Job Description:
Sysco is the global leader in selling, marketing and distributing food products to restaurants, healthcare and educational facilities, lodging establishments and other customers who prepare meals away from the home.We have an exciting opportunity for a Produce Merchandising Manager in our Boise, ID location.
Compensation/Salary:
DOE
Responsibilities & Duties:
Merchandising:
- Communicates, on a weekly basis, product information on new items and ensures that said information reaches the appropriate individual.
- Negotiates additional buying options, searches for alternate suppliers and more favorable terms from these suppliers in an effort to increase profitability.
- Analyzes supplier’s product lines and offers, on a weekly basis, to determine if an alternate combination of products will result in more favorable terms and lower costs to Sysco and then recommends the best mix to his or her supervisor.
Produce Sales and Service:
- Provides training to the sales staff regarding produce knowledge, selling techniques, proper presentation of produce and other activities associated with the sale of produce.
- Plans and makes presentations at scheduled sales meetings for the purpose of staff development in produce knowledge in an effort to increase the effectiveness of sales activities.
- Serves as a source of information and assistance for Marketing Associates regarding the sale and use of produce in an effort to ensure that no opportunities are lost due to a lack of product knowledge.
- Assists in the development of promotions and product shows in an effort to increase produce sales, knowledge and profit.
- Approves vendor requests for sale of produce products through Sysco by analyzing vendor proposals, pricing advantages and customer preferences.
- Generates sales and provides service for produce products in an effort to increase profitability and market share.
- Develops prospective produce accounts through the use of market analysis and sales contracts and / or techniques to ensure full market coverage and long term efficiency.
- Sells pre-identified excess or slow moving produce inventory through special customer contacts and sales techniques in an effort to reduce product waste.
- Researches customer needs and constructs sales proposals for products and services.
Purchasing:
- Purchases the items outlined in the purchasing program and coordinates purchase orders following the established guidelines of the program in an effort to increase the profitability of purchasing activities and to avoid excesses or shortages in inventories.
- Purchases items according to established minimum costs which take into account freight charges, growing regions and product availability in order to ensure that purchases are profitable and accurate.
- Seeks out samples, deals, or other special offers on products from suppliers.
- Identifies and notes any one time orders or fill in products in order to provide accurate planning information.
- Ensures that products with a limited shelf life are controlled in such a manner that minimizes waste and maintains product availability.
- Reviews, on a daily basis, purchasing activities with regard to information gathered on available stock status, daily merchandising, future orders, receiving worksheets, in-checks, variances and / or any other applicable reports.
- Ensures that losses due to product shrinkage, damage or other variances are minimized.
- Ensures that buying activities are adjusted seasonally or as other special circumstances dictate, through monthly reviews of upcoming inventory needs.
- Auditing the warehouse, on a weekly basis, to identify and correct inventory problems such as shortages, excesses, improper handling, or duplicate orders.
- Reviews reports on variance, promotion control, merchandising activity and cost below accounts payable to identify problem areas.
Education:
- High School Diploma or Equivalent required. Upper level education preferred.
Qualifications:
- Two years of food service purchasing (produce preferred), and food service sales experience or other related purchasing/industry experience. Supervisory experience desirable.
- Considerable working knowledge of merchandising and marketing principles, and term negotiation techniques; product lines sold by Sysco and the food service market/industry; program development and management; management principles including developing objectives, projecting and managing under a budget, evaluation department operations, and supervising and motivating employees; practices associated with inventory control; necessary inter-department communications related to certain promotion and vendor term negotiation activities; Sysco credit terms and general finance terminology and concepts; basic account principles and book-keeping activities.
- Must possess excellent computer skills and have a working knowledge of programs such as Microsoft Word and Excel.
- Sysco associates preferred.
