Fresh Produce Buyer – Category Manager
Foster USA, a family-owned fresh produce supply chain company, is hiring a remote Fresh Produce Buyer- Category Manager to join their team.
Foster is a family-owned, multi-state food supply chain company with more than 120 years of experience connecting people and fresh food. What began as a small fruit and vegetable business in Greensboro, North Carolina, has grown into a vertically integrated organization providing fresh produce distribution, cold storage, procurement, logistics, freight, and other supply chain solutions across the Mid-Atlantic and beyond. Foster combines deep industry relationships with innovative technology and an entrepreneurial, growth-focused mindset to create a smarter, leaner food supply chain.
As the Remote Fresh Produce Buyer, you will play a key leadership role in building a smarter, leaner supply chain that connects people and food with fewer links and less waste. This position will own critical product categories, with a strong focus on West Coast produce and strategic account items, while driving procurement strategy, inventory performance, fill rates, vendor relationships, and supply chain execution. The ideal candidate is an analytically strong, self-motivated procurement professional with a passion for fresh food, a strong understanding of produce sourcing, and the ability to thrive in a fast-paced, metrics-driven, and transformational environment. This role requires someone who can build strong supplier relationships, analyze market and inventory data, identify opportunities for improvement, and take ownership of measurable results.
Key Responsibilities
Foster is a family-owned, multi-state food supply chain company with more than 120 years of experience connecting people and fresh food. What began as a small fruit and vegetable business in Greensboro, North Carolina, has grown into a vertically integrated organization providing fresh produce distribution, cold storage, procurement, logistics, freight, and other supply chain solutions across the Mid-Atlantic and beyond. Foster combines deep industry relationships with innovative technology and an entrepreneurial, growth-focused mindset to create a smarter, leaner food supply chain.
As the Remote Fresh Produce Buyer, you will play a key leadership role in building a smarter, leaner supply chain that connects people and food with fewer links and less waste. This position will own critical product categories, with a strong focus on West Coast produce and strategic account items, while driving procurement strategy, inventory performance, fill rates, vendor relationships, and supply chain execution. The ideal candidate is an analytically strong, self-motivated procurement professional with a passion for fresh food, a strong understanding of produce sourcing, and the ability to thrive in a fast-paced, metrics-driven, and transformational environment. This role requires someone who can build strong supplier relationships, analyze market and inventory data, identify opportunities for improvement, and take ownership of measurable results.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead procurement strategy for West Coast produce and strategic account items, prioritizing availability, quality, reliability, and value while maintaining strong supplier relationships
- Manage inventory and category performance, including floors, on-hand inventory valuation, fill rates, shrink, and overall service levels
- Analyze forecasts, market trends, usage patterns, and supply conditions to anticipate risks, protect service levels, and minimize excess inventory and shrink
- Coordinate supply chain execution across Procurement, Sales, Operations, and leadership, ensuring new business and items are onboarded effectively, and inventory and quality standards are maintained
- Manage freight and logistics related to produce purchases, including West Coast movements, transportation, and delivery programs, to support cost and service objectives
- Develop and maintain a strong procurement network with growers, shippers, brokers, and other suppliers, ensuring Foster’s orders are prioritized in tight or challenging markets
- Monitor costs, contracts, billings, and procurement performance to ensure accuracy, accountability, and continuous improvement across the supply chain
- Drive process improvement and organizational growth by identifying opportunities to simplify and strengthen operations and the continuous improvement strategy
- Fresh Produce procurement, buying, category management, and supply chain execution experience, preferably fresh produce/perishables
- Strong West Coast produce sourcing and relevant procurement experience with a bias toward data, floors, and fill-rate discipline
- Established network of growers, shippers, brokers, and/or suppliers
- Experience with forecasting, inventory, fill rates, floors, and shrink to focus in continuous improvement
- Strong understanding of freight, transportation, logistics, and supply chain
- Produce Pro experience strongly preferred
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills in a fast-paced environment
- Strategic thinker who is willing to stay hands-on