Purchasing Agent presso Scavuzzos Inc

Description

Join the Scavuzzo’s Foodservice Family!
Are you a detail-oriented professional with a passion for food and procurement? Do you thrive in a dynamic, collaborative environment where your contributions truly matter? If so, we want you to become a key part of the Scavuzzo’s Foodservice team!

As a family-owned and operated company, Scavuzzo’s Foodservice has built a reputation for providing quality foodservice products and services with a personal touch. 

We are looking for a motivated Purchasing Agent to join our Purchasing Department, where you’ll play a crucial role in ensuring our customers always have the right products at the right time. If you’re a strategic thinker who loves negotiating, optimizing processes, and being a part of a supportive, family-driven company culture, we want to hear from you.

Apply online at www.scavuzzos.com/careers

Overview

The Purchasing Agent reports to the Vice President of Purchasing. The Purchasing Agent role will be responsible for managing and coordinating the procurement of the inventory of food and beverage and related products for Scavuzzo’s Foodservice customers. The primary role of the Distributive Food Service Purchasing Agent is to source and purchase food products, ensuring that the organization has an adequate supply to meet customer demands while optimizing costs.

Essential Functions & Responsibilities

• Product Sourcing: Identifying suppliers and vendors who can provide the required food products, ingredients, and supplies. This involves researching potential sources, evaluating their reliability, negotiating contracts, and maintaining relationships with suppliers.
• Procurement: Placing orders for food products and supplies based on the organization's needs, quality standards, and budget constraints. This includes analyzing pricing, quantities, and delivery schedules to ensure timely and cost-effective procurement.
• Inventory Management: Monitoring inventory levels, tracking product usage, and forecasting future demand. Purchasing Agents need to strike a balance between maintaining adequate stock levels to avoid shortages and minimizing excess inventory to control costs.
• Quality Control: Verifying the quality, freshness, and safety of food products received from suppliers. This involves conducting inspections, coordinating with quality assurance teams, and addressing any issues or discrepancies.
• Price Negotiation: Negotiating pricing, terms, and contracts with suppliers to secure favorable deals and optimize procurement costs. Purchasing Agents leverage their knowledge of the market, industry trends, and supplier relationships to negotiate the best possible prices.
• Cost Analysis: Analyzing pricing trends, market conditions, and supplier performance to identify cost-saving opportunities. Purchasing Agents may evaluate alternative products, assess the impact of price fluctuations, and implement strategies to reduce overall procurement expenses.
• Compliance and Documentation: Ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements, food safety standards, and company policies. They maintain accurate records of purchases, contracts, invoices, and other procurement-related documentation.
• Collaboration: Collaborating with internal stakeholders such as chefs, kitchen managers, and finance departments to understand their needs, provide product information, and address any concerns or issues related to procurement.
• Acts in a stewardship capacity for the Company, works as a functional member of the team, has ability to self-direct and self-regulate workday.
• Other duties as assigned.

Core Competencies

• Drives results - Consistently achieving results, even under tough circumstances.
• Financial acumen - Interpreting and applying understanding of key financial indicators to make better business decisions.
• Action oriented - Taking on new opportunities and tough challenges with a sense of urgency, high energy, and enthusiasm.
• Nimble learning - Actively learning through experimentation when tackling new problems, using both successes and failures as learning fodder
• Decision quality - Making good and timely decisions that keep the organization moving forward.
• Manages Complexity - Making sense of complex, high quantity, and sometimes contradictory information to effectively solve problems.
• Optimizes work processes - Knowing the most effective and efficient processes to get things done, with a focus on continuous improvement.

Requirements

Supervisory Responsibilities

This position has no supervisory responsibilities.

Placement Criteria

• Minimum of a bachelor’s degree in business administration, marketing, or a related field (or equivalent experience).
• Proven track record in business development, sales, or account management, preferably in the foodservice or distribution industry.
• Strong understanding of the foodservice industry, including market dynamics, customer needs, and competitive landscape.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills to build and maintain relationships with customers and stakeholders.
• Strong negotiation and persuasive presentation skills.
• Analytical mindset with the ability to interpret sales data and market trends.
• Self-motivated, goal-oriented, and able to work independently or as part of a team.
• Proficiency in using CRM software, Microsoft Office Suite, and other sales tools.
• Willingness to travel as required to meet with clients and attend industry events.
• Strong organizational and time management skills with the ability to handle shifting priorities and demands.
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate in a team environment.
• All employees are expected to exhibit exemplary customer service skills, both with external customers, vendors, visitors, co-workers, and management staff. Their written and verbal communication skills should be concise and effective, they should aspire to excellence in both work and customer service, they should show courtesy to all they encounter while representing the Company. They are also expected to maintain an air of professionalism in their interpersonal relationships and personal grooming, exercise confidentiality concerning the affairs of the business, exhibit a willingness to learn, willingness to problem solve and willingness to step in to help others, and openly and actively participates in the direction of our Company. Scavuzzo’s views each of these traits as performance indicators, and employee appraisals reflect each of these attributes as an element of performance upon which employees are rated.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand, walk, sit, drive, talk, see or hear. The employee is occasionally required to reach with hands and arms and stoop or kneel.