Food Service Director

Blue Shock Executive Search, established in 2003, excels in recruiting top-tier candidates across the restaurant, hospitality, and food service-related sectors. As industry leaders, we forge connections between exceptional talent and leading employers in Canada and the US.

At Blue Shock Executive Search, we don't just find talent; we craft success stories. As your dedicated career architects, our focus is on connecting you with the perfect opportunities that align with your skills and aspirations. We're passionate about propelling your career forward, ensuring that the next step you take is not just a job but a fulfilling journey. Partner with us, and let's build your success story together.

Position Summary

Food Service Retail in Canada have an opportunity to capture significantly more traffic and sales by offering quality food products to their customers. Recognizing this opportunity, our client is launching a transformative initiative to introduce an innovative food service program across its locations in Canada. We are seeking a dynamic and strategic Director, Food Services, to lead this effort. This senior role will drive innovation, operational excellence, and customer-centric product development, while fostering a culture of collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement.

Your background may include but not be limited to:

• Retail Food Service
• Supply Chain Management
• Restaurant and Food Service Organizations
• The Food Production Cog
• Grocery retail and production
• The Quick Service Concept Development

Key Responsibilities

Strategy & Planning

• Conduct market research and competitive analysis to identify trends, customer preferences, and whitespace opportunities.
• Develop a strong understanding of our clients core competencies, in-store capabilities, and the industry's supply chain to ensure strategic alignment.
• Collaborate with senior leadership to define strategic goals, KPIs, and success metrics.
• Benchmark against world-class convenience retailers to identify replicable programs and innovations.
• Develop and execute a phased rollout plan for food service programs.
• An analytical expert with supply chains, logistics as well as the retail side of the business.
• A strong partner to the various departments within the company including marketing, HR and operations among others. Internal team relationships.

Program Development

• Design prototype food service concepts tailored to convenience retail, evaluating all possible concepts to arrive and the best fit for our operations and customers.
• Program development will include the refinement or potential re-launch of the food program. existing beverage program, which includes coffee and frozen dispensed beverages.
• Develop a limited scale testing program to evaluate proof of concept, altering as needed, prior to full launch.
• Source and negotiate with suppliers, vendors, and equipment providers.
• Ensure compliance with health, safety, and food handling regulations.

Operations & Execution

• Working alongside the store operations team, this role will be responsible for the ongoing operational and financial success of our clients food service program.
• Partner with store operations teams to implement food service programs, including store layout, equipment installation, staffing, food safety, and quality control.
• Develop and continuously deliver SOPs, training materials, and operational guidelines.
• Monitor performance, refining the program on an ongoing basis.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work with Marketing to promote food service offerings and drive customer engagement.
• Collaborate with Finance to manage budgets, pricing strategies, and profitability analysis.
• Coordinate with HR and Operations to support recruitment, onboarding, and training of food service staff.

Continuous Improvement

• Analyze sales data, customer feedback, and operational metrics to refine offerings.
• Pilot new products and formats based on performance and customer demand.
• Share best practices and success stories across regions to foster innovation and consistency.

Leadership Qualities

• Visionary Thinking: Ability to translate strategy into actionable plans that drive growth and innovation.
• Customer-Centric Mindset: Passion for exceeding customer expectations through product and service excellence.
• Collaborative Leadership: Skilled at building cross-functional partnerships and fostering a culture of teamwork.
• Operational Discipline: Strong focus on execution, process optimization, and delivering results.
• Change Management: Comfortable leading transformation initiatives and navigating ambiguity.
• Mentorship & Development: Committed to coaching and developing high-performing teams.
• Resilience & Agility: Able to adapt quickly to market shifts and evolving business needs.
• Understanding the role as a hands-on, roll up your sleeves and get it done mindset.
• Lead from the front without an ego and with humility.
• As a senior leader in the company, you have to excel at building relationships with the guest, your team and the suppliers and vendors.
• A driven self-starter with a creative flare and someone who excels with autonomy.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Program Rollout Milestones: % of stores successfully implementing food service programs within the planned timeline.
• Sales Growth: Increase in food service revenue per store and overall contribution to total sales.
• Food service's gross profit contribution as a percentage of total store's gross profit.
• Customer/guest Satisfaction: Improvement in customer satisfaction scores related to food offerings.
• Operational Efficiency: Reduction in food waste, labor costs, and equipment downtime.
• Product Innovation: Number of new products launched and their performance metrics.
• Training Completion Rates: % of store teams trained and certified in food service operations.
• Compliance: Adherence to health and safety standards across all locations.
• successful ramp up of the program based on the size of the revenues and each facility.

Why Join us?

Lead a transformation in convenience food retail. Work with a passionate leadership team committed to innovation and customer experience. Enjoy competitive executive compensation and long-term growth opportunities. Have fun making a great brand even be