Position: Sr Director, IT Application Services

Location: Greater Toronto Area

Reporting To: VP, IT

About Us:

Welcome to Lactalis Canada – where we take pride in being recognized as one of 2025 GTA's Top Employers! As well as Forbes Canada, Top Canadian Employers for 2025! Our journey revolves around enhancing the lives of Canadians through a rich variety of dairy delights, including some of Canadian’s favourite dairy brands such as like Black Diamond Cheese, Lactantia Milk, Astro Yogurt, Balderson Cheese, and Cheestrings. In fact, we’re proud to say our products grace the shelves of an incredible 94% of Canadian households!

With a 140-year legacy driven by innovation and unwavering quality, we’re seeking like-minded individuals to join us in shaping our next chapter. Our flexible hybrid work model accommodates 40% remote work, adapting to the evolving needs of our workforce. Step into a collaborative hub with our revamped office, and enjoy free parking, endless coffee, delicious Lactalis snacks, an on-site gym, and more!

About the opportunity:

The Senior Director IT Application Services is responsible for all software application management, implementations and support across Lactalis Canada in support of the company’s long-term goals and objectives. The position’s overall objective is to define and execute our application strategy and roadmap, manage the legacy and future-state application portfolio and drive innovation by transforming business processes.

The attributes we are looking for:

1. Strategic Leadership and Digital Transformation

Define and execute the strategic vision for enterprise applications, aligning with long-term business growth and Lactalis Group IT objectives, and the established technology roadmap.
Provide leadership on new system or process enhancements to existing applications by collaborating with stakeholders to identify process/data/reporting requirements and providing options, cost, and benefits of each solution in support of achievement of business strategy.
Champion the integration of new digital capabilities to drive efficiency, scalability, and value creation.
Evaluate and implement emerging information technologies, such as Generative AI, Machine Learning, RPA, IoT, etc. to ascertain potential value for the company and proactively approach the business with opportunities that arise from emerging technologies, including the ability to build applications in house.
Unite multidisciplinary application teams under a shared vision and strategy.
Partner with executive leadership to shape strategic investments and digital priorities.

2. Operational Excellence

Oversee the IT Canada application portfolio and ongoing digital initiatives.
Drive automation and digital workflows to streamline operations and reduce manual effort.
Ensure that IT services meet business expectations by developing, measuring and monitoring ongoing effectiveness of services for all departments supported by SAP, Lactalis Group applications and other applications, and implement changes as needed.
Manage the implementation of projects by preparing project plans, timelines, resources, and cost estimates, and manage ongoing deliverables.
Oversee the identification and resolution of system problems ensuring continuous business operations by reviewing status of problems and responding to escalated issues.
Ensure reliable day-to-day support across all application areas.
Guarantee enterprise applications meet cybersecurity, regulatory, and audit requirements.
Establish IT performance metrics.
Support Lactalis Group IT roadmap and projects.
Manage capital budget for projects by establishing budget needs and obtaining approval.
Manage ongoing expenditure, IT resources, and long-term financial planning within your scope of responsibility.

3. Team Leadership and Development

Manage a team of Managers and Business Analysts by conducting hiring, reviewing performance and providing feedback, determining training and development needs, and providing work direction.
Formulate team and individual performance objectives that meet with the corporate long-term strategic objectives and goals.
Cultivate a strong sense of business partnership within the team which is an enabler for the business.
Lead, mentor, and grow a multidisciplinary application team.
Foster a culture of accountability, innovation, and collaboration.
Attract, retain, and develop top technology talent

4. Stakeholder and Partner Management

Act as a key liaison with internal executives, external technology partners, and solution providers.
Build and maintain strong business relationships to align technology initiatives with business goals.
Ensure consistent communication and alignment across business divisions.
Manage key relationships with vendors to ensure delivery of the solutions and maximize value within budget.
Represent the organization in industry forums and contribute to thought leadership.

Governance, Risk and Compliance

Establish and maintain compliance with regulatory requirements, internal policies and procedures, technical documentation.
Ensure internal IT knowledge is documented and shared across the IT team.
Guarantee system change requests are documented/approved and projects follow Lactalis SDLC/Stage gate methodology.
Employ risk management techniques to ensure appropriate disaster recovery and business continuity processes are implemented.

What you will bring:

Strong ability to lead, advise, influence across an executive leadership team.
Proven track record of leading large-scale application transformations in the CPG or manufacturing sector
15+ years of increasingly senior experience in IT leadership roles, including experience creating high performance teams and implementation, development, and support of SAP ERP systems within the CPG industry.
Excellent understanding of business processes in Order to Cash, Procure to Pay, Plan to Produce, Acquire to Retire and Hire to Retire, specifically as it relates to the CPG industry.
Excellent understanding of SAP ECC, SAP S/4HANA, SAP BW, CRM, TPM, PLM, LIMS systems and integration platforms (SAP BTP, TIBCO, …).
Strategic thinking: provide a holistic and systematic perspective on strategic issues and leverage them to articulate a clear vision of the future.
Proven and successful experience in software selection, contracts negotiations and vendor selection.
Strong communication skills, both verbal and written, including communicating with employees, customers and suppliers in a clear, straightforward and professional manner.
Expertise in IT program/project management methodology and IT portfolio management. Strong experience in change management activities related to IT projects.
Ability to maintain current knowledge of existing and new developments/configuration in technical areas for possible application within the company.
Experience managing custom software development is a plus.
Experience with Canadian market dynamics and bilingual (English/French) is a plus.

What Lactalis will offer:

Lactalis Canada believes in rewarding its people with the following comprehensive benefits package and perks:

A Competitive Base Salary
Company Vehicle or Car Allowance
A Performance-Based Bonus System
4 Weeks of Vacation
Benefits starting day 1
A Pension Program with an Employer Match at 100% of up to 6%
Tuition reimbursement plan of up to $3,000/year
A Volunteer Day to give back to your community
Learning and Development opportunities
A commitment to internal career advancement with potential for international mobility

Our ESG commitment:

Our ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) roadmap drives our sustainability mission. We aim to positively impact communities and the planet by enabling stakeholders including our people, consumers, customers, suppliers, dairy farmers, government, and industry partners to have a positive impact on the wellbeing of our communities and the planet through all that we do.

At Lactalis Canada, we value our employees as catalysts for positive change. Together, we will create a sustainable future, promote belonging, and make a lasting impact on the world.

Our commitment to DEI:

Fuel Our Culture with Your Uniqueness! Lactalis thrives on the value each person brings. We're dedicated to amplifying diverse voices, inviting personal and professional growth, and embracing everyone's true selves. We're committed to crafting an environment that genuinely welcomes all, reflecting the richness of our people and communities.

Our promise extends to accessible processes and spaces. If you require accommodation due to a disability (which may be visible or invisible, temporary, or permanent), please inform our Talent Acquisition team – confidentiality will be maintained.

Note: Lactalis Canada does not conduct credit or background checks through LinkedIn. If required, we'll contact you after signing a Job Offer.

Lactalis Canada

Open Positions

Sr Director, IT Application Services