The Position

Reporting to the General Managers, the Grocery Director curates products for all our stores in the following areas: grocery (dry and refrigerated), bulk, dairy, frozen foods, HABA (health and beauty aid), and bakery for satisfied customers and vendors.  Leads and motivates the grocery teams in all stores to high performance and customer service standards. Acts as the subject matter expert in all areas of grocery purchasing, product pricing and systems management.   Negotiates vendor contracts with the same goal in mind of providing high quality cost effective products for our customers.

Gus’s is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of ancestry, race, color, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual identity, sexual orientation, age, creed, genetic information, religion, physical or mental disability, medical condition, pregnancy, gender identity or expression, marital status, citizenship status, military or veteran status, or other basis protected by applicable federal or California state law.

Responsibilities

• Manage and lead grocery managers to develop and implement Gus’s Community Market’s plans with regard to products, promotions, policies, procedures, vendors, and customers. Identify the store’s growth potential and identify long-term objectives with regard to products, vendors, customers, and markets.
• Manage the grocery teams to:
  • Ensure pricing strategies meet margin and greater storewide goals.
  • Ensure that retail areas are full, clean, attractively merchandised and efficiently operated.
  • Provide excellent, friendly and knowledgeable customer service both in person and over the phone. It is our job to make sure the customer leaves satisfied, so great customer service is a MUST.
  • Be a management role model and assist managers in their supervisory responsibilities, including: hiring, coaching, development, performance evaluation, scheduling, time and attendance management, payroll, and coaching for department managers and department employees, as needed.
  • Ensure our receiving standards are met per location.
  • Help train managers, associate buyers and assistants as required.
• Responsible for all merchandising company-wide, ensuring that displays (end caps, floor displays, and spot displays) are effective so that customers and vendors have a satisfying in-store experience.  Creating seasonal displays as needed.
• Analyze data, trends, market changes for all products and to be able to make recommendations as a result to create an effective product mix year round.
• Responsible for ensuring that all Federal, State and Local regulations and laws are followed in all of our locations.
• Maintain exceptional vendor and broker relationships to ensure that our customers receive the finest products in a timely way.
• Work with the general managers to negotiate vendor contracts.  
• Meet with brokers monthly to set up deals, case stacks, and EDLPs (everyday low prices). Ensure broker contact list is updated immediately.
• Place all seasonal orders in a timely way to ensure on time delivery in our stores well in advance.
• Develop and coordinate the placement of items for all advertising, one and eight page ads placed weekly, biweekly and monthly. Responsible for ensuring that  prices are competitive throughout and that items are properly tagged and displayed.
• Negotiate and manage vendor advertising contracts for all sale promotional material including, but not limited to, monthly and weekly flyers.  
• Manage the advertising space for our flyers and provide details to accounting for payment processing.
• Approve sale items monthly and as needed ensuring proper sale margins are met.
• Trains new vendors on our receiving policies and who their contacts are at each of our locations.
• Maintain consistency among all of our locations ensuring that products are priced correctly in all stores and that sales roll out smoothly for all locations.
• Responsible for the introduction of all new items into our stores and systems:
  • Approve all new items and send to pricing in a timely way for processing prior to the item’s introduction into the store.
  • Ensure proper shelf placement for all new products.
  • Determine if new items should be placed in all store delivery systems (e.g., instacart) when appropriate.
  • Work with store managers to organize new product demonstrations and tastings.

• Product category management
  • Audit sets for product movement looking at shelf placement, pricing and to fill gaps in the set.  Refer to vendor top seller lists to fill any open spots and to ensure we have top selling items in each category.
  • Manage the discontinuing of product process from analyzing to ultimately removing items from the stores.
  • Work with grocery managers to reset categories to optimize sales in each location.
  • Investigate product recalls and complaints making product withdrawal recommendations to the appropriate parties.
• Work with our pricing department to ensure that our catalogue on our delivery systems (e.g., instacart) is accurate and audit each month.
• Work closely with the pricing team to make sure that proper margins and pricing are observed.   
• Deliver vendor sales sheets to pricing department to help with accuracy and processing of sale items.
• Warehouse buying and inventory management including:
  • Maintain proper inventory in the warehouse so that we are never out of product paying attention to the weather, seasons, events, and other factors.
  • Schedule all orders and pallet buys from brokers and direct vendors to avoid overcrowding.
  • Audit  the inventory quarterly with weekly spot checks to maintain accuracy between audits.
  • Order store supplies including and not limited to: bulk containers, orange juice bottles and lids, labels, and various other bottles and containers.
• Analyzes invoices to ensure that the costs are correct in our POS system and that the discounts we receive are properly awarded to us.
• Conduct market place, competitor, and price research to ensure accuracy.
• Monitor and understand competitors, market conditions and product development opportunities.
• Take lead on additional responsibilities for the team and/or department; i.e. priority list creation, centralized vendor point of contact, inventory projects/initiatives.
• Input, track and review sales orders and monitor inventory levels.
• Take lead on purchasing decisions and manage the process till order fulfillment.
• Assist and communicate best merchandising practices with in-store grocery management teams.

Qualifications

• Five to eight years grocery experience in a natural foods industry helpful, but not required.
• Three to five years management experience with a diverse team.
• Excellent attention to detail and organizational skills.
• Excel proficiency required.
• Must be able to travel between locations in their own vehicle.  A clean driving record is a must with mileage reimbursed between stores.
• Ability to work under pressure and manage stressful situations.
• Strong, proven ability to work in a fast paced environment, with a sense of urgency while still maintaining excellent customer service and accuracy.
• Working knowledge of basic math, weights and measures.
• A good understanding of proper handling, preparation, seasonality, and shelf life of products.
• Ability to work effectively independently and as part of the team.
• Committed to providing quality goods, championing local purveyors, and advocating for environmental stewardship.
• A sense of humor and ability to find fulfillment in engaging with customers.
• Open schedule is preferred, occasional early mornings, evenings, weekends and holidays.
• Must be 18 years of age or older.

Physical Requirement / Working Conditions

• Must be able to lift 50 pounds.
• In an 8-hour workday: standing/walking 6-8 hours.
• Hand use: single grasping, fine manipulation, pushing, and pulling.
• Work requires the following motions: bending, twisting, squatting, and reaching.
• Exposure to temperatures: <32 degrees Fahrenheit (freezing), 32-40
• degrees Fahrenheit (refrigerators), >90 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Ability to work in a wet and cold environment.
• Ability to work a flexible schedule including nights, weekends, and
• holidays as needed.

This job posting describes the general requirements of this job. It is not a complete statement of duties, responsibilities or requirements.