We are looking for a General Manager to join and lead our team! The General Manager will oversee all aspects of a prosperous community cooperative market including: long term strategic direction, marketing and strengthening community relations; financial planning and reporting; daily operations; building and nurturing a diverse, inclusive team culture all while embracing our cooperative principles. Position reports to the member elected Board of Directors. Previous retail grocery experience preferred. Competitive salary and benefits.
Keep reading for full job description:
Summary
The South Royalton Market Coop, a prosperous and growing non-profit, is seeking a General Manager who embraces cooperative values, provides strong leadership while achieving the goals and objectives developed by the Board of Directors.
Our Mission Statement
The South Royalton Market Food Co-op is dedicated to providing high quality, diverse products to our community. We emphasize our fresh, local products, augmented by a range of natural and conventional grocery needs at the lowest mark-up feasible for store viability. We exist to be a community resource center as a grocery store, gathering place, information
and education center, and a distributor of food to local organizations, agencies and people who
are housebound. The South Royalton Market Food Co-op strives to be the market of choice for our community. We are a cooperative enterprise, owned by and responsible to our local members and managed by staff who are compensated with competitive wages and benefits. We are a bright, comfortable, affordable, clean, and friendly store. In short, we aim to be the “heart of the community”.
If you are interested in working for a community-owned, growing business and playing an active role in our community and food system, then we would love to hear from you!
Reporting Relationships
The General Manager reports to the Board of Directors, which is elected by the members of the cooperative. The General Manager has the authority to hire and direct all other staff.
Specific Responsibilities
Financial and Planning
- Develop and recommend to the Board of Directors long-and short-range plans to achieve co-op purposes
- Prepare operating and capital budgets for approval by the board and be held accountable for control of resources
- Direct all financial operations of the cooperative
- Investigate new business opportunities and make recommendations to the Board of Directors on expansion, relocation, and acquisitions; conduct negotiations as agreed
- Provide monthly financial information to the Board
Operations
- Maintain knowledge of natural and conventional foods retailing and industry trends
- Maintain effective and productive relations with wholesale distributors, local markets, and other industry sources
- Ensure the establishment and maintenance of a product mix that meets shopper needs
- Plan and execute a margin strategy designed to be price competitive and maintain adequate profit
Personnel
- Oversee compliance with the cooperative’s personnel policies and recommend updates as needed
- Hire, supervise, develop, and evaluate, management staff, including taking disciplinary action as needed
- Support department managers in the supervision and management of staff, providing supervisory coaching as needed
- Develop a staff organizational structure that promotes fair distribution of work while maintaining maximum service to customers
- Prepare a yearly payroll budget that meets operating budget constraints
- Ensure a safe, healthy workplace for employees
- Ensure adequate training of staff
Marketing
- Develop an advertising and marketing strategy to increase public awareness of the cooperative’s products and services
- Execute the advertising and marketing plan within budgetary guidelines
- Working with the Outreach Coordinator, communicate information about the store to members using various types of social and print media
- Prepare or oversee store displays, signage, and other promotions to maximize marketing impact
Perform other duties assigned by the Board of Directors
Qualifications
Strategic thinking: Thinks conceptually, imaginatively and systematically about the success of the co-op, while taking into account the big picture and the long term.
Business planning: Takes vision and strategies and turns them into operational plan(s) aligned to ends/mission, vision and values.
Financial management: Knows meaning of financial variables, how to find them, and how to place them in business context. Uses meaningful business and financial reports. Creates and manages operating, capital, and cash budgets.
Knows how to adjust key operational variables to respond to negative trends.
Building and leading teams: Effectively facilitates the formation of teams by creating a climate of trust, encouraging information sharing, active collaboration, and teamwork.
Developing talent: Develops staff to increase their capabilities, contribution and engagement.
Problem-solving: Accurately diagnoses root causes of issues and correctly identifies and implements appropriate solutions.
Managing people: Has experience of managing managers. Makes good hiring decisions. Inspires people to do their best
through performance feedback, recognition, timely coaching and guidance, and appropriate delegation of work.
Collaboration: Cooperation and teamwork in groups. Open to hearing multiple voices and participating in democratic processes.
Relationship building with the board: Understands the need to build trust and a healthy working relationship with information-sharing and transparency. Sees the GM and board as filling different roles but working on the same team.
Retail grocery experience: Has been a store or at least an operations manager. Familiar with how stores operate to meet goals, understands key metrics. Knows enough about administrative departments to effectively manage them.
Open mind: Demonstrates curiosity about processes and people, listens to new ideas and actively considers alternatives.
Willing to challenge assumptions. Demonstrates respect for others, even when a conflicting opinion is held.
Physical Demands
Primary functions require sufficient physical ability and mobility to work in an office setting; to stand or sit for prolonged periods of time; to occasionally stoop, bend, kneel, crouch, reach, and twist; to lift, carry, push, and/or pull light to moderate amounts of weight; to operate office equipment requiring repetitive hand movement and fine coordination
including use of a computer keyboard; and to verbally communicate to exchange information.
Environment:
Work is performed primarily in a grocery store setting with extensive public contact and frequent interruptions.
Benefits:
Paid time off. Health Reimbursement Account. Retirement Plan. Potential bonus. Merchandise discount.
Compensation range: $70,000 – $80,000 depending upon experience.
To apply, please submit resume with cover letter to: gmsearch@soromarket.coop
All applicants will be considered without regards to race, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, sex, marital or parental status, disability, gender identity or expression, age, or any other basis prohibited by law.