An Employee Owned Company

Job Title: Bakery and SnacksDSD Buyer Date: 4/13

Job Summary

Manages the Bakery and Snacks category at WinCo Foods and is responsible for further development and growth of thebusinesses. Develops and implements category strategies, promotional programs, and business-building ideas as well as coordinating procurement and merchandising functions at the store level. Perform related work.

Typical Duties and Responsibilities

  • Coordinates the procurement of DSD Bakery, Snacks and other DSD product lines at store level.
  • Forecasts sales by using data and information from sales, suppliers and sales history.
  • Cultivates effective relationships with vendors and brokers and leads vendor negotiations.
  • Establishes strategic relations with key suppliers that lead to new consumer and industry insights.
  • Sources innovative new products, ideas and promotions.
  • Collaborates with vendors and brokers on new items to maximize sales/profits for the department.
  • Negotiates with suppliers to achieve the most competitive pricing in order to secure an aggressive difference in pricing versus the market competition via special buys, backhaul agreements and vendor programs.
  • Investigates alternative distribution and cost options to achieve further savings.
  • Establishes retail pricing guidelines, gross profit, sales objectives, program and inventory turn objectives to maximize profit potential
  • Monitors integrity of assigned item pricing as well as promotional pricing.
  • Tracks and measures sales and profitability of assigned lines and performs analysis to determine impact on overall category profitability.
  • Initiates, manages and ensures timely completion of category reviews.
  • Uses various communication skills to keep key internal teams informed of promotions, cost advantages, product availability, market trends and vendor and item changes.
  • Coordinates with Divisional Vice Presidents, Department Vice Presidents, District Managers,Directors, retail pricing, advertising and space management on promotional buys, assigned items and categories.
  • Communicates effectively with stores, merchandising, procurement,and retail operations functioning as a liaison between Retail Operations and the Buying Department.
  • Continually assesses market competition by comparing WinCo’s product strategy with the industry including competitive store product mix checks on a regular basis.
  • Attends key trade shows.

Requirements

Education:

  • Bachelor’s degree in marketing, finance, economics or related field OR equivalent education, training and/or experience demonstrating considerable knowledge of negotiation, procurement and promotional practices in DSD/Retail Grocery.

Experience:

  • Minimum four (4) years’ experience in buying or related field.
  • Demonstrating an understanding of how to build a planogram in data, structure and fixture and ability to utilize tools to manipulate the product presentation to achieve the desired results, analyze productivity, and understand working in a multi-planogram/version environment.
  • Exhibiting strong ability to analyze data, make judgments and develop reports.
  • Representing subject matter expertise in the area of negotiations and procurement practices.
  • Demonstrating strong working knowledge of Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, Outlook, etc.) software.
  • Demonstrating a track record of cost reductions and business results through effective negotiation strategies.

Ability to:

  • Be extremely self-motivated, take initiative and drive results.
  • Multi-task and work in a fast-paced, multiple-priority environment.
  • Be highly organized and detail oriented.
  • Negotiate contracts and terms in order to gain maximum advantage for costs and vendor funding opportunities.
  • Develop and maintain cooperative working relationships with fellow employees and outside contacts, user groups and vendors.
  • Write and speak clearly and succinctly in a variety of communication settings.
  • Respectfully challenge standard practices to find a better way to get things done.
  • Travel as needed.
  • Be available to respond to calls on urgent matters involving including after business hours, on weekends and holidays if necessary.

Additional Requirements:

  • Acceptable Department of Motor Vehicles driving record.

Preferred Education, Experience and/or Credentials:

  • Three (3) or more years DSD bakery and/or snacks industry experience or three or more years Logistics/Supply Chain industry experience.
  • Knowledge of the retail grocery industry and corresponding products.
  • Experience working with a rapidly growing and profitable organization.
  • MBA

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature of work performed by the employees assigned to this job. All employees must comply with Company policies and applicable laws. The responsibilities, duties and qualifications required of personnel may vary.