Company description

The Kingston Food Co-op is a soon-to-be cooperative grocery market located at 708 Broadway in Kingston’s midtown. We are currently building a community of members and raising funds to renovate our storefront. Through each individual’s participation in our community-owned grocery store, the co-op builds relationships around food; toward the goal of a thriving and equitable local food system that reflects the people and abundance of Kingston.

Job description

Job Purpose

The Kingston Food Co-op (the co-op) seeks a General Manager (GM) to integrate the co-op’s core values (openness & equity, social responsibility and transformation of our food system, and accountability) into every action and decision. Our goal is to build and maintain a thriving food cooperative that meets the needs of our community.

We are looking for a GM who can bring us from the pre-opening start-up stage, into an operational store and beyond. Our ideal candidate will be excited to collaborate with co-op leadership and community members in creating successful new systems including but not limited to: pricing models, community programming toward equitable food access, and other out-of-the-box initiatives to help our co-op embody its mission, vision and values.

The GM reports and is accountable to the council, which is elected by the Co-op’s members. The GM is responsible for operationalizing the co-op’s mission of providing an alternative to chain grocery stores and an equitable shopping experience in support of the Kingston community. This is a store-based role with extensive public contact and a dynamic environment. The GM must have strong ethical and professional standards and foster and prioritize a safe and positive work environment for all employees. Evening and weekend work hours are integral to the position.

Roles and Responsibilities

Operations

• Act as primary operational lead on a day-to-day basis when the store is open.

• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of grocery retailing and industry trends, with emphasis on serving urban and low to moderate income communities.

• Maintain relationships with wholesale distributors, local markets, and other industry sources.
• Plan and execute a margin strategy designed to be price competitive, and maintain adequate cash flow that yields a profitable growing business.
• Ensure compliance with all applicable laws relevant to the co-op, including licenses, permits, health regulations, employment.
• Manage utilities, facilities, business insurance, taxes and vendor contracts.

Finance and Planning

• Establish operating and capital budgets annually and prepare data-driven reports.
• Develop and recommend long- and short-range financial goals that align with the co-op’s mission, vision and values and ensure the co-op’s performance meets or exceeds targets.

Personnel

• Ensure a fair, equitable, legal and systematic hiring process is established, maintained and adhered to.

• Supervise direct reporting staff and delegate work tasks, ensuring all work is performed in accordance with the co-op’s policies and applicable laws.

Marketing

• Develop, implement, and assess advertising and marketing strategies that increase member and general-public awareness of the co-op’s products and services and reflect the Co-op’s relationship to the community.

Community Engagement & Integration

• Establish a collaborative and inclusive system for soliciting and implementing input from co-op members.
• Create and support store and staff culture that reflects the co-op’s core values, including programs/benefits for co-op members.

• Develop community programming that advances the co-op’s mission around equitable food access.
  

General

• Act as primary operational lead during start-up period in collaboration with the council, including initial staffing and training, input on building and interior store design, store policy development, vendor selection, marketing/branding, and development/oversight of financial and operational systems.
• May perform other duties as assigned by the council to support the co-op.

Required Qualifications

• 3-5 years retail grocery management experience. Equivalent retail management experience that includes customer service and inventory management may also be considered.
• Experience with financial management in a retail setting, including operating and capital budgets, income statements, and cash flow analysis.
• Experience with purchasing, inventory controls and developing relationships with vendors.
• Knowledge of NYS Department of Health requirements for food preparation and dispensing.
• Demonstrated passion for food justice and solidarity, as well as the co-op’s mission, vision, and values.
• Evidence of excellent verbal, written, and presentation skills.
• Self-motivated, resilient, and thrives in a dynamic environment.
• Understanding of and commitment to cooperative principles.

Preferred Qualifications

• 2 years experience leading diverse teams, including in a collective bargaining environment.
• Experience at various levels of staff positions in a retail setting, including with food preparation and/or restaurant management experience.
• Experience working with low-income community members.
• Cooperative management experience.
• Experience working with organizational partners including community groups and nonprofits.
• Latin American Spanish language proficiency and awareness of cultural migration patterns of that region
• Knowledge of the Kingston community and Hudson Valley food system

The co-op is committed to creating and maintaining a workplace with fair and equitable treatment in all areas of employment and access to its programs and activities. The co-op does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, creed, sex or gender (including actual or perceived gender identity or expression or transgender status), sexual orientation, sexual and other reproductive health decisions, pregnancy, religion, religious practices, mental or physical disability, national or ethnic origin, citizenship status, veteran status, marital or partnership status, or any other legally protected status. The co-op is strongly committed to diversity and equity in the workplace and actively seeks applications from members of underrepresented groups, as well as from candidates who share this commitment.

The annual salary range for this position is $75,000-$95,000. We offer paid time off, health benefits and retirement plan contributions.

Compensation

this position is: salaried, $75,000 - $100,000

Application instructions

Deadline

no deadline