National Buyer - Meat

C&S Wholesale Grocers•Miami, FL

22d•Hybrid

About The Position

Keep our communities fed. Our focus is simple but meaningful — from our distribution centers to our offices, every employee of C&S and our family of companies works to help feed local families, neighbors, and communities. As a National Buyer, you are responsible for leading and developing a team of Buyers and Associate Buyers to achieve and exceed operational and financial targets. The National Buyer owns vendor and customer relationships related to assigned fresh commodities, overseeing negotiations, resolving issues, and strategically aligning product offerings with market trends and consumer demands. The National Buyer leverages deep commodity expertise to drive efficiency, optimize inventory, and maintain service-level agreements with customers while contributing to overall business growth. The National Buyer ensures compliance with the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA).

Requirements

Knowledge of Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA) regulations
Ability to maintain expertise in industry trends
Strong product knowledge and deep understanding of distribution logistics and transportation
In-depth knowledge of fresh commodities, seasonality, and market pricing
Proficiency with the Microsoft Office suite
Strong communication, relationship-building, and negotiation skills
5+ years of buying experience in fresh commodity categories
Ability to travel to food shows and team meetings as needed

Nice To Haves

Fresh commodity wholesale department management and/or retail experience strongly preferred

Responsibilities

Leading, developing, and managing team members to ensure the effective execution of daily responsibilities.
Driving team performance to meet and exceed annual objectives through regular assessments and feedback.
Serving as the primary point of contact for resolving conflicts and issues with suppliers.
Owning and managing relationships with customers for assigned commodities.
Influencing customers to purchase the proper commodity mix that is mutually beneficial for both the customer and the company.
Presenting to customers regarding service issues, market trends, and efficiency efforts.
Serving as a point of escalation for customers with issues related to commodities.
Leveraging commodity expertise to streamline processes and enhance global buying efficiency.
Analyzing consumer trends and markets across all regions to ensure an appropriate product mix is available.
Assessing industry trends and changes to recommend the most viable vendor partnerships.
Training team members to develop a working knowledge of products.
Managing assigned categories by introducing and removing items based on market trends, category expertise, and vendor-grower relationships to maintain inventory accuracy and mitigate risks.
Managing negotiations with growers, shippers, and/or farmers to obtain the best possible cost and highest-quality product, and submitting all major commodity contract purchases to management.
Resolving pricing issues between vendors and the company.
Negotiating ad placements for commodities and sharing forecasted purchase items with turn buyers.
Collaborating with distribution center directors and other stakeholders to meet retail goals and customer expectations.
Preparing period-end reports on category management performance against established benchmarks.
Providing reports on each distribution center's actual cases compared to agreed participation levels.
Overseeing vendor incentive programs to achieve customer performance targets and ensuring programs adhere to the terms and conditions outlined in mutually agreed-upon contracts.
Traveling frequently to food shows and team meetings.