Buyer

1-800-Flowers Family of Brands•Westerville, OH

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Buyer manages day-to-day purchasing activities supporting Cheryl’s Cookies operations. The role places and tracks purchase orders, confirms orders, and verifies that materials arrive on schedule. Working across direct and indirect spend categories in a multi-channel retail business, the Buyer collaborates with Operations, Merchandising, Production, Warehouse, Finance, and other internal teams. The Buyer develops and executes sourcing strategies, selects and evaluates suppliers, sources materials, negotiates costs and terms, and builds supplier relationships. The role oversees material flow, inventory, on-time shipments, supplier agreements, and accurate, cost-controlled Bills of Materials (BOMs), while supporting profitability and production needs. The Buyer also shares market trends and sourcing insights with internal teams and assists with gift and food development.

Requirements

At least five years of experience in a procurement or supply chain position.
At least five years of experience in procurement, planning, strategic sourcing, or supply chain management.
Proficient computer skills, including strong working knowledge of Microsoft Excel.
Strong verbal and written communication, negotiation, and analytical skills.
Ability to collaborate effectively across departments and organizational levels.
Ability to prioritize, organize, and manage multiple responsibilities in a flexible, fast-paced environment while meeting deadlines.
Team-oriented mindset, positive attitude, and ability to influence and work effectively with others.
Self-directed and able to work independently while maintaining cross-functional relationships.
Comfortable in a highly visible position with regular interaction with senior management.
Able to travel as needed.

Nice To Haves

Education or equivalent experience in Business Administration, Management, Operations, Materials Management, or Supply Chain Management.
Previous experience with food ingredients or in the food industry.
Proficiency with ERP systems and knowledge of manufacturing requirements, including assessing supplier capabilities.
Experience with Oracle and/or SAP.

Responsibilities

Manage inventory flow according to projections and established production schedules.
Manage external suppliers and purchasing across direct and indirect spend categories.
Ensure goods are purchased at competitive prices and delivered on time to meet production requirements.
Monitor material costs and control spending, usage, and inventory levels against company targets.
Analyze purchasing reports with internal teams to identify reorders, cancellations, and leftover or overstock inventory.
Analyze leftover and overstock inventory during weekly pegging meetings.
Manage material flow, inventory levels, on-time shipments, and cost-controlled Bills of Materials (BOMs).
Manage departmental expenses within areas of responsibility in line with established budgets.
Develop and maintain effective relationships with key suppliers.
Identify and evaluate new suppliers in collaboration with internal teams, ensuring requirements are met and approvals are obtained.
Negotiate supplier pricing, payment terms, and supply agreements, including potential long-term contracts.
Create and respond to RFIs, RFPs, and RFQs, and identify new sourcing opportunities and vendors.
Develop and execute purchasing and sourcing strategies for direct and indirect spend categories.
Improve purchasing methods and identify opportunities to reduce external spending.
Optimize material costs through vendor analysis, benchmarking, periodic RFPs, and assessment of quality, scheduling, cost, and supplier performance.
Apply cost-effective purchasing measures to support standard costing and make-or-buy decisions.
Assess supplier capabilities against manufacturing, quality, and delivery requirements.
Collaborate with Merchandising, Food and Gift Production, Warehouse, Finance, and other internal departments on purchasing decisions and operational needs.
Provide Merchandising teams with market trends, product samples, and sourcing insights for gift development.
Review media, retail, and online sources for relevant information and distribute or order samples as appropriate.
Organize, maintain, and update vendor catalogs in the development area.
Assist gift and food development by identifying suitable materials, components, and suppliers.
Support company profitability through supplier negotiations, inventory management, cost control, and purchasing decisions.