Associate Buyer

About Michael’s Finer Meat & Seafood

With decades of expertise and a legacy rooted in quality, Michael’s Finer Meats & Seafoods is a trusted partner to chefs across the Midwest and beyond. Known for premium center-of-the-plate offerings, Michael’s delivers hand-selected meats and pristine seafood to some of the region’s most iconic restaurants. Our commitment to consistency, service, and culinary excellence ensures that every cut, fillet, and portion meets the exacting standards of today’s top kitchens.

From custom butchery to curated sourcing, Michael’s brings chefs the quality they expect—paired with the personalized service they deserve.

Coordinates inventory replenishment activities with suppliers, sales, logistics and operations for assigned categories.

• Place purchase orders with vendors utilizing an awareness of seasonal fluctuations, market effects and other information that require a high attention to detail to avoid spoilage, overstocks, and shortages.
• 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 W-9’s, Indemnities, etc.
• Work closely with:
  • Vendors to ensure POs are filled and delivered in a timely fashion.
  • Vendors to manage FDA issues.
  • Logistics to minimize freight expenses.
  • Sales Managers to manage out-of-stock or over-stock risks.
  • Customer Service teams to enable sales order growth.
  • Buyers to build upon best-practices.
• Build and maintain vendor relationships to not only support PO fulfillment, but also negotiate volume discounts and price breaks wherever possible.
• Manage Fusion system issues that impact Purchasing and Receiving.
• Maintain BFC dating system to minimize close dated issues and Expired product impact.

• This is an entry level position. Coordinates inventory replenishment activities with suppliers, sales, logistics and operations for assigned categories.
• Previous food service distribution and/or food importing experience strongly preferred.
• Commodity product awareness including blanket commitments, contractual processes, and appropriate market tracking.
• Advanced Excel Skill and additional Computer skills (JDE, Microsoft Suite – Word and PowerPoint, etc.)
• Must have a sense of urgency and be able to work under pressure, be comfortable in a fast‑paced, metrics‑driven environment.
• Flexible with the ability to work well with all departments and levels of staff both internally & 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 team player with a positive attitude.
• Excellent verbal/written communication skills and a high level of analytical capabilities within Excel.
• Self‑starter, professional, goal oriented and able to handle multiple tasks.

#L1-MS1

The above job description is not an all‑inclusive list of duties and standards of the position. Incumbents will follow any other instructions, and perform any other related duties as assigned by their supervisor.

• 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.