Food Purchasing
Manager
Reports To: Vice President of Operations
FLSA Status: Non-exempt/Part-time
Work Location: On-Site (Winston-Salem, NC)
Supervises: None
Date: August 2026
MISSION FOCUS
At Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest North Carolina, we believe Everyone Deserves to Eat. We exist to eliminate hunger in our 18-county region by building a food system that is equitable, efficient, and deeply rooted in community. Every role at Second Harvest — including this one — exists in direct service of that mission.
The Food Purchasing Manager supports that mission by helping ensure a consistent supply of nutritious, high-quality food is available for the Food Bank's partner agencies and programs while maximizing available resources and minimizing inventory costs. Through effective purchasing, vendor and donor relationships, and cross-functional coordination, this role helps strengthen the Food Bank's ability to meet community and program needs.
POSITION OVERVIEW
The Food Purchasing Manager is responsible for managing all direct food purchasing activities for Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest North Carolina. This position develops and executes purchasing strategies to ensure a consistent supply of nutritious, high-quality food is available to support the Food Bank's partner agencies and programs while maximizing available resources and minimizing inventory costs.
The Food Purchasing Manager establishes and maintains relationships with food manufacturers, distributors, retailers, wholesalers, vendors, donors, and other food industry partners. The position is responsible for negotiating competitive pricing, coordinating transportation, managing purchasing and inventory processes, and ensuring purchased products meet nutritional, programmatic, financial, and operational requirements.
This position also manages the Food Bank's Wholesale Food Purchase Program, including product selection, pricing, placing orders, invoicing, communications, and inventory management. The Food Purchasing Manager works collaboratively with Operations, Agency Services, Nutrition Education, Finance, Receiving, Logistics, and other departments to ensure purchasing activities effectively support the organization's mission.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Food Purchasing & Procurement
- Develop and implement an annual food purchasing and procurement plan aligned with organizational goals, program needs, nutritional standards, and available resources.
- Establish and maintain relationships with food manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, retailers, and other potential vendors and suppliers.
- Identify new products, vendors, purchasing opportunities, and sources of nutritious food.
- Obtain competitive pricing and negotiate purchasing terms, product availability, delivery requirements, and transportation arrangements.
- Purchase products for the Wholesale Food Purchase, SAM, grant-funded, BackPack, and other designated programs.
- Monitor product availability, pricing, market conditions, and supply-chain trends that may affect purchasing decisions.
- Develop new products and identify additional products needed to meet partner agency demand and program requirements.
- Maintain proficiency with food purchasing portals and vendor ordering systems.
Donor & Food Industry Relations
- Develop and implement a food solicitation plan that includes annual goals, performance measures, donor recognition activities, and relationship-development strategies.
- Cultivate and maintain relationships with current and prospective food industry donors.
- Conduct meetings, facility visits, presentations, and other outreach activities with current and prospective donors.
- Host food industry representatives and tours of the Food Bank to demonstrate the organization's mission and the impact of food donations.
- Provide professional, responsive, and appreciative service to donors, vendors, food industry partners, and other stakeholders.
- Attend food industry events, trade shows, association meetings, and conferences as appropriate.
- Maintain regular communication with Feeding America's product sourcing departments regarding national partners, product opportunities, and industry developments.
- Collaborate with other food banks and community partners to maximize food sourcing opportunities.
Inventory & Financial Management
- Enter food purchase orders in the Food Bank's inventory management system.
- Reconcile vendor invoices with purchase orders, agreed-upon pricing, quantities, and delivery records.
- Maintain accurate purchasing, vendor, inventory, and financial records.
- Maintain appropriate documentation for grant-funded food purchases.
- Monitor inventory levels and identify potential shortages, excess inventory, aging product, or other issues affecting purchasing efficiency.
- Collaborate with Operations staff to coordinate receiving, storage, transportation, and distribution of purchased food.
- Utilize inventory and donor-tracking systems to analyze purchasing, donation, product, and volume trends.
Collaboration & Strategic Support
- Coordinate the Food Sourcing Committee, consisting of Board members representing the food industry and Food Bank staff involved in food receipt, purchasing, storage, and distribution.
- Collaborate with the Nutrition Education Coordinator to ensure food purchases comply with Food Bank nutrition guidelines.
- Work closely with Agency Services, Finance, Programs, and Operations to coordinate purchasing activities and meet organizational and program needs.
- Provide purchasing, market, vendor, and product information to leadership to support strategic decision-making.
- Identify opportunities to improve purchasing practices, reduce costs, increase product availability, and strengthen operational efficiency.
Customer Service
- Provide timely, professional, and courteous service to partner agencies, donors, vendors, food industry representatives, and internal departments.
- Respond promptly to questions and concerns regarding products, pricing, orders, invoices, availability, and delivery.
- Develop strong working relationships that support the Food Bank's mission and promote continued engagement with partners and vendors.
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, & REQUIREMENTS
· Demonstrates a strong commitment to the mission, vision, and values of Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest North Carolina and to serving neighbors with dignity, respect, and care.
· Bachelor’s degree in business, supply chain management, food service, marketing, communications, nonprofit management, or a related field preferred, with three to five years of relevant experience in food purchasing, procurement, sales, distribution, supply chain, or a related field preferred.
· Brings experience in food purchasing, wholesale distribution, inventory management, vendor negotiations, or food banking, with a focus on using resources wisely to strengthen access to nutritious food.
· Builds and maintains strong, respectful relationships with vendors, donors, food industry partners, and community partners in support of the Food Bank’s mission.
· Communicates clearly, professionally, and collaboratively with internal teams and external partners.
· Provides responsive, thoughtful customer service and approaches relationships with professionalism, gratitude, and a spirit of partnership.
· Uses strong analytical, organizational, problem-solving, and decision-making skills to support responsible purchasing and effective stewardship of resources.
· Maintains accurate records and is able to review and reconcile invoices, bills of lading, purchase orders, and related documentation with attention to detail and accountability.
· Manages multiple priorities and changing needs while remaining flexible, dependable, and focused on solutions.
· Works effectively both independently and as part of a team, contributing to a collaborative, respectful, and mission-focused workplace.
· Demonstrates proficiency with Microsoft Office applications and the ability to learn purchasing, inventory, vendor, and database systems.
· Understands warehouse operations, inventory control, food distribution, and supply chain practices and how they support the Food Bank’s ability to serve partner agencies and neighbors effectively.
· Uses market information, product availability, and purchasing data to identify opportunities to improve cost effectiveness, product access, and operational efficiency.
· Demonstrates sound judgment, initiative, accountability, reliability, and a willingness to step in where needed to support the organization and its mission.
· Maintains a valid driver’s license and reliable transportation and is able to travel as needed to support vendor, donor, and organizational relationships.
· Maintains ServSafe certification or is willing and able to obtain certification within one year of employment.
· Performs responsibilities in accordance with Second Harvest Food Bank safety policies and procedures and contributes to a safe, respectful, and inclusive work environment.
· Successfully completes required pre-employment screening, including drug screening and criminal background checks, consistent with organizational policy and applicable law.
WORK LOCATION & SCHEDULE
This is a part-time, onsite position averaging approximately 25 hours per week. There is flexibility in how those 25 hours are scheduled; however, they should generally fall within the Food Bank’s normal operating hours of 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
Work is performed primarily in office and warehouse environments. The position may require occasional travel to vendor and donor facilities, partner locations, food industry events, conferences, and other locations related to the responsibilities of the role. Some flexibility may occasionally be needed for meetings, vendor visits, events, or other business needs.
The work environment may include normal warehouse activity and noise, as well as movement between office, warehouse, loading, and other operational areas. Employees are expected to follow all applicable Second Harvest Food Bank safety policies and procedures.
PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS
The physical requirements below are representative of those necessary to perform the essential functions of the position. Qualified individuals must be able to perform the essential functions of the position with or without reasonable accommodation.
· Sit, stand, and move about office, warehouse, and external business locations for varying periods based on daily work needs.
· Occasionally walk through warehouse, loading, vendor, donor, and partner facilities and navigate work areas necessary to conduct purchasing, sourcing, inventory, and relationship-management responsibilities.
· Use computers, phones, office equipment, purchasing portals, inventory systems, and other technology necessary to perform assigned responsibilities.
· Handle documents, product information, samples, and other materials associated with purchasing and vendor activities as needed.
· Travel to vendor, donor, partner, industry, and other business locations as required for the position.
· Communicate and exchange information with employees, vendors, donors, partner agencies, food industry representatives, and other stakeholders using methods appropriate to the work and with reasonable accommodation when applicable.
Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest North Carolina is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to building a team that reflects the communities we serve.
Pay: $30.00 - $33.00 per hour
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- 401(k) 4% Match
- Employee assistance program
Application Question(s):
- What purchasing KPI's have you tracked?
Work Location: In person
