Buyer - Food, Candy and Snacks

Cracker Barrel•Lebanon, TN

7d•Onsite

About The Position

The Buyer is a strategic merchandising leader responsible for end-to-end ownership of a defined retail category portfolio, with accountability for sales, margin, inventory productivity, product differentiation, and long-term category growth. This role sets and executes assortment strategy aligned to brand positioning, guest insights, food and consumer trends, and financial objectives while leading the product lifecycle from opportunity identification and concept development through sourcing, commercialization, launch, in-season optimization, and exit strategy. The Buyer shapes category vision, defines assortment architecture and pricing strategy, leads vendor partnerships and negotiations, and translates market, guest, food/CPG trend, and performance insights into decisive actions that improve productivity. This role may also support branded and private label product strategies, partnering cross-functionally on product quality, packaging, claims, costing, value perception, and speed-to-market. In addition to leading through cross-functional influence, this role may directly manage and develop at least one team member, helping build merchandising capability, strengthen execution, and elevate decision-making across the team. The Buyer is expected to influence cross-functional decisions, model strong leadership, and consistently deliver profitable, brand-right growth.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Merchandising, Marketing, Retail Management, or related field; or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience
5+ years of progressive experience in retail buying, merchandising, category management, CPG brand management, product development, or related commercial food/consumer goods functions, with increasing ownership of assortment, product, brand, or category decisions
Demonstrated experience owning a category or major assortment with accountability for sales, margin, inventory productivity, and vendor performance
Experience leading, coaching, and developing at least one direct report or comparable people leadership responsibility

Responsibilities

Own a defined merchandise category or portfolio of categories, including assortment strategy, financial performance, vendor structure, and multi-season growth plans
Set category direction by translating guest insight, competitive intelligence, food and consumer trend analysis, and business performance into differentiated assortment strategies
Define assortment architecture across key item programs, replenishment, seasonal newness, opening price point, and premium offerings to maximize productivity and brand relevance
Lead product development, commercialization, and curation for assigned categories, ensuring assortments are guest-right, operationally feasible, competitively positioned, and aligned with brand standards
Guide product formulation, packaging, quality expectations, claims, pricing, and value perception in partnership with vendors and internal stakeholders
Drive innovation and category evolution by identifying white space opportunities, emerging trends, brand-right product concepts, and private label opportunities that support long-term growth
Translate consumer, competitive, and vendor capability insights into commercially viable assortment, packaging, cost, and go-to-market recommendations
Own category performance against sales, gross margin, turn, markdown, and inventory productivity targets, with accountability for balancing growth, profitability, and risk
Partner with Planning and Allocation to shape open-to-buy, receipt flow, item productivity, pricing architecture, and inventory investment decisions
Apply advanced retail math, forecasting insight, and scenario analysis to make informed decisions that improve category returns and reduce inventory exposure
Lead weekly and seasonal business review processes to identify opportunities, mitigate risks, and take decisive action on reorders, cancellations, promotional strategies, markdowns, consolidations, and exits
Continuously evaluate SKU productivity and assortment productivity to inform future buy strategies, space allocation, and portfolio optimization
Own end-of-life and exit strategies for underperforming items in ways that protect margin, improve inventory health, and create space for newness
Lead vendor relationships for assigned categories, including strategic sourcing, negotiations, cost management, performance expectations, and long-term partnership development
Negotiate costs, terms, exclusivity, and product development opportunities that strengthen margin performance and support differentiated assortments
Evaluate vendor and co-packer capabilities across product quality, packaging execution, food safety expectations, production capacity, cost management, service levels, and speed-to-market
Influence cross-functional partners across Planning, Allocation, Supply Chain, Marketing, QA, Visual Merchandising, Store Operations, and eCommerce to move products from concept through launch effectively
Present category strategies, assortment recommendations, performance insights, and financial actions to leadership with clear business rationale and executive presence
Lead cross-functional initiatives and category workstreams, aligning partners around priorities, decisions, timelines, and business outcomes
Lead, coach, and develop at least one direct report, providing clear direction, ongoing feedback, and support for individual growth and performance
Set expectations, prioritize work, and reinforce accountability to ensure high-quality execution and strong business outcomes
Build team capability by sharing merchandising expertise, strengthening decision-making, and supporting development of business acumen and functional skills