Area Buyer

Area Buyer

Requirements

• 1+ years of direct inventory management/supply chain experience required.
• Possess superior oral and written communication along with strong analytical skills.
• Ability to communicate clearly and professionally with suppliers, sales, field partners and other business contacts via telephone, email, and video conferencing.
• Must have a general understanding of logistics and connection in support of an efficient distribution model.
• Must be able to deal with high pressure situations to meet daily/weekly timelines with a high sense of urgency.
• Ability to function in Microsoft Excel
• Ability to quickly learn new technologies, with SCPO experience heavily preferred.

Responsibilities

• Drive the core Replenishment buying work and ensure key functions are being fulfilled.
• Delivers on KPI’s for desk specific goals such as: Service Level, Days-Inventory-On-Hand (DIOH), Excess and Obsolete inventory (E&O) and Spoilage.
• Analyzes economic order quantities, forecasts, lead times, vendor set-up, safety stock, etc., and uses discretion and independent judgment to create efficient purchase orders with our suppliers.
• Executes forward-buy opportunities to achieve profitability for period or year-end based on targeted goals.
• Proactively reviews projected out of stock report daily and makes purchasing decisions, including how and where to find substitute products where appropriate, to ensure we deliver on customer order fulfillment.
• Routinely monitor (and escalate with suggested actions as needed) crucial inventory health reports such as stock outs, waitlist, and subgroup exception reports.
• Establish sharp communication with internal partners on supplier production delays or order shortages, while pursuing recovery options with urgency.
• Collaborates with internal and external business partners to reduce overstock, slow-moving and obsolete inventory, as well as initiate product returns where applicable.
• Utilizes understanding of product shelf life and manufacturing dates in the prevention of spoilage for specific buying categories.
• Communicates closely with our cross-functional partners to capture seasonal trends and events in the business as well as drive profitability with accurate costs.
• Partners appropriately with product/category management team to maintain supplier relationships and proper accountability.
• Cooperates with the Logistics and Replenishment Excellence teams to identify and achieve freight consolidation in order to maximize net income and best cost of goods.
• Evaluates inbound volume and purchase history to collaborate with warehouse operations on efficient receiving practices.
• Share your current challenges, operational learnings, and opportunities with the Area Replenishment staff to make recommendations for how to improve standard processes.
• Ensure smooth coordination and information flow between Replenishment Operations, cross-functional partners, and Area Buying operations.
• Contribute to a strong culture of customer service orientation, collaboration, performance, and continuous improvement within the team.

Preferred Qualifications

• Minimum 3 years purchasing experience preferred, with food service experience a plus.