Protein Buyer / Specialist

Protein Buyer

Hardie's Fresh Foods has been delivering the freshest produce and finest specialty ingredients to Texas kitchens for over 80 years. Family-owned and Texas-proud, Hardie's started with a single truck and a passion for quality. Today, we're a trusted partner to chefs, restaurants, and foodservice professionals across the Lone Star State—supplying everything from peak-season fruits and vegetables to artisan cheeses, premium olive oils, chocolates, and center-of-the-plate proteins like meats and seafood. With deep relationships across local farms and global producers, we stay ahead of culinary trends while staying true to what matters: dependable service, outstanding quality, and helping chefs create memorable menus. Rooted in tradition, driven by innovation—Hardie's is here to fuel kitchens with the ingredients that make food shine.

Position Summary: As Protein Buyer, you will be responsible for purchasing, strategically promoting, and maintaining products within the assigned categories. This includes financial performance while working with inbound supply and demand teams to have continuous supply of products to our customer network.

What will you do:

• Place purchase orders with vendors utilizing an awareness of seasonal fluctuations, market effects and other information that require a high diligence to avoid spoilage, overstocks, and shortages.
• Managing Protein responsibilities to include:
  • Inventory Control: Managing service levels, spoilage, inventory turns, and product lifecycles for fresh and frozen products, including the aging process of various proteins.
  • Manage Just-In-Time program to service customers across multiple markets on demand.
  • Category Performance: Achieving margin targets through timing of buys in relation to market moves.
  • Market Analysis: Monitoring market shifts in beef, poultry, and pork to formulate buying strategies.
• Manage and maintain the entire Purchase-to-Pay process, covering:
  • PO Creation
  • Vendor Confirmation
  • Accurate expected delivery date updates
  • Collaboration with Accounts Payable to ensure payment.
• Maintain Purchasing system data to effectively generate suggested POs.
• Maintain necessary required vendor documents (electronic and physical), such as Audits, W-9's, Indemnities, etc.
• Work closely with:
  • Vendors to ensure POs are filled and delivered in a timely fashion.
  • Category Management: Negotiating pricing, supply agreements, and quality standards with suppliers.
  • Vendors to manage FDA/USDA issues.
  • Logistics to minimize freight expenses.
  • Sales Managers to manage out-of-stock or overstock risks.
  • Operations to manage receiving, rotation, and dating concerns.
• Build and maintain vendor relationships to not only support PO fulfillment but also negotiate volume discounts and price breaks wherever possible.

About you:

• 5+ years of buying experience with a focus on Protein Products, preferably for a multi-unit Distribution Organization.
• Bachelor's degree from accredited four-year college or university preferred but not required.
• Commodity product awareness includes blanket commitments, contractual processes, and appropriate market tracking.
• A broad understanding of the protein category, including fresh and cured proteins, poultry, seafood products, and NAMP codes.
• Advanced Excel Skill and additional Computer skills (JDE, Canopy, Relex, Microsoft Suite – Word and PowerPoint, etc.)
• You must have a sense of urgency, be able to work under pressure, and be comfortable in a fast-paced, metric-driven environment.
• Flexible with the ability to work well with all departments and levels of staff both internally and externally.
• Professional demeanor during all interactions with vendors, customers and fellow employees via phone or in-person.
• Have a drive to advance within the organization.

• Must be a collaborator with a positive attitude.
• Excellent verbal/written communication skills and a high level of analytical capabilities within Excel
• Initiative-taker, professional, purposeful, and able to manage multiple tasks.

Perks & Benefits:

• Paid Vacations, Paid Holidays
• Health, Dental and Medical Benefits
• Weekly pay
• Life Insurance
• 5% above cost for our high-quality food products
• Employee discounts for travel and events
• 401k
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan

The Chefs' Warehouse is an Equal Opportunity Employer that does not discriminate based on actual or perceived race, creed, color, religion, alienage or national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, age, disability or handicap, sex, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, pregnancy, gender identity or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws. We also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state and local law. Our management team is dedicated to this policy with respect to recruitment, hiring, placement, promotion, transfer, training, compensation, benefits, employee activities and general treatment during employment. We are dedicated to building an inclusive and diverse workforce.