Buyer

Latitude 36 Foods•Salinas, CA

12d•$33 - $36•Onsite

About The Position

The Buyer role is a hands-on position responsible for effectively managing the planning and purchasing of materials to timely support operations and product development. This position will be responsible for strategic planning, purchasing of materials, vendor relationships, inventory management and condiment contracts.

Requirements

Strong vendor management skills.
Working knowledge of material planning and scheduling methods.
Minimum 2 years’ experience in a purchasing capacity within a food manufacturing environment preferred.
Bachelor's degree in business administration or related field preferred.
Knowledge of general accounting and finance principles.
Strong vendor management and contract negotiation skills.
Minimum 2 years’ experience of strong working knowledge with ERP - emphasis with MRP and working knowledge of lot control.
Ability to compose reports and correspondence.
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
Advanced level knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite with high proficiency in Excel.

Responsibilities

Reviews buy action report to determine material requirements, then generates purchase orders, generates purchase orders based on MRP demand, historical usage, and other pertinent factors.
Considers freight efficiencies when creating purchase orders to determine the most cost-effective way of purchasing materials while considering the company’s maximum inventory days guideline.
Evaluates and manages safety stock levels at each re-order point.
Tracks and expedites purchase orders as needed and ensure materials are scheduled to arrive prior to production requirements.
Communicates and resolves any materials shortages with appropriate functions.
Produce the supplier forecast and other tools to ensure supplier success.
Maintains accurate purchase costs in the company’s ERP system and identifies any price discrepancies.
Coordinates the return of discrepant materials with vendors and ensures that credits are received.
Partners closely with the Quality Assurance department for product specifications, quality inquiries, product recall and other quality related activities.
Monitors purchase price and lead time variances for vendors and takes appropriate action to correct problems identified.
Considers market conditions and commodity pricing trends as part of inventory level determination.
Participates in regular meetings as required.
Responsible for the efficient purchasing of inventory and supplies.
Performs other duties as necessary or as requested.