Buying & Operations Manager

Zapp

US Buying & Operations Manager building and scaling Zapp's US supply chain operations. Working with US brands to optimize logistics and supplier relationships.

Posted 7/17/2026full-timeRemote • California, Florida, Illinois, New York • 🇺🇸 United StatesMid-LevelSeniorWebsite

Core Competencies

Role fit

Core Competencies

Use this summary to align your resume positioning with the role.

Demonstrates expertise in managing international supply chains, particularly US-to-UK logistics, while ensuring compliance with UK food safety and regulatory standards. Strong analytical skills are essential for forecasting demand and managing inventory effectively.

Highest-signal resume keywords

International Supply Chain ManagementFreight ForwardingCustoms ComplianceNegotiation SkillsData Analysis

ATS Keywords

Tailor your resume

Applicant Tracking System Keywords

Tip: use these terms in your resume and cover letter to boost ATS matches.

Hard Skills

BuyingCategory ManagementSupply Chain ManagementInventory ManagementForecastingCost NegotiationProduct LabellingLogistics CoordinationRisk ManagementRegulatory Compliance

Soft Skills

Tenacious CommunicationProblem-SolvingSelf-StarterInfluencing SkillsDecision-Making

Industry Keywords

FMCGFood SafetyGroceryBrand RelationshipsSupplier ManagementDemand DataSales TrendsUK DCStock ManagementMarket Trends

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Spot emerging US brands and products before they reach the mainstream, and decide which belong in the Zapp range.
Build and own relationships with US brands and suppliers, from first outreach through to signed terms.
Ideally, have an existing network of brand relationships to pull on.
Negotiate cost, delivery and payment terms that protect margin and reduce risk.
Own the end-to-end logistics of moving stock from the US to our UK DC: freight forwarding, warehousing, customs and import compliance, and relabelling to meet UK requirements.
Stand up the processes, partners and controls that let the US supply chain scale reliably as volumes grow.
Use demand data and sales trends to forecast, plan buys and manage inventory, minimising both stockouts and overstock.
Ensure every product meets UK food safety, labelling and regulatory standards before it reaches the shelf.
Work across Buying, Marketing, Merchandising and Operations to land a coherent customer offer.

Requirements

What you’ll need

Experience in buying, category management or supply chain, ideally in food, grocery or FMCG.
Ideally, a track record of building or running international supply chains; US-to-UK import experience (freight forwarding, customs, labelling) is a strong advantage.
Commercial instinct: confident sourcing brands, negotiating terms and building supplier relationships from scratch.
Strong analytical skills: comfortable using data to forecast demand, build business cases and drive decisions.
High-energy self-starter who thrives in ambiguity, makes decisions with imperfect information and spots problems before they escalate.
Tenacious communicator who influences internally and externally, pushes back when needed and always finds the route through.
Willingness to travel throughout the US and to London when needed.

Benefits

Comp & perks

Competitive salary & equity package