At Whole Foods Market, we empower our Team Members to make their own decisions, thus creating an environment where people are treated with respect and are highly motivated to excel. We mentor Team Members through education and on-the-job experience. As a result, we are able to fill a majority of leadership roles from our existing Team Member base. We also recognize that there are individuals with talent outside of Whole Foods Market, and have training programs to bring those new leaders into the company.
Our Team Members represent over 50 different nations. We are people from diverse backgrounds and perspectives, yet all work together to meet the needs of our customers.
We offer great benefits beginning with a full complement of medical and other traditional group health plan coverage, 401k plan, and a 20% discount at our stores.
We are currently seeking a Global Produce Buyer in Watsonville, Ca. The Global Produce Buyer is responsible for purchasing organic and conventional commodities on a large scale serving all eleven WFM regions. This is a great opportunity to participate in continually evolving the Global Perishable Purchasing buying office into a state of the art service operation, that will satisfy and delight our customers.
- Commitment to the Mission and Core Values of Whole Foods Market
- 4 years relevant industry experience
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- The ability to ask for anything
- A strong understanding of produce terminology and industry standards
- Excellent communication skills, ability to teach, mentor and overcome challenges with various personalities, excellent team building skills
- Ability to travel, including international, overnight and some weekends
- Flexibility for all schedules which can include weekends, nights and holidays
- Ability to maintain confidentiality
- A passion for fresh produce and floral, able to articulate and impart this passion onto the team
- Excellent negotiation skills and aptitude for category management and sales planning
- A strong will for and aptitude at creating a healthy work environment
- Experience with Microsoft Office
- Act as produce purchasing agent for all regions of Whole Foods Market
- Leverage our consolidated buying power into a competitive advantage
- Organize and execute purchase orders in a timely, accurate and effective manner
- Execute daily, weekly and seasonal produce and floral procurement strategies
- Manage relationships with Regional Buyers to assure we are achieving service goals
- Provide growers and shippers with order specifics and period forecasts
- Secure appropriate dispatch information, work with transportation to fill trucks and deliver the best possible landed costs
- Resolve arrival problems quickly, accurately and fairly ensuring vendor/regional credits are written and posted in accordance with fiscal deadlines
- Build weekly and monthly ads in concert with Global Produce Team
- Communicate market conditions and trends to Regional Buyers, Regional/Global Produce Coordinators and WFP Purchasing Team
- Create and update information as needed in produce ordering database (P3)
- Review performance of assigned commodities weekly
- Write text for National Ad unique features
- Stay apprised of regional and local buying throughout the year
- Attend vendor business reviews and participate in special projects as directed by the Purchasing TL
