THE ORGANIZATION

Our client, The Little Potato Company, began its journey in 1996 with the owners (Jacob and Angela – father and daughter) wanting to be able to produce little creamer potatoes, like what Jacob knew from his Dutch roots. They grew their first acre by hand; planting, weeding, harvesting, and washing it themselves. They then packed them into the back of Angela’s hatchback, setting off to farmers markets and restaurants. The potatoes were popular with chefs early on, with one of their first accounts being the Banff Springs Hotel. Jacob and Angela bought their first plant in 2000 and with their continued success, have expanded to increasingly larger facilities over the years with their current production facility located in west Edmonton. With further expansion and growth across Canada and into the United States, the decision was made to open a second production plant in Wisconsin, and a third plant in PEI. Today, Angela leads the organization as CEO and Jacob runs a research and breeding company for little potatoes. The Little Potato Company has grown and operates with over 360 employees across Canada and the United States.

The Little Potato Company continues to experience growth year over year and continue to be the leading farmers of Creamer potatoes. They continue to set their sights high with their purpose being to “Save the Potato. Feed the World, better” where “everyone, everywhere deserves to have healthy, great food”. At The Little Potato Company, they believe in living by a set of deeply held core values representing both their history and how they strive to live every day to make the world a better place. The core values that guide their corporate family are:

Importance of Family:  We are a family-based Company and since our prime support comes from our family, we encourage a healthy work-life balance. We honour the place that family has in our employees’ lives.

Go Beyond:  We acknowledge that employees come to us with their own experience and resources.  We support and encourage our employees to go beyond what they bring, beyond what they envision they can do, and certainly beyond a mere job description. We trust in our employees’ passion and creativity so that they can extend themselves not just for the Company, but for themselves.

Elevate others:  We are a diverse and inclusive work environment that embraces new ideas and ways of doing. When we enhance another by recognizing their skills and expertise we contribute to an overall feeling of worth.

Down To Earth:  We are approachable and recognize the common humanity of all.  We do not pretend to be other than what we are. Whether we are in the office, in the plant, in the field or with a customer we are approachable, genuine, and warm.

Do What You Say:  We walk our talk. Being honest and impeccable really means that we waste no time in pretending, glossing over, or making unfounded promises.  We are reliable, accountable and our words communicate an actual reality.

It is a great time to join The Little Potato Company as they continue to grow and be a global supplier of their unique, healthy, and delicious Little Potatoes! For further information on The Little Potato Company, please visit their website at www.littlepotatoes.com

THE OPPORTUNITY

The Project Manager, Business Development will report to Executive VP, Sales, Marketing & Business Development and is a valuable member of LPC’s Business Development team. This position will work with internal and external stakeholders to support multi-departmental projects and is responsible for managing the end-to-end delivery of these product development projects. This role requires strong interpersonal skills to identify and engage with project stakeholders to ensure all are kept informed at an appropriate level. The Project Manager must develop and manage a clear process for identifying milestones, deliverables, and timelines, and then manage progress to successful outcomes. The Project Manager will enhance project visibility and collaboration. As a key program leader, they will deliver tangible business results through deployment of project management techniques.

This position will Partner with key functional departments including Product Development, Marketing, Sales, Packaging Engineering, Procurement, Regulatory, Quality, Finance, Operations, Senior Leadership, Co-manufacturers, and other stakeholders to manage the project development process to hit the market during key launch windows ensuring projects are on-time, on-budget, completed in a collaborative manner and in keeping all departments abreast of deliverables, timelines and outcomes required. To do this successfully, the ideal candidate must have demonstrated success in leading multiple projects simultaneously with project management being at your core of expertise.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Collaborate with key stakeholders to prioritize projects, address project changes, and evaluate options, including resource allocation, and execute timelines based on business needs and requirements.
• Plan, monitor, and control project schedule, budget, and resource mapping throughout the project lifecycle of scoping, development, and commercialization phases.
• Track deliverables, manage timelines and information flow, lead efficient meetings.
• Coordinate documentation of detailed customer requirements, business justification, product requirements, engineering specifications and other design input and design output documents to establish the project deliverables.
• Support the preparation and presentation of business and project analysis to senior management.
• Build teamwork within the project teams but also across departments, plant sites, external partners (customers/vendors) to ensure the success of the project.
• Develop and implement metrics for the measurement of efficiency and speed.
• Administer RACI Matrixes (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed).
• Provide/negotiate resolution to potential issues to maintain project timelines and when necessary, highlight potential barriers to project progression (such as resource constraints) to management.
• Ensure that risk assessment and contingency planning (for relevant projects) takes place and is communicated and agreed upon by all core team members and is acted on if necessary to keep the project on track or to escalate any unresolved issues.
• Manage every portion of the approval process between internal and external partners to ensure alignment at every step of the design and activation process.
• Be a key contributor in the Product Development Team in the assessment of product concepts.
• Be the gate keeper of the Product Development process and communications.

FIRST YEAR – MEASURES OF SUCCESS

• Take over existing projects that have been started and initiate new projects in a seamless manner.
• Deliver on Product Development plans for launches over 1, 3 and 5 years.
• Build strong and collaborative relationships with your key stakeholders and departments that will support project management initiatives.
• Review the existing product development process looking for operational efficiency and improvement to which you will drive process improvement for new product launches and commercialization ensuring on-time and on-budget.

THE INDIVIDUAL

Given the pivotal role this individual will be expected to play in achieving the strategic objectives of The Little Potato Company 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 a related discipline.

Experience

• 5+ years of product management experience.
• A PMP (Project Management Professional) or PMC (Product Management Certification) designation is required or actively working toward; equivalent experience will be considered.
• Experience in project management especially experience managing new product launches and innovation processes within the food industry would be an asset.
• Understanding of business principles and financials.
• Extensive experience in project management software, and Microsoft software.

Competencies and Knowledge

• Strong project management skills including Initiating, Planning, Executing, Controlling and Closing Projects, with the ideal candidate having experience in a CPG environment with food experience considered a great asset, but not a requirement.
• Ability to work and thrive in a fast-paced environment, learn rapidly and master specific product information, supporting multiple projects from start to finish.
• Excellent communicator across all disciplines and levels, both internally and externally and ability to motivate cross functional groups.
• Strong problem-solving skills: ability to identify and execute effective solutions.
• Ability to work well in a team environment and develop collaborative relationships with colleagues across the company and client stakeholders.
• Detailed organizational skills.

Personal Profile

• Meticulous with timelines, deliverables, and outcomes
• Strong influencer and collaborator
• Highly organized with good time management skills
• Ability to multi-task effectively
• Strong communication skills
• Highly accountable
• Unquestioned personal and professional integrity
• Able to respond and pivot quickly to new initiatives and business needs
• Respectful of others
• Positive attitude and energy
• Critical thinker with problem solving skills
• Self-motivated with the ability to work independently and without supervision
• A positive attitude when faced with adversarial situations
• Exhibits sound judgment

Compensation

An excellent compensation package awaits the successful candidate.

Location

Edmonton, Alberta or Vancouver, BC preferred with other remote locations being considered.

How to Apply

For the opportunity to join The Little Potato Company in the role of Project Manager, Business Development, please email your resume to DreamBig@profoundtalent.com referencing Position ID # AEHP-564345.

Should you have an inquiry regarding this position, please contact Stacey Laing at 587-200-0114 ext. 104 or Terri Davis at 587-200-0114 ext. 101.

For further information on ProFound Talent Inc. please visit:

Website: www.profoundtalent.com
YouTube: ProFound Talent Inc.

* We thank all applicants for your submissions; however, only candidates being considered for this role will be contacted. *