Vice President, Supply Chain

Enter the Game!

Activate is a technology company known for creating Canada's first full-scale interactive gaming experience.  We are searching for a motivated and seasoned executive to fill the newly created Vice President, Supply Chain role.  This position is based out of Winnipeg, Manitoba. 

The Vice President, Supply Chain is responsible to develop and implement Activate’s supply chain strategy to enhance productivity, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness. They are instrumental in the oversight and direction for all aspects of Activate’s supply chain including planning, purchasing, manufacturing, warehousing, and engineering. This executive role is critical to our expansion strategy and will play a pivotal part in the rapid growth of Activate Games as we continue to scale our business. This role ensures the efficient, cost-effective, and high-quality production of products while fostering innovation, continuous improvement, and operational excellence in a rapid growth environment.  

The Duties and Responsibilities:

Executive & People Leadership

• Plan, direct, and implement operational excellence in overall supply chain, ensuring development and implementation aligns with Activate’s short-term and long-term operational objectives for global expansion 

• Achieve financial and business objectives through analysis and maintain a keen sense of awareness of manufacturing staffing models, purchasing practices, growth projections, variances and initiating corrective actions 

• Collaborate with other departments to create coordinated plans for business growth and development
• Establish standards of excellence, overseeing applicable metrics and collaborating with the Executive Leadership of other departments to ensure delivery of products on time

• Evaluate and report on key performance indicators (KPIs) to track and measure supply chain performance  

• Drive innovation, continuous improvement and technological advancements to maintain a competitive edge in the market  

• Monitor and control costs, ensuring efficient use of resources and adherence to financial targets 

• Lead diverse teams in planning, purchasing, manufacturing, warehousing, and engineering, fostering a culture of innovation, teamwork, and achievement 

• Manage performance and staff to build trust, resolve conflict, and drive results; tracking training and evaluations of employees 

• Identify hiring, training and development needs and implement appropriate programs to enhance team skills and knowledge 

Warehouse, Logistics and Distribution 

• Optimize warehouse layout for global expansion and develop supply chain roadmaps and strategic manufacturing export plans  

• Ensure warehouse operates efficiently and effectively to meet the legislated occupational health and safety standards and inspections  

• Lead global distribution, ensuring that international distribution routes and packaging methods are consistent and efficient to provide the timely delivery of goods and products 

• Reviews global supply chain incidents, resolving any issues that arise, such as delivery delays, accidents, and supply disruptions 

• Analyze data from shipping, procurement, and delivery processes to identify bottlenecks, inefficiencies, and areas for improvement   

Procurement & Purchasing 

• Identify cost optimization strategies and implement cost-effective solutions for supply chain and purchasing processes 

• Oversee procurement and vendor selection to ensure timely and cost-effective sourcing of materials and components  

• Maintain relationships and oversee contract negotiations with vendors and manufacturers to promote a streamlined and efficient global distribution chain 

• Ensures that service-level agreements with vendors and manufacturers are maintained and meet the needs of the business  

• Evaluate and approve capital expenditures for equipment, technology, and facilities 

• Optimize inventory management to balance production needs and cost efficiency 

• Support Master Scheduling decisions to drive efficiencies and optimization of assets to drive down inventories and balance processing costs

Manufacturing and Engineering 

• Oversee the planning, execution, and successful completion of engineering projects, ensuring they meet quality, cost, and timeline objectives 

• Optimize manufacturing layout, build capacity and teams to achieve global growth  

• Oversee production levels and progress on manufacturing and engineering outcomes 

• Coordinate cross-functional teams to achieve project goals and deliverables

• Manage risk and resolve issues that may impact supply chain and manufacturing outcomes  

• Establish and maintain rigorous quality control processes to ensure products meet or exceed customer expectations 

• Implement continuous improvement initiatives to enhance product quality and reliability 

• Conduct regular reviews and audits to identify areas for improvement and implement corrective actions

The Qualifications: 

• Minimum of 15 years’ senior leadership experience in supply chain operations

• Minimum 5 years' experience with global expansion  

• Post secondary education in planning, supply chain and/or manufacturing  

• APICS or similar certification preferred 

• Previous P&L responsibility  
• Proven track record as an executive leader  
• Global knowledge and expertise in supply chain management
• Strong business acumen with a broad understanding of fundamental business principles
• Expertise in manufacturing processes, warehouse operations, procurement and engineering
• Knowledgeable in international trading laws and agreements  
• Strong understanding of market trends in supply chain and planning.  
• Ability to think strategically and drive innovation and continuous improvement
• Strong financial acumen and experience managing projects, budgets, and costs 
• Analytical problem-solving skills with an impeccable attention to detail 
• Excellent leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills with ability to collaborate and build a consensus in a high-pressure environment 
• Knowledge leader with industry regulations and standards

About Activate: 

Taking entertainment into the future by fusing technology and physical activity together to create live-action gaming experiences, Activate is a technology company building interactive gaming facilities with locations across Canada and the US.  For more information about Activate, please visit www.playactivate.com or check us out on Instagram - @activategames/Facebook @activategames. 

Activate is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment. Activate is committed to providing access, equal opportunity and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities in employment, its services, programs and activities. To request reasonable accommodation for a protected characteristic, contact hr@playactivate.com which is an email monitored for this purpose. 

We thank all applicants for their interest, however, only those candidates selected for interviews will be contacted.