Food Co-Op General Manager

Title: General Manager

Location: Albany NY

Salary Range: $120-145K

The Carlisle Group is pleased to partner with the fantastic Honest Weight Food Co-op in Albany, NY to seek their next General Manager/Cooperative Leadership Manager.

The Honest Weight Food Co-op has been serving the community since 1976, providing the area’s largest and best selection of local and organic produce and groceries. HWFC boasts the largest Bulk selection in the Northeast with over 1000 bulk items! Honest Weight is governed as a true democracy, where member-owners vote on the annual budget, major issues, and participate in yearly board elections. The business also depends on the commitment of member-owners to invest time and talent in each of our departments. They strive to keep purchasing as local as possible and adhere to strict buying policies that are developed and voted upon by their membership, ensuring that all products available at Honest Weight are free of artificial preservatives, colors, flavors, growth hormones, high fructose corn syrup, and other harmful ingredients. And, each year, they donate five percent of their net profit to local non-profit organizations. All of this aligns with their mission: to promote more equitable, participatory and ecologically sustainable ways of doing business.

Life in the capital city offers some of the best of New York with easy access to the Adirondack Mountains, Saratoga Springs, and New York City along with plentiful green space, bikeways, farmers markets and a great restaurant scene all located along the beautiful Hudson River. For those who appreciate a balance of nature and culture, Albany is an ideal city to call home.

As the General Manager/Cooperative Leadership Manager, your mission will be to embrace and champion the mission of Honest Weight and the triple bottom line business model that centers people, plant and profit. To ensure smooth daily operations, prompt and friendly customer service, and a well-maintained store. To promote nurturing and equitable relations and practices for all staff, member-owners, and customers with particular attention to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion principles. To develop and implement HWFC’s initiatives and strategies to attract, hire, and retain a diverse workforce.

Key Duties/Responsibilities include:

Store Operations

• Ensure all aspects of store operations run effectively and efficiently based on goals, objectives and standards established by the Management Team in conjunction with the BOD.
• Ensure the co-op exceeds customer expectations for service and provides a welcoming environment for people of all diverse backgrounds and in accordance with HWFC’s customer service standards and in a manner that centers the cooperative principles and values.
• Partner with the Membership Manager to promote and maximize the Member-Owner time investment program.
• Collaborate with relevant Board committees as needed.

Human Relations, DEI, and Supervision

• Mentor and guide the professional development of direct reports including training, ensuring accountability, encouraging professional growth, and being mindful of inclusive practices and informing diversity and equity in the areas of workforce development.
• Ensure personnel policies that protect against organizational risk and provide for a safe, productive and cooperative workplace.
• Model and ensure fairness of policies and their application. Treat staff and supervisors with consistency and fairness in a style appropriate to a cooperative work environment and in compliance with the Employee Manual.
• Ensure development and implementation of staff development and training programs for all employees.
• Uphold Employee Code of Conduct and Servant Leadership principles to promote team building and to motivate staff.
• In all aspects, foster and model diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). Ensure development and implementation of storewide DEI policies and practices.
• Ensure clear, direct, and respectful communication.

Facilities, Security & Safety

• Ensure regulatory and legal compliance of operations to meet lawful standards for health, sanitation and safety.
• Establish and monitor programs for maintenance of facilities and assets to ensure they are well maintained, and concerns are promptly addressed.
• Ensure information technology systems meet operational needs, create data integrity, and serve internal and external needs.
• Ensure that managers are aware of security, safety, and emergency procedures and are trained to handle emergency situations.

Financial Management

• Oversee and inform preparation of budget in conjunction with Controller and Ops Dir/Mgr.
• Execute and monitor store finances in conjunction with Controller, Ops Dir/Mgr and Finance Committee.
• Review financial reports and adjust operations as needed to ensure continued financial success of the co-op.
• Ensure responsible stewardship of the co-op’s assets.
• Ensure that regular written reports are provided to the Board of Directors and attend all Board meetings.

Required qualifications include:

• Strategic Thinking: Thinks conceptually, imaginatively and systematically about success.
• Retail Grocery Experience: As at least a store or operations manager. Familiar with how stores operate to meet goals, knows key metrics. Experience working in a co-op, B-Corporation, or similar triple bottom line (people, planet, profit) values-driven organization.
• Financial Management and Reporting: Knows the meaning of financial variables, how to find them, and how to place them in a business context. Creates and manages a budget (operating, capital, and cash budgets.)
• Building and Leading Teams: Effectively facilitates the formation of teams by creating a climate of trust and encouraging information sharing. Develops people to their full potential.
• Managing People: Makes good hiring decisions. Evaluates, inspires, recognizes, delegates work and provides timely coaching and guidance. Experience leading management level employees.
• Negotiation: Explores positions, alternatives to reach outcomes that gain acceptance of all parties.
• Cultural Awareness/Intercultural Competency: Champions diversity, equity, and inclusion throughout and on behalf of the organization.
• Accountability: Is willing and able to hold people accountable for co-op, department, and personal success. Willing to be held accountable.
• Self-awareness: Aware of own work and communication styles, adjusts as needed to successfully work with others; Diagnoses and recognizes development needs.
• Embraces Cooperative Structure: Articulates what makes co-ops different, works successfully within cooperative structure.
• Discretion: Accurately assesses when to share information and when to keep information private, doesn’t gossip.