Purchasing Coordinator

Position: Purchasing Coordinator

Department: Hospitality

Reports to: Senior Manager, Warehouse

Position Summary

The Purchasing Coordinator leads the purchasing activities, ensuring product availability, quality, and cost standards are met. As inventory arrives, the Purchasing Coordinator assists the Warehouse Manager in all aspects of the Warehouse food and beverage inventory for the arena’s Hospitality services. This hands-on management role works closely with the Culinary, Front of House, Warehouse, and Finance teams and suppliers to ensure the timely acquisition of quality goods and services. This role will also support similar requests from Toptable Group.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

(Other duties may be assigned as required)

1. Manage Warehouse Material Handlers and support with part-time scheduling
2. Oversee the purchasing, sourcing, and storage of food and beverage goods and materials by partnering with the Culinary and Front of House teams
3. Proactively monitor financial data and review inventory activities, ensuring the arena’s product needs are met on a timely basis
4. Assist the Warehouse Manager during the inventory process with counting, entry, and analysis of cost of goods variances
5. Develop strong partnerships with all vendors and suppliers
6. Liaise with all vendors to ensure product quality, reconcile invoice discrepancies, shortages, over shipments, and to arrange for emergency shipments/requisitions and defective merchandise returns
7. Recommend new products to enhance standards and increase profitability
8. Develop and implement purchasing and contract management procedures and policies, as well as sourcing and negotiation strategies for key spend areas
9. Actively seek out rebate programs and monitor product purchases and rebate dollars for financial reporting

Required Experience And Qualifications

1. Minimum 2 years’ experience in food and beverage inventory control management, and previous experience with inventory purchasing, distribution and control
2. Experience in purchasing in the local hospitality industry is a strong asset
3. Familiar with purchasing and sanitation procedures, as well as standard food and beverage equipment maintenance and refrigeration is preferred
4. Bachelor’s degree in a related field or an equivalent combination of education and experience
5. Strong knowledge of purchasing methods and procedures, including open market purchasing and formal contracting and negotiating techniques
6. Natural problem solving and analytical abilities
7. Strong attention to detail, with solid organizational skills and the proven ability to handle multiple projects at one time
8. Proven ability to establish and maintain long-term supplier relationships
9. Ability to evaluate sample products of suppliers to determine conformance to product specifications and item requirements
10. Familiarity with various resources to source products for purchase
11. Strong knowledge of inventory purchasing systems, and generating purchasing documents
12. Effective listening, verbal, and written communication skills
13. Knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite, inventory/warehouse management, and distribution software
14. Ability to analyze data, reading and interpreting financial reports
15. Valid Class 5 driver’s license with clean driving record
16. Forklift Operation certification
17. Ability to lift, stand, bend, and otherwise meet the physical expectations of a busy warehouse environment