Merchandising Manager

Position open: Merchandising Manager

Application deadline: Position open until filled

Compensation: $24.03/hr

Hours: Full time, exempt position

Benefits: Health and dental insurance for employees working at least 28 hours a week, paid time off, 15% employee discount on store purchases

The Merchandising Manager is responsible for ensuring that the Grocery Departments (including all sub-departments) at all store locations are supported by a robust product selection and merchandising plan throughout the year. This position ensures selection and purchasing of products that meet financial objectives for sales, margin, and turns and are within the Co-ops Product Selection Guidelines. The Merchandising Manager works closely with the Grocery Managers and Grocery Assistant Managers at each store location ensuring the proper product mix, placement, promotions and pricing in all Grocery sub-departments.

Skills we are looking for:

• Retail natural foods grocery experience required (5-6 years minimum)
• Previous Purchasing experience required (5-6 year minimum)
• Three to four years previous supervisory experience
• Ability to ascertain and anticipate department needs
• Ability to work under stressful conditions and juggle multiple deadlines
• Efficient multi-tasking required
• Understanding of financial management and budgeting skills for retail grocery

Who is our ideal candidate?.

• Be dependable and reliable, having the ability to work a flexible schedule that changes as the business changes; including nights, weekends and holidays.
• Thrives in a fast-paced work environment.
• Strong work ethic, excellent communication skills
• Willingness to work with others in a spirit of teamwork and cooperation.

First Alternative Natural Foods Co-op is an equal opportunity employer

Position Summary

The Merchandising Manager is responsible for ensuring that the Grocery Departments (including all sub-departments) at all store locations are supported by a robust product selection and merchandising plan throughout the year. This position ensures selection and purchasing of products that meet financial objectives for sales, margin, and turns and are within the Co-ops Product Selection Guidelines. As the primary resource for the Grocery Departments, the Merchandising Manager works closely with the Grocery Managers and Grocery Assistant Managers at each store location ensuring the proper product mix, placement, promotions and pricing in all Grocery sub-departments. The Merchandising Manager is a key member of a department where cooperation is required to maintain staff morale, efficiency, creative merchandising of quality products, and excellent customer service.

The Merchandising Manager takes on the role of the NCG Purchasing Liaison for First Alternative as an organization. This role serves to coordinate all programs, promotions and promotional events purchasing for all departments, sharing information with and assisting all Department Managers in making sure we have a coordinated, well-executed promotional plan for each sales period.

The Merchandising Manager is a member of the Administrative Leadership Team and participates in Co-op decision-making and serves as a back-up Person-In-Charge if necessary.

1. 1. QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE:

High School diploma or equivalent

• 1. Skills, and Abilities:
• Retail natural foods grocery experience required (5-6 years minimum)
• Previous Purchasing experience required (5-6 year minimum)
• Three to four years previous supervisory experience
• Ability to lift up to 50 lbs.
• Ability to ascertain and anticipate department needs
• Excellent, clear and concise written & verbal communication skills
• Ability to work under stressful conditions and juggle multiple deadlines
• Efficient multi-tasking required
• Flexibility and dependability required
• Understanding of financial management and budgeting skills for retail grocery
• PC based computer experience required

• Ability to provide excellent customer service and interact with a wide variety of customers both internal and external

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

1. for Grocery and all Grocery sub-departments:

• Has the role of the NCG Purchasing Liaison and facilitates other Departments communication with NCG in terms of sharing information. This involves not only promotions but Core Sets, Co op Basics and other NCG purchasing programs.
• Responsible for training all managers on using the LBMX forecasting tool, ensuring all submission deadlines are met and stores are ordering adequate amounts for the sales period or core set resets. This responsibility covers all departments who participate in NCG Promos, Core Sets, etc.
• Has regular meetings with Grocery leadership to consider product assortment by category based on category review schedule aligned with NCGs core set program. In addition, discusses new items to be placed in non-reviewed categories and what may be discontinued.
• Makes final decisions on new and discontinued items.
• Makes decisions on which products are purchased from which vendor.
• Sets all prices according to First Alternative gross margin guidelines and uses variable margins for price sensitive items, based on available relevant information including but not limited to feedback from customers, Product Selection Guidelines, industry trends, NCG promotions, and product movement.
• Develops competitive pricing strategy for all product categories in Grocery with assistance from department management in doing comparison shopping at the competitors.
• Reviews price updates on a regular basis and sends corrections and changes to the POS Specialists when necessary, informing the Grocery Manager of those changes.
• Articulates pricing strategy to POS Specialists, including rounding rules and targeted applied margins by sub-category, down to item level when needed.
• Responsible for ensuring that new products are submitted to POS to be added to the product database, ensures shelf tags are generated and hung in a timely manner.
• Develops shelf-placement strategy and shelf plans for each location, seeking input from the locations Grocery management before finalizing and having the stores execute the plan.
• Negotiate with distributors, brokers and sales reps for favorable prices, terms, quality and delivery schedule and research new suppliers, as needed.
• Determines what is promoted and how, drawing on the NCG Co op Deals program, Co op Basics program, and weekly in-store deals.
• Develops Grocery end-cap plans for all promotional periods and shares them with the Grocery leadership for execution.
• Works with other departments on planning end-caps that may allow for cross merchandising.
• Develops plans for use of off-shelf spaces and delivers hot sheets to the stores that include all the details needed for Grocery management to execute case stacks, pallet displays, etc.
• Communicates store sign and point-of-purchase needs to Marketing for materials to support in-store displays.
• Works with Marketing on events and key promotions throughout the year.
• Determines when the Co-op will make additional inventory investments, either to secure supply, plan for additional demand, or to boost margin/price image. Meets with brokers to plan these investments and communicates to store locations when they are to receive inventory outside their normal replenishment levels.
• Responsible for coordinating reactions to product recalls working with Grocery management at both stores.

• Responsible for developing annual budgets for Grocery and all sub-departments, along with the General Manager, Store Managers and Finance Manager, after receiving input from Grocery leadership.
• Responsible for gross margin at each store location in all sub-departments.
• Responsible for sales growth in all sub-departments of Grocery.
• Responsible for price image in the Grocery Department, making sure to utilize promotions, Co op Basics and local deals to leverage this image.
• Responsible for increasing Grocery Department inventory turns at each store location.

Other:

• Serves as a backup Person-In-Charge at store locations periodically as needed.
• Is a member of the Administrative Leadership Team and attends their meetings as a part of the decision making process for the organization as a whole.

Must also follow those expectations as outlined on the most current company standards for:

• Staff Performance Standards
• PIC Performance Standards
• Supervisor/Manager Performance Standards

PHYSICAL DEMAND

The physical effort typically applied in this job includes (all applicable boxes are checked):

ATTENDANCE -

Salaried/exempt Compliance with general salary, exempt standards is expected. (Must work, as needed to fulfill needs of department. Presence of at least 40 hours per week. Work evenings and weekends, as needed)