Company description

We are Farm To People: a fast-growing farmer’s market delivery service that offers New Yorkers a wide curation of products by local farmers and makers! Our mission is to reimagine the food system by supporting small farmers and producers, all while providing customers an unmatched grocery experience.

 

Job description

The Grocery Buyer ensures Farm to People has the right products, suppliers, and inventory to deliver fresh, high-quality food to customers. This role manages purchasing, vendor relationships, pricing, and inventory levels while supporting merchandising on the webstore through accurate product data, category organization, and promotional activities. It is a hands-on position that works directly with suppliers, systems, and internal teams while also shaping the customer-facing assortment. Partnering with operations, creative, and marketing, the Grocery Buyer keeps procurement and merchandising activities accurate, organized, and moving on schedule.

Responsibilities

Procurement

• Create and manage purchase orders based on system forecasts, seasonal needs, and vendor lead times.
• Track open orders and resolve issues related to delays, shortages, or substitutions to ensure continuity of supply.
• Maintain accurate and current pricing and cost records for all purchased items.
• Monitor inventory levels and align purchasing decisions with seasonal demand and promotional activity.
• Ensure timely replenishment to maintain optimal stock levels and minimize risk of stock-outs.
• Partner with Operations to uphold product quality standards, addressing issues and communicating expectations to warehouse leads.
• Maintain strong relationships with vendors, negotiating cost, terms, and promotional support while ensuring ongoing accountability.
• Ensure products meet Farm to People’s quality, sustainability, and compliance standards, including certifications and COIs.
• Collaborate with Operations to ensure new products are accurately slotted and ready for fulfillment.
• Partner with Finance to validate costing, track margins, and support accurate budgeting.
• Track, analyze, and report on purchasing and merchandising performance, including sales, margin, spoilage, cost analysis, supplier performance, and fill rates; monitor promotional performance and adjust future campaigns based on results.

Merchandising

• Support planning and execution of promotional activities on the webstore, including sales, new product launches, and seasonal or holiday offerings.
• Build and manage product categories, ensuring strategic product placement that drives sales and minimizes spoilage.
• Maintain and update website categories to provide a streamlined and user-friendly shopping experience.
• Build and maintain accurate SKU data, including price, cost, size, and producer information.
• Write engaging product and producer copy for new items featured on the website.
• Collaborate with the Creative team on email content and social media posts to highlight promotions, new products, and seasonal features.
• Collaborate with Culinary on prepared food development, ensuring sourcing aligns with production needs.
• Identify emerging food trends and bring forward product opportunities that align with customer demand and company ethos.

Ideal Candidate

• 3–5 years of experience in grocery buying, procurement, or category management, ideally within food distribution, e-commerce, or specialty retail
• Strong understanding of grocery categories across pantry, beverage, and refrigerated sets, with the ability to balance local, regional, and national brands
• Proven ability to manage supplier relationships, negotiate pricing and promotional support, and maintain accountability for cost and margin targets
• Experience in merchandising and product presentation, with an eye for brand fit, assortment balance, and customer appeal
• Strong analytical skills with proficiency in Google Sheets and Excel; comfortable working with data to forecast demand, evaluate margin performance, and identify cost-saving opportunities
• Highly organized, adaptable, and able to stay calm and effective in a fast-paced, dynamic environment
• Strong communicator who can collaborate effectively with vendors, operations, finance, marketing, and creative teams
• Curious and forward-thinking, with a pulse on emerging food trends, innovation, and evolving customer preferences
• A problem solver with good judgment, persistence, and a proactive approach to improving processes and driving results
  Energized by the pace of perishable and packaged food buying; you thrive under pressure, stay focused when things move quickly, and know how to prioritize
• Passionate about better food systems, sustainability, and supporting independent producers and brands

Schedule

• Sunday to Thursday

Compensation & Benefits

• This an exempt salaried position, paid $70,000 - $80,000 / year depending on experience.

Benefits include: 

• Take home food at the end of the day.
• 30% discount on Farm to people.
• Up to 80% coverage of health insurance.
• Working for a mission driven company that makes a difference!

Compensation

this position is: salaried, varies DOE, $70,000.00 - $80,000.00

Application instructions

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Deadline

no deadline