General Manager, Urban Greens Food Co-op, Providence, RI

Urban Greens Food Co-­op, a consumer-owned grocery store located in Providence, RI, seeks a General Manager (GM) to oversee store operations.

The GM position represents an exciting opportunity to lead the only consumer-owned grocery store in Providence. The diversity of the surrounding population–as well as the current lack of local food choices in retail groceries in Rhode Island–positions the Co-op to take on a leading role within the state by both increasing the availability of local foods, and promoting culturally appropriate healthy food choices.

Urban Greens will be opening in late June, in a mixed-use development located just west of downtown Providence, where 3 economically, culturally and ethnically diverse neighborhoods come together (Federal Hill, the West End, and Upper South Providence).

Overview

Guided by Urban Greens’ mission and reporting to the board of directors, the GM is responsible for the leadership and management of the Co-op’s retail grocery operation. The Co-op will be opening with over 1300 member-owners and projected year 1 sales around $3 million.

You are an ideal candidate if you have:

• Senior management experience in the retail co-op grocery industry – You have experience operating a business in a diverse, urban environment, specifically a minimum 5 years of experience in retail food store and food distribution management and preferably experience with co-ops or independently owned grocery markets.

• Proven financial management experience – You have experience in bottom-line accountability, managing operating capital, and budgeting.

• The ability to develop and implement strategic initiatives – You have extensive experience in strategic planning, and demonstrate the ability to build trust with multiple stakeholders, including underrepresented and new immigrant populations as both consumers and workforce.

• Strong leadership and team-building abilities – You possess integrity, experience, vision, and collaborative leadership skills to help our Co-op thrive. You have the ability to motivate and lead diverse work teams with clear, open, and supportive communication channels.

• Excellent supervisory and communication skills –  You have managed direct reports consisting of managers and individual contributors, and demonstrate excellent oral and written communication skills. You have experience with communicating and reporting to a board of directors, member-owners, and the general public.

• A commitment to executing cooperative principles in a socially just and sustainable framework – You want to be a local leader in the nationwide movement towards a more socially just and environmentally sustainable food system.

• A commitment to healthy and local food access in under-served communities.

Responsibilities:

The GM is responsible for the implementation of store operations in a way that successfully achieves the mission of Urban Greens in a fiscally sustainable manner. and provides direction and execution in the following areas but not limited to:

*Store Operations
*Financial Accountability
*Business Planning
*Customer Service
*Recruiting, building, and maintaining a team
*Human Resources
*Safety and Sanitation
*Member-Owner Relations
*Store Promotion & Marketing

Qualifications:

*Previous grocery store management, startup experience preferred
*Knowledge about and experience in food co-ops
*Knowledge about food justice, food sovereignty, and sustainability
*Familiarity with food safety standards
*Four year college degree in business, finance, or marketing is preferred
*Excellent verbal and written communication skills
*Leadership and organizational skills
*Strong interpersonal and problem solving skills
*Strong budgeting and finance skills
*Proficiency with POS software
*Extensive knowledge of MS Office/Google Docs, CRM, social media, & Quickbooks

Please send a resume with cover letter to gmsearch@urbangreens.com.

Submissions will be accepted until the position is filled.

About Urban Greens & Providence, RI

Urban Greens Food Co-­op is a vibrant startup with the ultimate goal of increasing access to healthy and affordable food for the Providence community, and strengthening the local food system in Rhode Island. We are excited to serve an incredibly diverse and food conscious city and state. We offer a competitive salary and benefits package.

Store Basics:

*8000 sq ft footprint: 4900 sq ft retail
*$3 million projected year 1 sales
*Anchor tenant in mixed-use development
*Rhode Island Tax credit support
*1300+ current members-owners
*Opening in late June

About Providence:

Providence is a small, vibrant, quirky city in the littlest state in the union. Though its scale and size make it easy to navigate and live in (often giving it a ‘small town” feel) Providence has a rich and diverse culture, with many of the attributes often found in much larger cities.

Recently named by CNN as America’s most artsy city, Providence is home to some great institutions and traditions in a number of areas:

*  Artistic (Trinity Rep Theater, Waterfire, the RISD Museum, PVDFest, As22o)
*  Academic (the Rhode Island School of Design, Brown University, Providence College)
*  Cultural (Providence is home to many residents of Central/South American, West African, Southeast Asian, Caribbean, Portuguese, Italian, & Cape Verdean descent, with ethnic heritage festivals, feasts & celebrations all summer long and throughout the city)
*  Culinary (Johnson & Wales Culinary School, incredible restaurants, food trucks & farmers markets)
*  Urban Agriculture & Local Food (Southside Community Land Trust, Farm Fresh RI)

According to Architectural Digest, Providence is a city with “rich architectural interest, top-notch restaurants, charming waterfront parks and a creative community whose influence extends far beyond the region. Today the metropolis, its downtown revitalized, is a destination well worth exploring in depth.”

*Ranked #3 America’s favorite cities by Travel and Leisure in 2016.

You can drive 20 minutes out of Providence and reach farms & orchards, rivers & ponds for paddling, & wooded state parks for hiking. There are bike paths that link Providence to many other areas of the state, and a 30-40 minute drive gets you to some of the best beaches and most beautiful coastline on the New England Coast. For longer jaunts to bigger cities, Boston is an hour and New York City is 3 hours away.

https://www.visitrhodeisland.com/

http://www.city-data.com/city/Providence-Rhode-Island.html

As an equal opportunity employer, Urban Greens Food Co-op strongly encourages individuals from traditionally underrepresented demographics to apply.