Food Service Buyer (Bilingual)

Food Service Buyer (Bilingual) Talpa Supermercados Duluth, GA Job Details Full-time 1 day ago Qualifications Vendor relationship building Spanish English Full Job Description Position Summary The Food Service Buyer is responsible for sourcing, negotiating, and managing supplier relationships for Talpa's food service categories, including prepared foods, deli, bakery, tortilleria, and ready-to-eat products. This role ensures product availability, freshness, and profitability across all 13 store locations, working closely with the Procurement, CPFR, and Operations teams. Key Responsibilities Sourcing & Supplier Management Source, evaluate, and develop vendor partnerships for food service and perishable value-added categories Lead commercial negotiations including pricing, rebates, credit terms, service level agreements, and lead times Manage supplier scorecards and conduct regular performance reviews Identify alternative suppliers to mitigate supply risk and ensure continuity Category & Assortment Planning Develop and maintain the food service assortment aligned to community demographics and store formats Build seasonal and promotional plans in coordination with category strategy Monitor product rotation, shelf life, and freshness standards by SKU and store Collaborate with the CPFR Lead on demand forecasting and replenishment planning Financial & Credit Management Track and manage credits for expired, damaged, or returned product per supplier agreements Analyze margin by SKU, category, and store to identify improvement opportunities Monitor shrink and waste and develop action plans with operations Collaboration & Execution Partner with Supply Chain and Logistics to coordinate weekly delivery schedules Support store teams on vendor compliance and product handling standards Participate in the weekly S&OP process as part of the Demand & Category Review Education Bachelor's degree in Business, Supply Chain, Food Science, or related field preferred Work Experience 2-4 years of experience in food service purchasing, perishable buying, or category management Experience working with local vendors, distributors, and food service suppliers Demonstrated ability to negotiate pricing, credits, and commercial terms Skills Knowledge of food service supply chain, cold chain management, and shelf-life standards Strong negotiation and vendor relationship management skills Analytical ability to interpret sales, inventory, and margin data Advanced Excel skills; ERP experience preferred Bilingual English/Spanish required High attention to detail and ability to manage multiple priorities Travel Requirement Up to 25% travel to stores, distribution center, and vendor meetings