Buyer

Key Responsibilities

• Monitor and evaluate market trends, pricing fluctuations, seasonality, and growing regions to inform daily purchasing decisions.
• Maintain strong knowledge of all aspects of the assigned product category, including origin, seasonality, quality specs, and pricing history.
• Source product strategically to maximize profitability while balancing factors such as freight, availability, quality, and timing.
• Monitor current and forecasted weather conditions and assess their impact at the growing point, in transit, and at the destination (including Hunts Point Market).
• Maintain targeted inventory levels by overseeing inbound product timelines and collaborating with logistics personnel.
• Ensure continuous product flow to meet customer demand and support sales team needs.
• Walk the warehouse regularly and collaborate with salespeople and warehouse supervisors to maintain real-time awareness of on-hand inventory.
• Provide pricing, documentation, and timelines to support claims and invoice accuracy within 3–5 days of product receipt.
• Review and submit purchase orders for processing within 14–21 days of product receipt; ensure Buyer Assistants are tracking and updating purchase order statuses accordingly.
• Develop, manage, and grow strong relationships with shippers and vendors to ensure reliable sourcing and collaborative partnerships.
• Serve as the face of Katzman Produce in all vendor and shipper interactions, both on-site and off-site.
• Set clear expectations with vendors regarding pricing, product quality, shipping timelines, and billing practices.
• Act as a strategic partner to the Sales team by providing current product costs, market insights, and vendor/grower expectations.
• Support daily sales goals through inventory management and price guidance.
• Monitor daily sales reports to course-correct underperforming items or mispriced products.
• Support the arrangement of promotional/Ad pricing for select customers and communicate changes accordingly.

Qualifications/Requirements

• Education: High school diploma or GED required; Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture, Business, Supply Chain, or a related field preferred.
• Experience: Minimum 3-5 years of experience in produce procurement, wholesale buying, or supply chain operations. Experience in Hunts Point or a similar wholesale terminal market is strongly preferred.
• Industry Knowledge: Familiarity with produce categories, growing cycles, perishability standards, and market conditions required.
• Skills & Competencies: Strong analytical and negotiation skills, proficiency with Microsoft Excel, inventory systems, and ERP platforms, ability to assess product quality and make quick, informed decisions, excellent verbal and written communication skills for vendor interaction and internal collaboration, ability to thrive in a fast-paced, high-pressure, and deadline-driven environment, bilingual (English/Spanish) a plus.
• Physical Requirements: Must be comfortable walking warehouse floors and inspecting perishable products. Occasional travel for vendor site visits or industry events. Ability to work flexible hours, including early mornings or weekends during peak seasons.