Food Service Buyer (Bilingual)

Position Summary

The Food Service Buyer is responsible for sourcing negotiating and managing supplier relationships for Talpas food service categories including prepared foods deli bakery tortilleria and ready-to-eat products. This role ensures product availability freshness and profitability across all 13 store locations working closely with the Procurement CPFR and Operations teams.

Key Responsibilities

Sourcing & Supplier Management

• Source evaluate and develop vendor partnerships for food service and perishable value-added categories
• Lead commercial negotiations including pricing rebates credit terms service level agreements and lead times
• Manage supplier scorecards and conduct regular performance reviews
• Identify alternative suppliers to mitigate supply risk and ensure continuity

Category & Assortment Planning

• Develop and maintain the food service assortment aligned to community demographics and store formats
• Build seasonal and promotional plans in coordination with category strategy
• Monitor product rotation shelf life and freshness standards by SKU and store
• Collaborate with the CPFR Lead on demand forecasting and replenishment planning

Financial & Credit Management

• Track and manage credits for expired damaged or returned product per supplier agreements
• Analyze margin by SKU category and store to identify improvement opportunities
• Monitor shrink and waste and develop action plans with operations

Collaboration & Execution

• Partner with Supply Chain and Logistics to coordinate weekly delivery schedules
• Support store teams on vendor compliance and product handling standards
• Participate in the weekly S&OP process as part of the Demand & Category Review

Education

• Bachelors degree in Business Supply Chain Food Science or related field preferred

Work Experience

• 24 years of experience in food service purchasing perishable buying or category management
• Experience working with local vendors distributors and food service suppliers
• Demonstrated ability to negotiate pricing credits and commercial terms

Skills

• Knowledge of food service supply chain cold chain management and shelf-life standards
• Strong negotiation and vendor relationship management skills
• Analytical ability to interpret sales inventory and margin data
• Advanced Excel skills; ERP experience preferred
• Bilingual English/Spanish required
• High attention to detail and ability to manage multiple priorities

Travel Requirement

• Up to 25% travel to stores distribution center and vendor meetings