Associate Buyer (DSD)

Description

About Grocery Outlet:

Our Mission: Touching lives for the better

Our Vision: Touching lived by being the first choice for bargain-minded consumers in the U.S.

Our Values & Behaviors: Achievement, Diversity, Entrepreneurship, Family, Fun, Integrity & Service

About the Team:

Our Purchasing team’s mission is to provide bargain-minded customers with the deepest discounts on quality and branded products. In many ways our team is the heart of the organization- building and maintaining vendor relationships and providing solutions for our supplier partners and independent operators. Our buyers are empowered with speed, flexibility, and freedom while their passion and creativity embody the art of closeout buying. Successful members of our team are motivated to exceed annual comp sales, thrive in a collaborative environment, have an entrepreneurial spirit, and be motivated by relationship building.

About the role:

While providing bargain-mined customers with the deepest discounts primarily comes from opportunistically purchased inventory, the Associate Grocery DSD Buyer is responsible for the category management decisions, seasonal planning, and the execution of the overall category plan within the Mid-Atlantic Market. The Associate Grocery DSD Buyer will report to the National Category Buying managing DSD across all regions. This individual must possess the organizational skills and communication skills needed to plan and direct the future growth of these categories, able to make quick buying decisions, manage key supplier relationships and provide direction to our Independent Operators (I.O.’s) within the Mid-Atlantic Market. While this individual must demonstrate a basic understanding of managing a dynamic merchandise assortment that changes quickly (based on the opportunistic inventories available), the primary role for this position is to optimize the assortment through exceptional category management practices, including a rigorous regular item level review & promotional planning without ever violating the commitment of providing VALUE to our customers. The position is based in Wayne, PA and will require 20-40% local travel outside of the office.

Responsibilities Include:

• All Grocery stable product delivered directly to our stores located in the Mid-Atlantic Market. (excludes perishables). Primary categories include Bread, Soda/Water and Snacks
• Maintain pricing files with correct costs & retails and communicating changes to our store management in a clear and timely manner
• Establish and communicate clear expectations for service levels with each supplier for each store
• Monitor retail pricing of our competitors and share with Category Manager to ensure Grocery Outlet maintains a leadership position of value in the market
• Involvement with merchandising changes within stores that will include partnering with your Operations Supervisors and I.O.’s to ensure we are optimizing the placement of each category, space allocations and planogram for each category and supplier
• Will act the interface between the supplier, our stores, our accounting department, and Business Technology to help ensure a smooth
• Provides user support by responding to user inquiries in a timely, effective manner, analyzing issue(s) and formulate plans to address each, coordinating efforts with others as required. Identifies common trends and prepares/delivers system tips to end-users
• Collaborate effectively and timely with the Purchasing and cross-partnership managers (i.e., Inventory Planning, Supply Chain, Accounting / Finance, etc.) ensuring operational and process changes are incorporated into all training materials and media
• Conducts feedback on programs and suggests improvements to training programs and processes
• Works well with their team and is viewed as a valuable team member who has gotten the buy-in and support needed from them to be successful
• Working effectively with other departments related to purchasing – Operations, Store Operators, Marketing and IT
• Ability to establish relationships with our existing supplier base while holding them accountable to the service levels required to grow our business at each location
• Successfully identified new product opportunities and successfully incorporated them into the mix
• Partner with the planning team to identify category specific opportunities that strategically maximize sales and minimize loss
• Actively adjust retail price, margin, value to the customer, risk, and timing during a negotiation to achieve a win-win with a vendor
• Be comfortable and flexible in a fast-paced, changing environment
• Prioritize short- and long-term goals based on team and department, category, and local market initiatives
• Respond to changing demands and prioritize appropriately
• Viewed by the management team as an individual who isn’t afraid to take risks and can successfully run and grow their business through existing and new accounts
• Understand how to leverage the market’s DSD promotional and pricing structures to fit the specific needs of Grocery Outlet’s limited assortment and limited promotional strategies

About The Pay:

• Base Salary Range: $65,000 - $75,000 Annually
• Annual Bonus Program
• Equity
• 401(k) Profit Sharing
• Medical, Dental, Vision & More!
• Final compensation will be determined based upon experience and skills and may vary based on location.

About you:

• At least 5 years of experience buying or selling DSD Beverages, Bread and/or Snacks experience required
• Strong merchandising skills and ability to effectively communicate with store operators. Retail store experience is preferred
• Proven track record of successfully growing their segment of the business as indicated by profitable growth
• The innate ability to know what items will be trends and hot sellers that appeal to the Grocery Outlet customer coupled with the confidence to act on those instincts and demonstrated success in doing so
• A skilled negotiator with the ability to forge long-term supplier relationships
• Entrepreneurial spirit coupled with the strong analytical and organizational skills
• The ability to nurture existing channels of business as well as cultivate new product sources
• The “roll-up-your sleeves” attitude needed to be successful in a flat organization
• Excel and Outlook competency is a requirement
• Organizational skills to deal with DSD territory limitations, pricing, taxes and assortment variations

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $65,000.00 - $100,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Flexible schedule
• Flexible spending account
• Health insurance
• Health savings account
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Referral program
• Retirement plan
• Vision insurance

Schedule:

• 8 hour shift

Supplemental pay types:

• Bonus pay

Ability to commute/relocate:

• Wayne, PA 19087: Reliably commute or planning to relocate before starting work (Required)

Work Location: Hybrid remote in Wayne, PA 19087

Salary : $65,000 - $100,000