Buyer Analyst

About Misfits Market: Misfits Market is a mission-driven, high-growth startup dedicated to reducing food waste and making shopping for sustainable, high-quality groceries easier and more affordable. We deliver organic produce, high-quality meats and seafood, plant-based proteins, dairy, bakery, wine, and other grocery items to nearly every zip code in 48 states at up to 30 percent off traditional grocery store prices. In 2022, Misfits Market acquired sustainable e-grocer Imperfect Foods and now leverages its in-house transportation network to deliver directly to consumers with one of the most carbon-efficient grocery delivery models on the market. By tackling inefficiencies in the food system, our passionate and motivated team of problem solvers helps save an average of 500,000 pounds of food per week from waste or lesser outcomes, with an all-time savings of 190+ million pounds of food. As Misfits we support our customers and mission by embracing our core values of Prioritizing our Customers Doing more with less Thinking Differently Respecting one another Moving deliberately and quickly Taking initiative and delivering About the Role: The Buyer Analyst supports the 3P (third-party) business within the Merchandising organization, partnering closely with Sourcing & Category Manager, Operations and transportation to ensure we have the correct amount of inventory for our 3P customers. This role sits at the intersection of data, procurement, and category strategy: you’ll manage purchase orders end-to-end, monitor inventory health, surface insights from sales and supply data, and help your category partner execute against the 3P merchandising plan. This position reports to the Sourcing & Category Manager, 3P. It is offered in two tracks — Grocery and Produce — with shared core responsibilities. Key Responsibilities Manage purchase orders end-to-end: create POs, validate accuracy (pricing, pack, ship windows, terms), send to vendors, and track through delivery into our fulfillment centers. Monitor inventory levels across assigned categories and fulfillment centers; flag risks (shorts, overstock, shrink, aging product) and recommend corrective actions to your Sourcing & Category Manager. Support forecasting at the item and fulfillment-center level to meet sales plans, minimize shrink, and hit inventory targets. Provide weekly, monthly, and quarterly reporting on sales, inventory, and supplier KPIs to the 3P team and broader Merch organization, with a clear point of view on opportunities and risks. Coordinate with Finance, Receiving, and Quality Assurance to resolve PO and invoice discrepancies, verify arrivals, and work with vendors on quality or quantity issues. Maintain accurate purchasing documentation, item setup data, and cost files; support data hygiene across procurement and inventory systems. Core Competencies Aligned to the Misfits Merch Team Matrix — Level 2 expectations across our core values: Misfits Prioritize Our Customer — Business Acumen: Demonstrates a strong understanding of how their business unit integrates with other departments. May be an escalation point for the team. Trusted to make small-scale decisions within scope, based on data, customer empathy, technical knowledge, experience, and judgment — building a track record of sound decision-making. Misfits Respect One Another — Business & Professional Communication: Writes concise communications that reflect the audience’s concerns and questions. Manages meeting cadence and flow. Uses the right channel (in-person, written, verbal) to communicate clearly. Sets clear expectations when conveying instructions, assigning tasks, and providing feedback. Collaborates with peers and leadership across business units, and may contribute through updates or presentations. Misfits Do More With Less — Project Management: Demonstrates strong time management. Seeks resources from across teams to complete tasks. Proactively communicates updates to stakeholders. Independently engages in cross-team discussions to direct deliverables, deadlines, and hand-offs effectively. Misfits Take Initiative & Deliver — Handling Ambiguity / Resilience: Proactively contributes to solving non-standard issues with their manager. Brings forward task ideas with supporting details on importance and benefit. Prioritizes effectively, finds workarounds to minimize delays, and adds new tasks as needed. Notices recurring problems and develops creative ways to resolve them. Misfits Move Quickly and Deliberately — Digital Fluency: Searches for information and validates the source (SOPs, trusted websites, SMEs). Accurately updates department data in Sheets or Excel and performs basic calculations. Comfortable using internal systems to complete day-to-day procurement and reporting tasks. Misfits Think Differently — Innovation & Improvement: Has the foresight to pinpoint critical issues for the next 1–3 months within their scope. With manager support, builds an action plan to address them. Researches problems, identifies solutions with pros and cons, includes the right stakeholders, and informs those affected by decisions. Qualifications Grocery track: 1–2 years of experience in procurement, merchandise planning, demand planning, inventory management, or a related analytical role; grocery, CPG, or e-commerce exposure preferred. Produce track: 1–2 years of experience in produce — e.g., produce buying, sourcing, fulfillment-center produce operations, or produce category support — with working knowledge of fresh produce handling, quality standards, and pack specifications. Strong analytical skills; comfortable working across multiple data sources to surface trends, build recommendations, and act on them. Proficiency in Excel and Google Sheets (lookups, pivots, basic formulas); familiarity with ERP, procurement, or inventory management systems is a plus. Clear, confident decision-making in a fast-paced environment; able to prioritize, pivot, and meet deadlines. Excellent written and verbal communication; comfortable working cross-functionally with sourcing, category, operations, finance, and external vendors. Highly organized with strong attention to detail and documentation. Bachelor’s degree or equivalent practical experience. About You You’re energetic, curious, and eager to learn the inner workings of a high-growth grocery business. You’re extremely organized, with strong attention to detail. You’re comfortable with ambiguity and can move forward without perfect information. You enjoy meeting challenges and take preventative action to keep issues from escalating. You thrive in a collaborative, cross-functional environment. You’re passionate about our mission to fight food waste and build a better food system for all. Details of Position & Benefits: Salary range: $75,000 - $85,000/yr. Full-time exempt position Salary and employee stock options commensurate with experience Unlimited PTO Multiple health, dental, and vision plan options Life Insurance 401K plan