Food Buyer

Job Title: Food Buyer

Reports to: Director of Operations

Location: LIC and Bronx NY

Position Summary:

Kommissary is a social enterprise on a mission to spread joy through food. We produce and deliver high volumes of meals spanning a diverse array of cuisines to every demographic in New York City.

We are a rapidly growing organization and need a buyer who is passionate about sourcing the best product available creating mutually beneficial relationships with vendors and working collaboratively with others to create value for our customers and Kommissary. The ideal candidate knows how to source high quality food has excellent negotiation skills can quickly pivot whenever there is a shortage in food supply and maintain longstanding role will require commuting to our facilities in the Bronx and Queens.

Youll love this role if youre incredibly organized detail oriented and have a drive for getting things done! You have a no job too small mentality with an ability to effectively and professionally interface with Kommissary team members and clients.

We are a proud minority owned business that celebrates diversity equity and inclusion.

Success in this Role:

Onboarding Period:

As you step into the role of Buyer in our rapidly growing organization your initial focus will be on acclimating to our culture processes and industry nuances. During this period youll dive into understanding our sourcing strategies and operational workflows leveraging your existing connections and expertise to contribute meaningfully from day one. Building collaborative relationships with crossfunctional teams including production inventory and quality control will be essential in gaining insights into our supply chain ecosystem. Through active participation in team meetings and handson experience youll quickly familiarize yourself with our product offerings customer demands and market dynamics.

3rd Month Goals:

By the end of 3 months you will have established a solid foundation for effective buying practices and vendor management. Youll take ownership of purchasing all produce for our facility ensuring appropriate inventory levels based on production needs and perishability. Youll also have established a routine in coordination with the finance team to record purchases and track pricing. Utilizing your strong analytical and negotiation abilities youll lead communication with inventory and operations teams to optimize inventory handling and minimize product shrinkage. Your attention to detail and organizational skills will be critical as you monitor product yields analyze weekly food costs and identify costsaving opportunities.

1st Year Goals:

Over the course of your first year your success will be measured by your impact on our procurement processes vendor relationships and overall business performance. Leveraging your deep understanding of the produce industry youll proactively monitor market conditions to avoid price fluctuations and availability issues while also identifying favorable purchasing opportunities. Your ability to find alternative sources for short or hardtofind products will be instrumental in maintaining uninterrupted supply chains and meeting production demands. By analyzing and owning weekly food costs youll ensure alignment with budgetary constraints while upholding quality standards. Additionally your collaboration with Quality Control will ensure incoming products meet or exceed quality specifications minimizing shrinkage and spoilage. By the end of your first year youll have established yourself as a trusted leader in our procurement team driving efficiency cost savings and operational excellence.

Future Growth:

Looking ahead your role as a Buyer offers ample opportunities for personal and professional growth within our organization. As you continue to excel in sourcing the best products and fostering mutually beneficial vendor relationships youll have the chance to take on additional responsibilities and leadership roles. Whether its spearheading new initiatives mentoring junior team members or contributing to crossfunctional projects your passion for excellence and collaborative spirit will set the stage for continued success. Embracing ongoing learning and development opportunities youll stay ahead of industry trends and market dynamics positioning yourself as a subject matter expert in produce procurement. With each milestone achieved and challenge overcome youll play an integral role in shaping the future of our organization and driving sustainable growth for years to come.

Must Have:

Bachelors Degree in related field.

Strong analytical and negotiation abilities.

3 years of relevant buying experience.

Deep understanding of the food distribution industry.

Attention to detail and excellent organization skills.

Capacity to multitask to meet multiple demands and instructions coming from both the production facility and corporate headquarters.

Strong communication skillsmust have good listening skills in addition to excellent verbal and written communication abilities.

Ability to selfmotivate and problem solve in a fastpaced setting filled with hard deadlines.

Must possess strong computer skills.

Excellent Microsoft Office specifically Excel and Google Suite skills.

Passion for food.

Nice to Have:

Experience building software systems for buying.

Experience with Produce Pro or any robust WMS systems specific to food.

Physical Demands:

Generally presents standard office environment. Must be able to remain in a stationary position >95 of the time. Continually operates a computer keyboard and mouse and other office productivity machinery such as a calculator copy machine printer and mobile Smartphone device. Constantly positions self to comfortably maintain computer equipment. May occasionally be required to move about in an office setting or position office equipment weighing between 1025 pounds. Vision abilities required by this job include close vision. Ability to operate a motor vehicle. The person in this position frequently communicates with other people. Must be able to exchange accurate information in these situations.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this job.

Other Duties:

This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive list of activities duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee. Other duties responsibilities and activities may change or be assigned at any time with or without notice.

Compensation & Benefits:

$80000.00$125000.00/Annual commensurate with experience

PTO Health Dental and Vision Insurance and more!

Equal Employment Opportunity: Kommissary does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race color religion sex (including pregnancy and gender identity) national origin political affiliation sexual orientation marital status disability genetic information age membership in an employee organization retaliation parental status military service or other nonmerit factor. Kommissary is committed to providing access equal opportunity and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities in employment its services programs and activities. To request reasonable accommodation contact us at