In every role, McCainers are ambitious, curious, and passionate about creating exceptional work experiences - together. With a customer-first mindset, we make doing business with McCain easy.
About the role.
The Global Lead, Ocean Freight & Cold Storage is responsible for developing and executing the global category strategy for Ocean Freight and Cold Storage, representing more than CAD $650M in annual spend. This role leads strategic supplier partnerships, drives commercial value, ensures supply continuity, and strengthens operational excellence across a complex global transportation and storage network.
The role operates with a differentiated model, providing global strategic leadership for key cold storage partners while regional teams manage local execution, and maintaining end-to-end ownership of the global ocean freight category, including supplier strategy, selection, and execution.
What you’ll be doing.
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Develop and lead global category strategies for Ocean Freight and Cold Storage to support business objectives and long-term growth.
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Drive value creation through commercial optimization, supplier performance management, and network design improvements.
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Conduct market intelligence and industry analysis to inform sourcing strategies and category decision making.
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Lead strategic relationships with global cold storage providers, ocean carriers, and freight forwarding partners.
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Own and facilitate supplier relationship management (SRM) programs, including operational, business, and executive review cadences.
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Partner with global and regional Procurement and Supply Chain teams to align category strategies and execution plans.
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Lead risk mitigation and crisis management activities related to supply chain disruptions, geopolitical events, port congestion, and other operational challenges.
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Develop and maintain business continuity plans and escalation protocols to protect supply continuity.
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Provide strategic oversight of the global cold storage network and lead execution of the global ocean freight operating model.
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Support sustainability initiatives by advancing supplier emissions reporting, reduction strategies, and continuous improvement opportunities.
What you’ll need to be successful.
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Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Business, Engineering, or a related field.
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MBA or advanced degree preferred.
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Minimum 10 years of experience in procurement, logistics, transportation, or supply chain management.
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Minimum 5 years of experience leading global or multi-regional transportation and logistics categories.
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Experience managing global logistics categories within centralized and regionally executed operating models.
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Strong strategic thinking and category management capabilities.
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Proven commercial acumen and advanced negotiation skills.
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Experience leading strategic supplier relationships across global networks.
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Strong risk management, business continuity, and crisis response capabilities.
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Demonstrated success influencing and leading cross-functional stakeholders in a matrix environment.
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Data-driven decision-making skills with strong financial and analytical capabilities.
About the team.
This role is part of McCain’s Global Procurement and Supply Chain organization and partners closely with regional and global teams across procurement, logistics, transportation, operations, and supplier networks. The position serves as the global category leader for Ocean Freight and Cold Storage, balancing enterprise-wide priorities with regional business requirements to deliver value, resilience, and operational excellence across McCain’s global network.
About McCain.
Click Here to learn more about McCain and how we provide opportunities to make an impact that matters.
Leadership principles.
At McCain, our leadership principles guide how we engage with customers, collaborate as a team, and achieve success. We focus on understanding customer needs, driving innovation, empowering people, and taking ownership to clear obstacles and deliver results.
The McCain experience.
We are McCain. This statement is a testament to our collective strength and our individual value. Your contributions play a vital role in our success. Our winning culture is rooted in authenticity and trust, empowering us to bring out the best in one another. Here, you’ll find opportunities to learn, grow, and thrive. Join us and experience why we’re better together.
