Assistant Produce Manager

Good Harvest Market, Waukesha County's largest independently owned natural and organic focused grocer, is seeking to hire a full-time Assistant Produce Manager. Candidates for this role must have flexible and open availability to best support the small team. A minimum of one year experience working in a retail produce department, or similar retail/grocery stocking, merchandising, and customer service experience is required.

Our produce department features only certified organic produce, sourced locally whenever possible. We focus on artful displays of seasonal produce and intensive customer service.

While this is an entry level management role, experience is always a considered factor and the starting wage will be determined with that in mind.

We offer a positive and educational work environment.

• Regular full-time employees are eligible for enrollment in our group health care plan (medical, vision, dental) and receive paid holidays and paid time off. We also offer 100% company paid disability and life benefits and we offer qualifying employees participation in our Simple IRA retirement match plan.
• We provide our employees generous in-store employee purchase discounts.
• Our employees enjoy a weekly pay period.

Position: Assistant Produce Manage

Reports to: Produce Manager

Department: Produce

Status: Non-Exempt

Purpose: To directly support ant assist the Produce Manager to select, purchase, price, display, and promote fresh produce while supervising department staff to meet objectives for sales, margin, inventory turns, labor and customer service.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Customer Service

• Greets, assists, and prioritizes customer needs above all.
• Assist customers with produce questions in prompt friendly courteous manner.
• Assist customers with special orders, and oversee the special orders system to ensure that customers receive their orders.
• Ensure staff is aware of changes in policies and procedures affecting customers.
• Respond to produce department customer suggestions, comments, & complaints in a reasonable manner.

Department Maintenance

• Ensure that produce department shelves, displays, aisles, prep & storage areas in clean, orderly condition, meeting health department & ADA standards.
• Remove trash promptly, sweep and mop retail and backroom area floors frequently.
• Participate in inventory counts.

Purchasing

• Work with the Produce Manager to place department orders within allocated budget, keeping department well stocked with items that sell.
• Work with the Produce Manager and admin team to create product movement reports to aid in proper purchasing.
• Work with the Produce Manager to negotiate with suppliers for favorable prices and terms, quality and delivery, following Good Harvest Market product guidelines (example: all fresh produce must be certified organic.).
• Purchase special deals and promotions as needed. Ensure adequate and timely supply of promoted products.
• Ensure accurate, up-to-date prices of produce products in POS system and shelf tags through coordination with the Produce Manager and admin team.
• Receive orders, or ensure proper receiving by other staff in accordance with established procedures.
• Coordinate with the Produce Manager and Bookkeeper in handling returns and obtaining credit from suppliers for produce items.
• Coordinate and participate in inventory counts for the produce department.

Merchandising

• Attend meetings with other department managers to plan promotions and store-wide merchandising.
• Plan attractive produce displays, using color and texture to enhance; give impression of abundance and quality, while maintaining proper storage conditions.
• Trim, wash, bundle produce as needed.
• Ensure displays are replenished, rotated, culled several times daily.
• Offer tastes, samples, suggestions for purchase and ways to prepare products.
• Set preparation & stocking priorities for department staff to ensure tables/coolers are fully stocked and rotated for freshness. Stock items as needed.
• Work with our admin team to ensure accurate, up-to-date and uniform department signage is displayed.
• Provide accurate product information to customers and staff.
• Attend trainings and conferences as assigned.

Supervision

• Assist the Produce Manager in training team members and maintain ongoing, updated materials for continuous improvement (checklists, department communications).
• Communicate observed needs for team member performance counselings to the Produce Manager, following established policies. Create proper documentation.
• In the absence of the Produce Manager, assist in scheduling hours for the department within budget and reviewing time cards as needed.
• Act as the Produce Manager in their absence, ensuring to communicate with upper management as needed prior to taking any more important management decisions.

OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES

• Attend Management Team meetings upon request and mandatory storewide meetings when scheduled.
• Perform other tasks assigned by Produce Manager and/or General Manager.
• Assist customers in all departments, in a prompt, friendly and courteous manner, referring them to other staff when necessary.
• Answer & route phone calls as needed.

QUALIFICATIONS

• At least one year of experience working in a retail produce or similar retail environment; with a focus on stocking, merchandising, and providing excellent customer service.
• Supervisory experience preferred, with focus on training, delegation, and performance evaluation.
• Flexible retail availability, with the ability and willingness to work a blend of morning, evening and weekend hours.
• Ability to read financial statements; firm grasp of margin and pricing.
• Proficient skills in the us of Microsoft Office products (primarily Excel & Word, which we use often).
• Ability to lift 50+ pounds regularly (this role includes a substantial amount of physical labor.).
• Ability to stand, walk, bend, crouch, reach, push, and pull regularly.
• Communications skills good listener, offers clear directions.
• A passion for organics and regenerative farming, and either current knowledge or a desire to quickly learn about organic fruits and vegetables, such as seasonality and growing conditions.
• Manual dexterity with hazardous equipment (pallet jacks, knife handling for cut produce prepping, etc.)
• Ability to work in cold, wet conditions as needed (inventory receiving, for example).
• Regular, predictable attendance.
• Willingness and ability to learn and grow to meet the changing requirements of the job.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER NOTICE:

The job duties, elements, responsibilities, skills, functions, experience, educational factors and the requirements and conditions listed in this job description are representative only and not exhaustive of the tasks that an employee may be required to perform. The employer reserves the right to revise this job description at any time and require employees to perform other tasks as circumstances or conditions of its business, competitive considerations or the work environment change.

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