Grocery Purchasing & Vendor Relations Lead

Eataly North America; New York (NY); On-site; USD 90,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid Time Off

401K with match or RRSP

Free family meal daily

Discounts at Eataly

Classes on products and Italian cucina

Job summary

Eataly North America is seeking a Purchasing Manager, Grocery to lead grocery purchasing across its retail and restaurant operations. This role owns vendor relationships, manages pricing, availability, assortment, and inventory while ensuring alignment with Eataly’s quality and brand standards.

Reporting to the Senior Purchasing Manager, Grocery, you’ll analyze category performance, negotiate terms, support seasonal planning, and collaborate with cross-functional teams to drive profitability and

Qualifications

• 3–5 years of experience in purchasing, procurement, category management, buying, or a related field.
• Experience in grocery, foodservice, hospitality, retail, or food & beverage industries strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated experience managing vendor relationships and making purchasing or assortment recommendations.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to interpret sales, inventory, pricing, and margin data.
• Strong negotiation and vendor management skills.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and proficiency in Microsoft PowerPoint.
• Strong organizational and project management skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work effectively with cross-functional teams and stakeholders at various levels of the organization.
• Demonstrated ability to make independent decisions within established purchasing and category guidelines.
• Experience with inventory planning, forecasting, pricing analysis, and margin management preferred.
• Experience with ERP, purchasing, inventory management, or product management systems preferred.
• Knowledge of Italian, specialty, premium, and gourmet food products preferred.
• Ability to travel to stores, vendors, trade shows, and other business locations as needed.

Responsibilities

• Manages day-to-day purchasing activities for assigned grocery categories across Eataly’s retail and restaurant operations, ensuring appropriate product availability, assortment, pricing, and inventory levels.
• Owns and supports assigned vendor relationships, serving as a primary point of contact for pricing, product availability, lead times, delivery performance, quality concerns, and issue resolution.
• Assists with price negotiations with vendors, including reviewing cost changes, evaluating competitive pricing, and identifying opportunities to improve purchasing terms and margins.
• Assists with promotional negotiations with vendors, including promotional pricing, discounts, special offers, product features, and seasonal opportunities.
• Analyzes sales, purchasing, inventory, margin, and product performance data to identify trends, risks, and opportunities within assigned categories.
• Develops purchasing recommendations based on sales trends, historical performance, seasonality, inventory levels, lead times, and business needs.
• Supports category assortment strategy, including product selection, SKU rationalization, new product evaluation, seasonal planning, and product transitions.
• Conducts market research and competitive analysis to evaluate pricing, product trends, supplier opportunities, and category developments.
• Monitors inventory levels and purchasing patterns to maintain appropriate in-stock positions while minimizing overstock, spoilage, and unnecessary inventory investment.
• Assists with warehouse inventory oversight and purchasing strategy/planning, partnering with Warehouse, Supply Chain, and Logistics teams to identify inventory needs, purchasing opportunities, excess inventory, and product flow challenges.
• Partners with the Senior Purchasing Manager, Grocery to develop and execute category strategies, supplier initiatives, and margin improvement opportunities.
• Reviews vendor performance based on pricing, quality, service levels, fill rates, delivery reliability, and overall business partnership, escalating significant concerns when appropriate.
• Collaborates with Finance and Accounting to review purchasing data, pricing discrepancies, invoices, credits, budgets, margins, and other financial information impacting assigned categories.
• Works closely with Supply Chain, Warehouse, and Logistics teams to address product flow, delivery schedules, minimum order quantities, lead times, and distribution challenges.
• Partners with Store Directors, Grocery Managers, Culinary, Operations, and Marketing to align purchasing decisions with operational needs, promotions, seasonal initiatives, and customer demand.
• Works with Italian team buyers and suppliers, as appropriate, to identify new products and ensure alignment with Eataly’s quality, authenticity, and brand standards.
• Assists with project management for purchasing team initiatives, including coordinating timelines, tracking deliverables, communicating updates, and partnering with cross-functional stakeholders to ensure projects are completed effectively.
• Supports new store openings by assisting with assortment planning, vendor coordination, product setup, purchasing schedules, initial orders, and inventory readiness.
• Coordinates new product launches, seasonal programs, promotional initiatives, and product transitions across applicable locations.

Skills

Vendor management

Negotiation

Excel

PowerPoint

Analytical skills

Communication skills

Travel readiness

Cross-functional teamwork

Tools

ERP systems

Purchasing systems

Inventory management systems

Product management systems

Job description

Eataly North America is seeking a Purchasing Manager, Grocery to lead grocery purchasing across its retail and restaurant operations. This role owns vendor relationships, manages pricing, availability, assortment, and inventory while ensuring alignment with Eataly’s quality and brand standards.

Reporting to the Senior Purchasing Manager, Grocery, you’ll analyze category performance, negotiate terms, support seasonal planning, and collaborate with cross-functional teams to drive profitability and