solid experience building and growing a supply chain function within the grocery and/or consumer package goods industry with a premium brand product. The ideal individual will understand the direct business model and can see the bigger picture. You will have well established skills and experience within a production and/or manufacturing and distribution supply chain environment understanding the importance of each operational link in the chain.

You are an individual that cherishes a lifestyle of outdoor living and all that a mountain community can offer. You view this as your opportunity to bring your lifestyle together with your career where you are blessed to live in the Columbia Valley, BC – Kootenay region with breath-taking scenery and an amazing community. You are excited to enjoy outdoor year-round sporting and recreational activities and adventures; or possibly, a day of self relaxing where you look forward to mingling with other community members enjoying the local restaurants, such as the Kicking Horse Café, where you enjoy delightful food and baked treats together with a superior cup of Kick Ass coffee!

RESPONSIBILITIES

Vision and Strategy

• Develop the supply chain strategy and processes to support the Kicking Horse Coffee vision and growth plans.
• Analyze the current supply chain operations, conduct distribution and logistic feasibility studies; and provide innovative solutions to supply chain operations for greater efficiencies with the goal of exceeding internal and external customer expectations.
• Be a key member of the team in driving the implementation of an ERP system that supports all sales, operations, quality, supply chain and financial requirements.
• Manage change while maintaining the Kicking Horse Coffee culture that is unique and highly valued.

Leadership

• Promote a culture of high performance and continuous improvement that values learning and a commitment to quality.
• Create a team environment that is conducive to living the core values of awake, authentic, inclusive, curious, and courageous.
• A strong innovator, always striving to create new ideas for adding value to the internal and external client experience.
• Demonstrate continuous communication by encouraging open communication that flows in all directions.
• Provide guidance and support while empowering the team to be innovative using their expertise and knowledge to make decisions.
• Hire, train, and mentor a team with the goal to bring the best out in each person and to help them in achieving their career goals and aspirations.

Supply Chain Operations

• Work with the purchasing team to research and source key supplier partners that are strategically aligned and will provide us the best product, at the best price, at the right time.
• Research and make recommendations on innovative, sustainable, supply chain solutions. Source more sustainable raw goods, find more responsible end-of-life, waste management solutions and partner with progressive companies.
• Oversee the qualifying of new suppliers and contract negotiations while maintaining the audit process for ongoing relationships.
• Determine benchmarks for pricing analysis for all purchases and work with finance to conduct analysis on usage, cost, and pricing forecasts.
• Develop an efficient system for multi-location, on and offsite warehouse operations and distribution centers that is scalable and designed for rapid growth.
• Gauge the effectiveness of existing third-party logistics (3PL) partners and identify ongoing opportunities to increase efficiencies.
• Research, secure and manage relationships with national transportation partners based on quality, level of service, competitive pricing, and the ability to scale based on growing needs.
• Build out best practices in the areas of shipping and receiving, warehouse management design, infrastructure to optimize space, and service level performance.
• Provide operational insights and support with the implementation of a new ERP system; evaluate, recommend, and support implementation of improved IT tools in warehousing and shipping to drive operational effectiveness.
• Work closely with the customer service team on cross functional improvement initiatives to ensure accurate and timely order fulfillment and cost-effective transport and delivery; implement and manage fulfillment and inventory accuracy improvement programs to support business growth.
• Develop, manage and be accountable for the department budget.
• Fuel a team of motivated employees with an emphasis on coaching and personal development. Make sure your team is having fun!
• Implement departmental and divisional performance metrics.

Fiscal Accountability

• Ensure the supply chain processes are supporting sound financial practices and operational efficiencies.
• Develop the supply chain budget with regular monitoring of actual expenditure against forecast and identifying opportunities for improvement.
• Responsible for inventory assets and controls; annual count/cycle counting.

Community

• Being involved within the community .
• Live and promote the brand of Kicking Horse Coffee!

FIRST YEAR –  MEASURES OF SUCCESS

• Create a strategic supply chain plan based on best in class supply chain and business processes that is scalable for growth.
• Establish a feasibility study paper on various distribution and logistic modeling including the direct distribution model.
• Develop and implement a team training and succession plan ensuring you have the right people in the right seats.
• Participate in the implementation of an ERP system, processes and training efforts.

THE INDIVIDUAL

Given the pivotal role this individual will be expected to play in achieving the strategic objectives of Kicking Horse Coffee, and in supporting the success of the organization, it is essential that the successful candidate possess the following core competencies, experience, and attributes:

Education

• Bachelor’s Degree  in Logistics Management or Certified Logistics Professional (CCLP), or equivalent work experience.
• SCMP designation, or equivalent supply chain related work experience.

Experience

• 10 + years of experience in supply chain within consumer package goods, grocery, production, and or/ manufacturing with at least 5+ years at a leadership level.
• A professional supply chain leader with an outstanding record of achievement. This isn’t your first rodeo! You’ve  excelled in this type of work and have at least ten years of experience with warehousing, logistics, distribution, and inventory systems.
• Familiar with third party logistic services, selection criteria and have lead a 3PL supply chain outsourcing project.
• Experience working with transportation logistics and a transportation management system is an ASS-et.
• Experience working with ERP/MRP systems is a must. System implementation experience an ASS-et.
• Experience working with distributor and direct business models, preferably in the retail grocery sector.
• A proven record of successful budgeting and financial management.
• Demonstrated effective negotiation skills and exceptional relationship management with internal and external stakeholders.

Personal Profile

• A servant leader.
• Confident and self sufficient.
• Relationship builder with strong interpersonal and communication skills. An ability to influence others and gain consensus. People like working with you!
• Analytical, agile and able to drive change in a fast-paced, energetic environment.
• Superior strategic savvy combined with a willingness to be hands-on and in the midst of the action.
• Demonstrates a high degree of integrity combined with strong leadership abilities.
• Exceptional verbal, written and presentation skills, including a strong working knowledge of PC applications (MS Office, including Outlook, Excel, Word, and PowerPoint).
• Annihilate mediocrity with strong attention to detail; high standards for quality; and excellent time management.
• Commitment to personal growth and development. How can you lead others if you can’t lead  yourself?
• A passion for an active and healthy mountain lifestyle.
• Willing and able to work out of Kicking Horse Coffee headquarters in Invermere, British Columbia.

Compensation

An excellent compensation package awaits the successful candidate.

Location

Invermere, British Columbia, Canada

How to Apply

For the opportunity to join Kicking Horse Coffee in the role of the Director Supply Chain, please email your resume to tdavis@profoundtalent.com  referencing Position ID # AIOH-331138.

Should you have an inquiry regarding this position, please contact Terri Davis at 1-877-217-5551 ext.101.  For further information on ProFound Talent Inc. please visit our website at www.profoundtalent.com.