Our client is a rapidly growing Canadian specialty food manufacturer serving grocery, club and foodservice customers across Canada and the United States. The business is expanding its U.S. customer base and supporting new international market opportunities, creating the need for a dedicated Export Manager to coordinate the documentation, logistics and follow-through behind cross-border growth.
This is a hands-on role in a fast-moving, founder-led business. The Export Manager will work closely with senior leadership, customers, brokers, freight partners, production, and warehouse teams to ensure export commitments are executed accurately and on time. Pace matters, but so does detail: a wrong document, label or customer file can create an expensive problem.
How We Work - Read This Before You Apply:
- We are fast-paced, entrepreneurial and less corporate. That is not branding. It is the job.
- The customer comes first. Internally, it matters less who won the argument than whether the buyer, broker and order are taken care of.
- Decisions are made quickly. A request for a file, sample or answer the same day is normal.
- You will work across customers, freight, warehouse and production. Titles do not protect anyone from doing what needs to be done.
- Heavy corporate protocol, long approval chains and waiting to be invited into a conversation will be frustrating here.
- Professional with customers. Informal, direct and low ego inside the business.
Why This Role Exists Now
- U.S. club, grocery and foodservice volume has grown to the point where export execution needs a dedicated point person.
- Senior leadership needs someone who can close loops across documentation, samples, freight, brokers and customer onboarding so they can stay focused on customers and growth.
- The company is also supporting expansion into additional international markets, creating more packaging, regulatory, translation and market-entry coordination.
Key Responsibilities:
Export Documentation and Customer Execution
- Prepare and manage commercial invoices, packing lists, certificates, specification and allergen packs, lot information and label support.
- Coordinate retailer and club onboarding files accurately and on customer timelines.
- Maintain the documentation trail behind U.S. and international shipments and ensure customer requirements are complete before product moves.
- Coordinate samples and customer follow-up tied to new programs, line reviews, retailer meetings and market-entry activity.
- Support trade-show preparation and follow-up, including samples, documentation, and customer actions.
Freight, Brokers, and Cross-Border Coordination
- Coordinate with freight forwarders, customs brokers, warehouse and production teams so customer commitments are executed cleanly.
- Track export requirements, shipment documentation and cross-border issues and follow through until resolved.
- Work with external partners on FDA, CBP, customs, labeling or other regulatory requirements as needed.
- Escalate issues quickly when a shipment, customer requirement or regulatory question could put an order at risk.
International Market Support
- Support leadership on new-market activity outside Canada and the U.S. when a specific opportunity is prioritized.
- Coordinate packaging translation, label requirements, samples, broker communication and supporting documentation for market entry.
- Create simple checklists and templates so recurring export work becomes faster, easier, and more reliable.
What Strong Looks Like:
- 3-7 years of experience in export operations, customer operations, sales coordination, logistics or related cross-border work.
- Food manufacturing, CPG, frozen logistics or retailer/club coordination is a meaningful advantage.
- Hands-on experience with U.S. export paperwork, commercial invoices, packing lists, customer files, samples or related documentation.
- Broker, FDA, CBP or cross-border logistics exposure is helpful; speed of learning and practical judgement matter just as much.
- Exceptional organization and follow-through. You close loops without being asked twice.
- Able to manage multiple priorities, make practical decisions and solve unfamiliar problems without waiting for a playbook.
- Strong Microsoft 365 skills and confidence working with ERP systems and digital records.
- French or Spanish is an asset.
- Comfortable working fully on-site in an active manufacturing environment.
What This Role Is Not:
- Not a VP of International Sales. Market strategy and pricing remain with senior leadership.
- Not a pure desk-based trade-compliance role. The job requires active coordination with customers, brokers, logistics, warehouse, and production.
- Not remote and not a relocation mandate.
- Not a protocol-heavy corporate role. If you need a large organizational ladder to get a decision, this environment will frustrate you.
What We Offer:
- Daily exposure to senior leadership in a Canadian food business scaling in the U.S. and entering additional international markets.
- A visible role with direct influence on export execution and customer service.
- Room to grow into a broader export, customer operations or commercial operations role as the company scales.
- $80,000-$90,000 base salary. Benefits to be confirmed.
Location: Mississauga, Ontario. Local GTA candidates only. Relocation is not being considered.
