Company Overview:

The La Rocca tradition of dessert making began 60 years ago in Naples, Italy. Our family’s passion for the art of baking inspired the many original and unique recipes we have today.

In 1986, La Rocca Creative Cakes was established in Canada. Over the last forty years, we’ve grown to become one of the most respected artisanal dessert manufacturers in North America.

Today, as part of the Sammontana Italia family, La Rocca brings together European craftsmanship and modern scale to deliver premium cakes to thousands of grocery, foodservice, and fine food partners. We are entering an exciting phase of growth and modernization under La Rocca.

Role Purpose:

The Junior Buyer is responsible for planning and executing procurement activities for raw materials and packaging to ensure uninterrupted production while achieving cost savings, maintaining quality standards, and supporting business objectives.

The role collaborates with internal stakeholders and suppliers to optimize supply continuity, negotiate commercial agreements, evaluate market conditions, and improve procurement performance.

Reports to: Sr. Supply Chain Manager

Employment Type: Three (3)-month contract, with the potential to transition to a full-time, permanent position.

Key Responsibilities:

- Analyze sales forecasts, production schedules, inventory levels, and supplier lead times to determine purchasing requirements for raw materials and packaging and maintain uninterrupted production.
- Keep track of commodity markets, supplier capacity, pricing trends, and potential supply issues to support purchasing decisions and reduce supply chain risks.
- Identify, assess, and onboard new suppliers by evaluating pricing, product quality, manufacturing capability,



food safety compliance, and service performance.
- Negotiate pricing, commercial terms, annual agreements, and supply arrangements with vendors to achieve competitive costs and reliable supply.
- Drive procurement savings by evaluating alternative products, improving sourcing strategies, and working with suppliers on cost improvement initiatives while maintaining required quality standards.
- Review supplier proposals and quotations, compare available options, and select suppliers based on quality, cost, service, and delivery performance.
- Establish and maintain strong business relationships with suppliers to improve service levels, resolve supply issues, and support long-term procurement objectives.
- Manage purchase orders and coordinate delivery schedules with suppliers to ensure materials are received on time and production requirements are met.
- Work closely with Production, Supply Chain Planning, Quality Assurance, Logistics, Finance, and Customer Service teams to support daily operations and material availability.
- Provide timely updates to Customer Service and internal stakeholders regarding material availability, expected deliveries, supply constraints, and order status.
- Maintain supplier master data, pricing records, purchasing documentation, and contract information within the ERP system while ensuring data accuracy.




- Monitor procurement performance by analyzing supplier service levels, inventory trends, purchasing activities, and cost-saving initiatives, and prepare reports for management review.

Core Competencies:

- Strong negotiation and vendor management skills.
- Analytical thinking with sound commercial judgment.
- Effective written and verbal communication.
- Solid relationship-building and cross-functional collaboration.
- Ethical and professional conduct aligned with company values.
- Strong organizational skills and ability to manage competing priorities.
- Attention to detail and accuracy in documentation and data management.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

- Minimum 1-2 years of experience in a purchasing, procurement, or supply chain role, preferably within a food or manufacturing environment.
- Post-secondary education in Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, or a related field; SCMP designation (or working towards it) is an asset.
- Experience negotiating pricing, contracts, and supplier agreements with a track record of delivering cost savings.
- Working knowledge of ERP systems (Dynamics NAV / Business Central / MRP) for purchasing, inventory, and supplier data management.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Office for data analysis and reporting.
- Understanding of raw material and packaging markets, commodity trends, and food safety/quality requirements is an asset.
- Ability to work collaboratively across Production, Supply Chain, Quality Assurance, Logistics, Finance, and Customer Service teams.

Pay: $25.00-$28.00 per hour Expected hours: 40.0 per week

Benefits

- On-site parking

Work Location: In person

📌 Junior Buyer (Richmond Hill)
🏢 La Rocca Creative Cakes
📍 Richmond Hill