Jess Sutherland
Calgary,AB
Summary
Strategic operations leader with 20 years of experience in designing and managing systems for transportation logistics and education program delivery. Expertise in executing strategies through budgeting, KPI development, and stakeholder coordination. Managed budgets over $65M and led teams of 1,200+, establishing frameworks for government-funded initiatives impacting over 1,200 educators across 33 school divisions.
Overview
19
19
years of professional experience
Work History
Operational Manager
Manitoba Rural Learning Consortium (mRLC)
Calgary, Alberta
01.2022 - 01.2025
- Directed operational systems for a province‑wide professional learning consortium serving 33 Manitoba school divisions and 1,200+ educators.
- Supported organizational expansion that doubled operational scale and increased annual funding from $450K to over $1.2M.
- Negotiated provincial funding frameworks and implemented reporting systems to ensure program metrics were fully met.
- Designed internal systems to coordinate budgeting, registrations, reporting, and contracted facilitators to deliver 30+ learning networks annually.
- Rebuilt digital infrastructure, enhancing website, participant registration systems, and collaboration tools.
- Replaced external survey analysis with automated internal systems saving approximately $25K annually.
Assistant General Manager
Southland Transportation
01.2019 - 01.2022
- Oversaw operations with 6 managers, 8 assistant managers, 12 clerical staff, and 1,200 drivers, ensuring safe transport for 50,000 students daily.
- Coordinated operational planning, staffing, safety oversight, and performance monitoring across complex transportation networks, enhancing service delivery.
- Managed daily operations to ensure efficient transport services for clients.
- Oversaw compliance with safety regulations and industry standards in transportation.
Regional Transportation Manager
Walmart Canada
01.2017 - 01.2018
- Led regional transportation operations managing $65M annual transportation budget to optimize cost efficiency.
- Designed Walmart’s first lane-level capacity planning model to achieve 98.5% on-time store delivery.
- Managed transportation operations across multiple regions to ensure efficient logistics.
- Developed and implemented strategies for cost reduction in transportation processes.
- Collaborated with cross-functional teams to optimize supply chain performance.
Regional Accounts Manager
CHEP Canada
01.2012 - 01.2017
- Led team managing 488 customer accounts, contributing to $54M in revenue.
- Implemented operational improvements achieving over $2M in annual supply chain savings.
- Developed strategic sales plans to enhance market positioning and growth opportunities.
- Collaborated with cross-functional teams to streamline operations and improve efficiency.
Supply Chain Leadership Roles
Loblaw Companies Ltd.
01.2006 - 01.2012
- Managed $80M transportation spend, ensuring alignment with strategic goals.
- Developed Loblaw’s first national transportation RFP model, enhancing procurement processes.
- Completed day-to-day duties accurately and efficiently.
- Contributed innovative ideas and solutions to enhance team performance and outcomes.
- Worked successfully with diverse group of coworkers to accomplish goals and address issues related to our products and services.
Education
Bachelor of Economics - Economics
University of Manitoba
Winnipeg, MB04-2007
Master of Education - Educational Leadership
Yorkville University
Fredericton, NB, Ongoing03-2026
Skills
- Project management
- Operations oversight
- Logistics management
- Budget management
- Stakeholder relations
- Data analysis
- Team collaboration
- Training development
Additional Information
Applied AI & LLM workflow integration for operational documentation and analysis.,
Member — Mount Royal University Supply Chain Management Partnership Council (01/01/14–12/31/15).
Languages
French
Professional
Timeline
Operational Manager
Manitoba Rural Learning Consortium (mRLC)
01.2022 - 01.2025
Assistant General Manager
Southland Transportation
01.2019 - 01.2022
Regional Transportation Manager
Walmart Canada
01.2017 - 01.2018
Regional Accounts Manager
CHEP Canada
01.2012 - 01.2017
Supply Chain Leadership Roles
Loblaw Companies Ltd.
01.2006 - 01.2012
Bachelor of Economics - Economics
University of Manitoba
Master of Education - Educational Leadership
Yorkville University