Perishable Buyer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Restaurant Depot is the nation’s leading members-only, wholesale cash-and-carry supplier serving independent restaurants, caterers, delis, convenience stores, and other food service businesses across 165+ locations in 35 states. Our stores offer bulk quantities of fresh meat, seafood, produce, dairy, and other essential food and supply categories. Open seven days a week, we are committed to delivering consistent quality and competitive pricing to support small business success. As we continue to expand, we are seeking analytically driven professionals with strong commercial acumen and expertise in supplier negotiations and fresh food sourcing.

Position Summary

As a Perishables Food Buyer, you will be responsible for sourcing, negotiating, and managing highly perishable food categories such as meat, seafood, produce, and dairy. This role requires a strong focus on vendor negotiations, real-time market analysis, and inventory optimization to balance product freshness, availability, and margin performance. You will leverage data, commodity trends, and supplier insights to make fast, informed purchasing decisions in a dynamic, time-sensitive environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, Agriculture, Food Science, or related field preferred
• 2–4 years of experience in procurement, purchasing, or category management (perishables strongly preferred
• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Excel (pivot tables, lookups, trend analysis)
• Experience with vendor negotiations, pricing strategy, and cost control
• Knowledge of perishables supply chains, seasonality, and commodity markets
• Strong analytical, decision-making, and problem-solving skills
• Ability to operate in a fast-paced, high-volume, time-sensitive environment

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Sourcing & Procurement

• Source fresh products across key perishables categories
• Develop and execute purchasing strategies aligned with margin targets, spoilage reduction, and demand forecasts
• Manage purchase orders, delivery schedules, and rapid replenishment cycles to maintain freshness and availability

Vendor Negotiation & Relationship Management

• Lead negotiations with suppliers on pricing, volume commitments, freight terms, and quality specifications
• Monitor and react to commodity market fluctuations, seasonality, and supply disruptions to inform negotiation strategy
• Build and maintain strong supplier partnerships to ensure consistent quality, supply continuity, and competitive pricing
• Evaluate vendor performance using KPIs such as fill rates, on-time delivery, spoilage/shrink rates, and cost competitiveness

Pricing & Cost Analysis

• Conduct detailed cost analysis including landed cost, yield, shrink impact, and margin performance
• Track daily/weekly market pricing trends for key commodities (e.g., beef, poultry, seafood, pro
• duce)Identify cost-saving opportunities and adjust purchasing strategies in response to market volatility
• Prepare pricing comparisons, variance reports, and margin analyses to support decision-making

Inventory Planning & Demand Forecasting

• Analyze sales trends, weather patterns, and seasonal demand to forecast inventory requirements
• Optimize inventory levels to balance freshness, availability, and shrink reduction
• Collaborate with operations teams to align purchasing with store-level demand and promotional activity

Quality, Compliance & Risk Management

• Ensure all perishables meet company quality standards, food safety regulations, and shelf-life requirements
• Verify product specifications (grade, size, pack, origin) and resolve quality issues with suppliers
• Mitigate supply chain risks through diversified sourcing and contingency planning

Reporting & Data Management

• Develop and maintain reports on pricing trends, vendor performance, and category profitability
• Maintain accurate product, cost, and supplier data within purchasing systems
• Utilize data analytics to drive continuous improvements in procurement efficiency and cost control

Skills & Competencies

• Strong negotiation skills, particularly in volatile commodity environments
• Advanced analytical and data interpretation capabilities
• Understanding of perishables cost drivers (yield, shrink, seasonality, freight)
• High proficiency in Excel and inventory/purchasing systems
• Detail-oriented with strong organizational and time management skills
• Ability to make quick, data-driven decisions under pressure
• Strong communication and cross-functional collaboration skills

For more information or to be considered, please contact Samantha England: SEngland@JetroRD.com