FT Director, Liquor & Cannabis Market Support Centre

Reporting to the Executive Vice President, Liquor and Cannabis Operations, the Director, Liquor & Cannabis Market Support Centre is responsible for the overall leadership, administration, and development of Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries’ (MBLL) commercial liquor & cannabis partners support function. In this role, the Director leads a team that is focused on providing B2B related customer service and operational support to rural Liquor Vendors, Hotel Beer Vendors, liquor licensee accounts, Duty Free Stores, Specialty Wine Stores, as well MBLL’s business partners in the Manitoba cannabis industry. This position will provide operational support to business partners, focus on troubleshooting issues related to the delivery, payment, and quality of products ordered, as well as ensuring that governing documents such as Operating Agreements, Guidelines, Bulletins, and MBLL Partners site clearly contain the information needed to run their business. 

In addition, this position will collaborate closely with the Director, Strategy, Implementation & Analysis to develop longer-term initiatives capable of growing revenue from the private retail channel and implementing tactics to help these business partners succeed. 

• Oversee MBLL’s liquor and cannabis customer contact centers and retail support teams, ensuring they have the resources, tools and expertise necessary to deliver quality customer service and operational support to Manitoba’s commercial business partners.
• Develop and maintain a liquor & cannabis retail site visit and support plan. Ensure the plan results in staff visiting, or connecting with, urban, rural, and remote business partners. Track adherence to this plan by staff and ensure an optimal number of site visits can be achieved during the year.
• Collaborate with Finance, Supply Chain and other departments to resolve business partner issues involving product deliveries, payments, credits, discrepancies, quality control and recalls, while identifying and mitigating potential financial exposure to MBLL.
• Monitor the ordering behaviors of liquor and cannabis retailers; use this information to identify possible pending issues or concerns worth addressing.
• Collaborate with Marketing, Supply Chain and suppliers to develop programs, product education and initiatives that strengthen retailer knowledge, encourage best practices and support sales growth across private liquor and cannabis channels.
• Collaborate with Strategy, Implementation & Analysis to support data-informed business decisions, sales and revenue budgeting, variance analysis and financial performance reporting to senior management.
• Actively monitor the purchasing habits of cannabis and liquor private retailers. Identify opportunities to grow and expand the volume and value of inventory being purchased by these business partners.
• Oversee the analysis and performance of the cannabis product catalogue, including SKU movement, supplier performance, and relevant supply chain metrics, to maintain a competitive, efficient, and commercially effective product offering.
• Oversee the development of performance indicators for all cannabis and liquor commercial partners and monitor performance based on those indicators.
• Champion modernization and continuous improvement of business partner services, including digital tools, retailer onboarding processes, access to business information, and opportunities to simplify and improve the overall partner experience.
• Proactively notify senior-level management of issues which may impact the organization’s achievement of strategic goals.
• Oversee the recruitment, onboarding, and management of cannabis suppliers, ensuring appropriate supplier performance, compliance with Health Canada licensing requirements and adherence to MBLL’s established terms and conditions.
• Coordinate with Cannabis suppliers in instances of supplier led recalls, Health Canada recalls, or other product quality issues.
• Oversee MBLL’s cannabis distribution partners, including partner capacity, delivery performance, contractual compliance, and recommendations to optimize the provincial distribution network.
• Collaborate with MBLL in-house legal counsel to maintain and develop the operating agreements, operating guidelines, terms and conditions, and directives documents that govern MBLL’s relationship with cannabis retailers, suppliers, and distribution partners, as well as with applicable private commercial liquor retailers, and liquor manufacturers. Ensure these governing documents are updated annually and accurately reflect the expectations that MBLL holds for our business partners.
• Oversee the cannabis retailer application process on behalf of the province of Manitoba. Ensure support is in place to guide retail applicants through the application process including formal onboarding programs once fully licensed.
• Oversee the rural Liquor Vendor application process. Ensure a robust onboarding process is in place to help new rural Liquor Vendors fully understand how to successfully operate.
• Review and ensure cannabis & liquor retailers operate within prescribed agreements, including documenting and maintaining a non-compliance, or breach of agreement process and corrective actions plan to resolve the issue.
• Work with MBLL’s government relations team, industry associations, First Nations, and municipalities to support the development and implementation of new liquor and cannabis business partners.

• Experience in the cannabis industry and associated product knowledge is considered an asset.
• Experience in the liquor industry and associated product knowledge is considered an asset.
• Familiarity with Provincial and Federal Liquor and Cannabis Acts and Regulations is an asset.
• Have and maintain a valid Manitoba Class 5 Drivers license is considered an asset.
• Bilingual French/English language skills are an asset.

***Testing may form part of the screening/selection process. Employment Equity will be a factor in the recruitment process. Circumstances may arise where the bulletin may need to be withdrawn or the number of positions may need to be increased.

We thank all interested applicants, however, only those selected for interviews will be contacted.