Food Purchasing Manager

Position Summary

The Food Purchasing Manager oversees the procurement of purchased food and related products to ensure the Community Food Bank (CFB) maintains a consistent, nutritious, and cost-effective inventory to support agency partners, direct service programs, and organizational initiatives. This position contributes to the development of purchasing strategies, manages commercial vendor relationships, negotiates contracts and pricing, administers procurement processes, and collaborates with Food Sourcing, Warehouse Operations, Allocations, Transportation, Finance, and Programs to ensure food purchases align with organizational demand, inventory goals, and approved budget.

The Food Purchasing Manager is responsible for purchasing execution and vendor management and, with donor acquisition activities limited to a small, assigned portfolio as time permits. This position ensures procurement activities comply with organizational policies, funding requirements, and applicable regulations while continuously improving purchasing processes and supply chain efficiency.

• Contribute to and implement purchasing strategies that align with organizational priorities, inventory objectives, and approved operating budgets.
• Procure food and related products that meet quality, nutritional, operational, and financial requirements.
• Support the development of annual and seasonal purchasing plans based on organizational demand, inventory targets, and market conditions.
• Identify opportunities to improve procurement efficiency, product availability, and overall value.
• Monitor food markets, commodity pricing, product availability, and supply chain conditions to support informed purchasing decisions.
• Use purchasing as a strategic gap‑filling tool for priority categories such as protein, dairy, shelf‑stable foods, frozen foods, disaster readiness, and culturally appropriate foods.

• Develop, negotiate, and maintain relationships with commercial food vendors, distributors, brokers, manufacturers, and service providers.
• Negotiate pricing, contracts, freight terms, rebates, and service agreements that provide the best overall value to CFB.
• Evaluate supplier performance related to pricing, quality, delivery, responsiveness, and service levels.
• Identify and qualify new suppliers to improve competition, product availability, and organizational resilience.
• Resolve vendor performance issues and recommend corrective actions when necessary.

• Manage purchase orders, procurement documentation, contracts, and purchasing records.
• Ensure procurement activities comply with organizational purchasing policies, grant requirements, government regulations, and funding restrictions.
• Coordinate competitive bid processes and vendor selection activities as appropriate.
• Maintain accurate purchasing data within ERP and procurement systems.
• Review invoices and purchasing documentation to ensure accuracy and timely payment processing.
• Support purchased product setup, order tracking, and purchasing documentation for the bulk food purchasing program.

• Analyze inventory levels, historical usage, demand forecasts, and distribution trends to determine replenishment needs.
• Collaborate with the Allocations Manager and Warehouse Operations to ensure purchased inventory supports organizational food flow and program priorities.
• Recommend purchasing adjustments based on inventory aging, product movement, seasonal demand, and operational capacity.
• Assist in establishing inventory goals and replenishment strategies that minimize waste while maintaining adequate product availability.

• Partner with Warehouse Operations to coordinate delivery schedules, receiving priorities, and storage requirements for purchased products.
• Collaborate with Transportation regarding inbound freight, carrier performance, and delivery logistics.
• Work with Finance to support budget development, purchasing forecasts, financial reporting, and invoice reconciliation.
• Coordinate with Programs and Agency Partnerships to understand…