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This job expired on March 19, 2022

Buyer (Produce) Cherry Capital Foods

  • Date Posted January 18, 2022
  • Location Traverse City, MI
  • Category Agriculture / Business
  • Job type Full-Time
Company description Cherry Capital Foods is a food distributor committed to bringing people better food through our customer base of restaurants, retailers, and institutions, as well as our earthy.com e-commerce website.

We specialize in food grown, produced, and foraged in Michigan and the Great Lakes region. We also offer unique specialty products from outside the region to pair with our high-quality proteins, produce, dairy, and value-added goods.
  Job description

The Buyer Level I position uses category expertise and vendor-specific knowledge to procure products and manage inventory levels in a manner that achieves optimal fulfillment and value for our customers.

Duties/Responsibilities:
  • Maintain positive relationships with new and existing vendors.
  • Develop expertise in assigned product category and work toward onboarding of new products and vendors that fulfill the strategic goals of the category.
  • Calculate and issue time-sensitive purchase orders (POs) in company software to maintain appropriate inventory levels and avoid out-of-stocks based on dynamic demand, supply, and sales forecasts.
  • Utilize business software tools to create spreadsheets and working documents that will support the various functions of the role.
  • Negotiate pricing and commitments with vendors in the seasonal planning of fresh and frozen produce in advance of each crop year.
  • Develop contingency sourcing strategies and resources to develop resilience against crop failures and other sourcing challenges.
  • Collaborate with CCF sales and Marketing team to supply the products and information needed to provide the highest value to our customers.
  • Collaborate with Warehouse and Logistics teams to ensure products efficiently move through supply chain within existing SOPs and company protocols.
  • Resolve quality issues between CCF and its vendors and work with warehouse team and vendors to uphold the highest standards of quality and food safety.
  • Maintain vendor documentation and compliance forms.
  • Coordinate with CCF fleet to facilitate logistics as needed.
  • Collaborate with Purchasing Manager on forecasting and purchasing within a budget.
  • Represent the company at targeted trade shows and conferences.
  • Travel to vendors as needed to best manage the category.
 

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND POSITION REQUIREMENTS

  • Bachelor's Degree
  • Three to Five years of experience in purchasing or procurement with a large catalogue of products from a variety of vendors, preferably with food.
  • Knowledge about consumer-packaged goods, grocery and retail business models is preferred.
  • A highly effective communicator: Strong professional communication skills are required. This role demands a high standard of both verbal and written communication that is respectful, accurate, concise, and supportive of good working relationships both inside and outside of the company. This role will invariably require difficult conversations from time to time as discrepancies, negotiations, and problems arise and must be navigated, and a confident and positive communication style is required to meet these challenges.
  • An organized self-starter. The buying of fresh produce that is regional specific is very dynamic work due to the rapid shifting of seasonality and the volume of produce that comes and goes with those seasons. The produce buyer will need to stay organized throughout the year and push for the earliest and longest availability on seasonal produce by working with our network of vendors.
  • Ability to utilize ERP and business technology and experience with spreadsheets and data analysis.
  • Ability to learn new technology platforms quickly.
  • Strong quantitative and analytic skills, along with the ability to focus on details.
  • Experience managing timetables and inventory with the use of technology / software is preferred.
  • Work requires moderate travel to current and potential vendors. This requires the possession of a valid state driver's license and a reliable vehicle at all times of employment.
  • Possesses excellent leadership and people skills, ability to motivate, displays positive energy, and consistently exhibits initiative in all charges of leadership.
  • Goal oriented and driven with the ability to understand and track performance measurables.
  • Able to adapt to growth and change: The Produce Buyer must have an open and positive attitude towards change and continuous improvement. This role will see a high degree of change in process, methodologies, and tools as Cherry Capital Foods continues its trajectory of growth. That change will require additional effort to adapt to through time, and the buyer will need to embrace the changes required for process optimization.
  • Capable of balancing a diverse and ever-changing workload; organization is a must.
  • Knowledge about agriculture, specifically the cultivation of fruits and vegetables.
  • Experience with produce in a distribution or wholesale context, with knowledge of industry standards in specs, quality, and/or shelf life.
  • Experience with agricultural and food safety certifications such as Organic, GAP, Primus, etc.
  • Experience with Lean practices.
  • General understanding of accounting principles.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

  1. This is largely a sedentary role; however, some filing is required. This would require the ability to lift files, open filing cabinets and bending or standing on a stool as necessary.
  2. This position requires the ability to occasionally lift up to 20 pounds.
  3. Work involves a variety of environments: office, warehouse, and outdoor weather. Exposure to a variety of temperatures in the warehouse, freezers, and coolers, and around building grounds is possible - personal protective equipment is provided.

OTHER DUTIES

Other related assignments as necessary.

Compensation this position is : salaried, 35,568* - 50k Location job can be done remotely Application instructions
This job expired on March 19, 2022
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