Bakery Buyer

About Us: 

Proudly serving our San Francisco Bay Area communities since 1986, Mollie Stone’s Markets is a local, family-owned grocery store chain. With over 38 years of exemplary performance, Mollie Stone’s Markets continues to make a difference in people’s lives through food. We succeed in the industry by ensuring we deliver a large variety of exciting and quality products in an attractive and positive environment. Our roots remain in healthy, natural and specialty foods. Mollie Stone’s Buyers work closely with local producers around the greater Bay Area to bring high quality products to every aisle. Our goal is to surprise and delight our customers.

We pride ourselves on being an employer of choice, and we are proud to offer competitive wages, paid time off, physical and mental health benefits, 401(k) or pension plan, as well as career training programs through our professional partnerships. As a local, family owned and operated business, we are grateful to our customers as they support our vision, which allows us to care for our employees by making a difference in their lives.

Overview:

Mollie Stone's Market is seeking a dynamic and detail-oriented Bakery Buyer to join our team. The Bakery Buyer will be responsible for sourcing, purchasing, and managing bakery inventory for all Molly Stone's locations. The ideal candidate will have strong vendor relationship skills, a deep knowledge of the bakery industry, and a passion for providing high-quality products to our customers. This position plays a critical role in ensuring that our bakery department consistently offers a diverse and premium selection of fresh, high-quality products.

Essential Functions:

• Strategy: Develop strategies and techniques to increase sales of baked goods.
• Procurement: Source, negotiate, and purchase all bakery products, ingredients, and supplies. Maintain relationships with vendors and suppliers to ensure timely and cost-effective deliveries.
• Inventory Management: Oversee inventory and merchandising levels for all bakery items throughout the stores, including finished goods, ingredients, and packaging. Monitor stock levels to prevent both shortages and overstock. Ensures adequate merchandising levels and techniques.
• Product Selection: Work closely with the Bakery Managers at each location to identify and introduce new products, keeping the product assortment fresh and in line with customer preferences and seasonal trends.
• Pricing and Cost Control: Manage product pricing to meet margin goals while considering the quality and profitability of products. Ensure competitive pricing and monitor cost fluctuations in ingredients and materials.
• Quality Assurance: Ensure that all bakery products meet Mollie Stone's Markets with high standards of quality, freshness, and customer satisfaction. Coordinate with Bakery Managers to address any product quality issues.
• Trend Analysis and Market Research: Stay updated on industry trends, new products, and consumer preferences to ensure the bakery departments remain competitive and innovative.
• Sales and Promotion: Collaborate with marketing and merchandising teams to plan promotional activities and sales events for bakery products.
• Logistics Coordination: Coordinate with logistics teams to ensure timely and accurate delivery of bakery items. Address any issues related to delivery, product quality, or inventory discrepancies.
• Health and Safety Compliance: Ensure that all products meet health and safety standards, including compliance with local and federal food safety regulations.

Minimum Qualifications: 

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Food Science, or a related field preferred; or equivalent experience in bakery buying or merchandising.
• Experience within a grocery retail environment.
• Three to five years of experience in bakery buying, procurement, and product management, preferably within a grocery retail environment.
• Strong understanding of bakery products, ingredients, and trends.
• Proven experience in vendor management and negotiations.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, inventory management software, and other relevant tools.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in a similar role within a grocery retail environment.
• Additional certifications in food safety or procurement.
• Hourly Staff Management experience.

Supervisory Responsibility:  None

Competencies:

• Excellent analytical skills and ability to forecast trends and manage inventory effectively.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to collaborate across departments.
• Ability to work independently and make decisions in a fast-paced environment.
• A passion for food quality and customer satisfaction.
• Strong vendor relationship management.
• Analytical and forecasting skills.

Physical Requirements:

• Ability to occasionally lift up to 50 lbs.
• Work primarily in an office environment with regular interaction with bakery production areas and suppliers.

Travel Requirements:

• Must be available to work flexible hours, including weekends and holidays as required.

Compensation:

Depending on Experience:  $75-85k + bonus annually

Benefits Packet includes Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Ins, VTL, 401(k), Profit Sharing, etc. 
PTO: Vacation, Floaters, CA Sick Time. 

Other Duties:

• Perform other duties as assigned to support the bakery department and overall store operations.

Mollie Stones is an Equal Opportunity Employer