Senior Buyer

Coastal Sunbelt Produce; Laurel (MD); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Coastal Sunbelt Produce in Laurel, MD, seeks a Senior Buyer responsible for pricing, procuring produce, maintaining quality, and managing inventory levels. This role drives daily stock decisions and strategic sourcing to ensure supply.

Key duties include ordering loads, handling troubled shipments, and presenting at weekly pricing meetings while coordinating with sales and procurement teams to optimize value and service.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent; college degree preferred.
• 3–5 years of purchasing experience in a similar field.
• 2 years of produce-related purchasing of FOB items.

Responsibilities

• Determine daily needs and maintain the desired inventory levels.
• Order loads and build trucks for loading.
• Manage troubled loads, protections, credits, shrink.
• Participate in the weekly pricing meeting.
• Procurement representative for weekly operational meetings.
• Liaise between the sales staff and the procurement department.

Skills

MS Office

Detail-oriented

Communication skills

Negotiation

Organizational skills

Multitasking

Interpersonal skills

Team collaboration

Stress management

Computer literacy

Education

High school degree or equivalent

College degree preferred

Tools

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft Word

Outlook

Job description

Job Summary

The senior buyer is responsible for assigned commodities which include pricing, procuring product, maintaining quality, management of inventory levels.

Responsibilities

• Determine daily needs and maintain the desired inventory levels.
• Order loads and build trucks for loading.
• Manage troubled loads, protections, credits, shrink.
• Participate in the weekly pricing meeting.
• Procurement representative for weekly operational meetings.
• Serves as liaison between the sales staff and the procurement department.

Education

• High school degree or equivalent.
• College degree preferred.

Experience

• 3 to 5 years purchasing in like field and/or working within a retail, wholesale, or distribution environment.
• 2 years of produce-related purchasing of free on board (FOB) items.

Professional Skills

• Working knowledge of MS Office (Word, Excel, Outlook).
• Detail-oriented.
• Proven ability to communicate effectively over the phone, good negotiating and interpersonal skills and ability to handle stress effectively.
• General understanding of computers.
• Strong organizational skills and ability to handle multiple assignments.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Able to prioritize and execute multiple short and long terms tasks simultaneously.
• Must be able to work with all levels within the organization.