Vice-President, Chocolate Operations (Manufacturing and Supply Chain)

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Purdys Chocolatier is delighted to have been voted by our employees as one of Canada's Best Employers. This esteemed award is a testament to the rich texture of our history and our more than 115 years of dedication to quality, trust,and supportive work environment.

Job type: Full-time, Permanent

Pay range: Expected base salary: $200,000-$250,000. Executive compensation package, including participation in Purdys’ incentive and benefits programs.

Do you love chocolates? As a proud Canadian Chocolatier, we create connection and joy through the power of chocolate and have a great deal of fun doing so.

We truly value diversity in our workforce and therefore welcome applicants of all ethnic groups, genders, races, religions, abilities, and backgrounds.

We’re looking for a Vice President, Chocolate Operations (Manufacturing, Supply Chain)to join our Chocolate Operations team based in our Support Office in Vancouver, BC. This individual will report to the Chief Operating Officer. We are looking for a leader who measures success not only by operational results but by the strength of the team, culture, and leaders they build along the way.

Job Overview: Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, the Vice President, Chocolate Operations provides executive leadership for Purdys’ procurement, manufacturing, quality, maintenance and engineering, warehousing, fulfilment, distribution, and logistics functions. This role ensures chocolates are produced safely and efficiently to Purdys’ quality standards, with products delivered to customers and shops on time. The Vice President leads operational strategy, cost management, continuous improvement, capital planning, supply chain optimization, and key relationships that support growth while building a high-performing, inclusive culture rooted in accountability, trust, engagement, safety, recognition, and leadership development.

You will have the opportunity to:

• Lead end-to-end Chocolate Operations, including manufacturing, commercialization, product costing, scheduling, purchasing, inventory management, quality assurance, safety, maintenance, warehousing, transportation, and fulfilment.
• Develop, mentor, and empower a strong leadership team that can scale the operation, support future succession needs, and model collaboration, recognition, continuous learning, and engagement across manufacturing, supply chain, and logistics.
• Lead with visible presence and credibility across the operation, building trust with frontline employees, supervisors, managers, and union representatives while fostering a culture where safety, inclusion, wellbeing, and personal growth are seen as essential to operational success.
• Set and deliver operational goals and KPIs across quality, safety, service, cost, yield, environmental responsibility, training, customer experience, and employee experience.
• Drive cost management and continuous improvement across all functional areas while protecting product quality and the customer experience.
• Plan and prioritize capital initiatives, infrastructure investments, and production equipment improvements to support growth, productivity, and regulatory requirements.
• Optimize the full supply chain by partnering with suppliers, manufacturing partners, logistics providers, union leaders, and internal stakeholders.
• Provide regular operational analysis, financial summaries, risk insights, and recommendations to the executive team.

Your first-year deliverables:

• Establish a clear operating cadence, KPI dashboard, and accountability model across manufacturing, fulfilment, supply chain, quality, maintenance, and logistics.
• Identify and execute priority cost, productivity, quality, safety, and service improvement opportunities without compromising Purdys’ product standards.
• Complete a capacity and infrastructure assessment that supports Purdys’ growth plans, seasonal peaks, regulatory requirements, and future product innovation.
• Strengthen relationships with suppliers, manufacturing partners, and logistics providers to improve reliability, value, service levels, and supply continuity.
• Build contingency plans for potential supply, labour, equipment, or fulfilment disruptions.
• Partner with the COO and executive team to align operational priorities with business growth, commercialization, and customer experience goals.

You will be a good fit if you:

• Bring at least 10 years of progressive experience leading manufacturing, operations, supply chain, and logistics, including at least five years in senior management.
• Have a degree in Operations Management, Supply Chain, Industrial Manufacturing, Engineering, or a related field, combined with deep food manufacturing expertise.
• Have proven experience leading in a unionized environment and working with Canadian food safety, workplace safety, and regulatory requirements.
• Are a strategic, financially disciplined operator with strong analytical, organizational, relationship-management, and people-leadership skills.

Get ready to enjoy:

• Extended Health & Dental Plan

• Sickness and Disability Plans

• RRSP Matching Program

• Profit Sharing depending on achieving the business goals

• Purdys Perks (Active Lifestyle Program, Tuition Reimbursement, Employee discount, and much more)

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We appreciate the interest of all applicants, and while we wish we could personally reach out to everyone, we can only contact those selected for an interview.

We genuinely care about providing reasonable accommodations to job applicants with disabilities. If you require assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please reach out to us via email at [email protected]. We're here to help!