Produce Buyer II

Description

Organically Grown Company (OGC), the Northwest’s largest independent distributor of fresh, organic produce, is hiring a Buyer II in Oregon. OGC operates 24-7, and the Purchasing department has a big responsibility to work with farms to provide top tier produce to our customers. If you have a strong produce background and passion for produce, we want to meet you!

Why work for OGC?

As a Buyer II, you are responsible for maintaining relationships with vendors to source products that meet current account needs and provide opportunities for sales growth. You'll also maintain appropriate inventory levels to meet account needs for assigned commodities.

Join our team to earn:

• Schedule:
  
  Monday-Friday, and occassional on-call weeks
• Comprehensive healthcare benefits for you and your family after 30 days of employment.
• Competitive Wellness Program.
• Generous Paid Time Off program.
• 401(k) retirement program with a 5% company match, capped at $3,500 annually.
• Annual profit share - 20% of profits distributed back to employees.
• Free and discounted organic produce.
• $200 annual fitness reimbursement.

Here’s what you’ll do:

• Maintain regular contact with suppliers to obtain information about available product lines and programmes.
• Coordinate supply through contracts or other agreements as appropriate to secure product needs.
• Visit farms and/or attend conferences to create and build relationships with growers and other vendors.
• Maintain regular contact with suppliers to obtain information about current product availability, quality, pricing and promotion opportunities.
• Review sales volume and on‑hand and inbound product levels; determine overall needs and best available sources.
• Place purchase orders, monitor order fulfillment, and arrival status; communicate arrival issues to vendors in a clear and timely manner.
• Communicate with inbound logistics teams and/or outside carriers to ensure timely and efficient pick‑up and delivery of product purchases.
• Lead or significantly contribute to the general inventory management of assigned commodities; address specific receiving and inventory issues on a daily basis.
• Settle purchase orders with a high level of detail to the accuracy of open price settlements, vendor credits, and/or other charges.
• Inform vendors about OGC organic certification and food safety requirements;
  Support vendors with meeting the requirements.
• Provide sales team with timely updates on product availability, quality, price, and order status.
• Engage with individual Sales Account Representatives to coordinate product purchasing for ads and promotions.

Requirements

Qualified candidates will have:

• 5+ years of experience in the organic produce trade or equivalent.
• 5+ years of experience in vendor or customer relations.
• Experience with fresh produce varieties, organic trade, growing practices, sustainability movement and produce merchandising.
• Experience working with produce at farm, distribution, or retail levels.
• Ability to build long‑lasting and meaningful relationships with all OGC stakeholder groups.
• Intermediate to advanced PPro skills.
• Proficient with Microsoft Word, Excel, and Outlook;
  Proven ability to learn additional software programs.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills and a proven ability to work effectively with individuals across an organization.
• Demonstrated success at managing details while undertaking multiple tasks.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Analytical skills and ability to work with large data sets.
• Strong negotiation skills.
• Must be based in Oregon or Washington.

Physical Requirements:

This position requires the ability to sit for long periods of time, hear and converse over the telephone and in person, and on a computer. Requires ability to accurately receive and…