Market Manager

Public Market Manager
Join the leadership team of our local and natural foods market, and help shape the growth of the initiative. This role places you at the center of the fast evolving local food landscape. The Public Market manager will play a key role in shaping and stewarding a well-curated, affordable and bustling local and natural foods market that will anchor downtown redevelopment in Wheeling, West Virginia. Located right on Main Street, the market provides crucial healthy food access in the heart of three USDA food desert census tracks. The market manager will work with Public Market Executive Chef to offer locally-sourced and healthy breakfast, lunch, and grab & go options in the market kitchen.

You will curate market inventory featuring the best local foods from more than 40 consignment vendors and a handful of natural and organic-oriented distributors, including fresh produce, locally-made jams and ferments, regional meats and cheeses, natural grocery staples, and specialty and health foods otherwise unavailable in Wheeling. The market is a central venue for community cooking classes, nutrition and food literacy awareness, and other educational and cultural events, and will initiate significant outreach to draw in local communities. Curate a store full of the tastes of the Ohio Valley, and create a space for community health in downtown Wheeling.

Position Responsibilities

This position will be responsible for the management of a local and natural foods market, including food and farm products from dozens of local farms and a unique selection of healthy and natural foods. It will report to the company’s Sales + Development Director:

• Establish and maintain excellent relationships with local farmers and food producers, seek to find and develop new opportunities to bring local food to the market.
• Constantly seek creative solutions, adjust inventory to be responsive to customers, improve operations to maximize market profitability while operating within its mission.
• Track and report sales and expenses via POS and accounting systems.
• Schedule and manage 6-10 additional market staff, and disburse payments to producers and vendors.
• Ensure compliance with all licensing, hygiene and health and safety regulations

Qualification Requirements

Qualified individuals will demonstrate evidence of the following skills, attributes and experiences:

• Self-starter, hard worker and confident leader
• Passionate local and/or natural food enthusiast. Interested in making healthy and local food accessible and convenient.
• Food retail experience (minimum 2 years)
• Management experience: ability to manage additional staff, operations, P&L, etc.
• Commitment to customer experience: maintain high standards of customer service, be responsive to customer feedback.
• Reliable, organized, clear communicator.
• Constant drive to improve.
• Must have or gain immediate proficiency in Excel, POS and accounting software

Store Concept

The Public Market is a non-profit deli and market that brings local and natural foods into the heart of downtown Wheeling (resolving a USDA-classified Food Desert). The market facilitates investment in local farmers by selling local foods on consignment when possible, returning 70-80% of sales dollars to farmers versus just 15% in traditional grocery stores. Using this model, the market anticipates channeling millions of dollars to local farmers. The market emphasizes local sourcing, high quality natural, and ethically sourced foods. It is housed in one of the best downtown retail spaces in Wheeling, secured through a partnership with the City. The market is clearly differentiated from other regional markets through its unique local and natural-oriented product mix, its prime location, and strong support from regional farmers and funders.

About Grow Ohio Valley

Start-up food-hub Grow Ohio Valley is a fast growing non-profit with a vision to achieve regional food security. The company has built production, sales and distribution infrastructure to grow local agriculture into a force for social and economic change throughout the Appalachian rust-belt. Founded in 2014 by an urban farmer and a Harvard Business School graduate, the initiative is widely recognized as a positive change agent throughout the Ohio Valley. In four years it has developed six productive farming sites, a small hub, and a loyal customer base; aggregates fresh, healthy food from over 20 local farms; and delivers food-access and food literacy programs that reach over 5,000 students a year. Through these efforts, we hope to fashion a new economic landscape: one offering increased prosperity, improved health, and a better environment!

In addition to its food production, equitable access and related educational programs, Grow Ohio Valley hosts an AmeriCorps program, in which 15 service workers are trained in various aspects of local food systems each year. We also supply a FARMacy program, where participants receive medical prescriptions for healthy food to treat diet-related illness.

Compensation

$40,000 - $50,000 per year plus benefits depending on experience.
Related keywords: manager, sales manager, sales, management

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $40,000.00 - $50,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Employee discount
• Flexible schedule
• Paid time off

Schedule:

• 8 hour shift
• Day shift

COVID-19 considerations:
All customers and team are expected to wear a mask, curbside pick up, no loitering for customers

Education:

• Bachelor's (Preferred)

Experience:

• Management: 1 year (Preferred)

Paid Training:

• Yes

Company's website:

• thepublicmarket.org

Benefit Conditions:

• Only full-time employees eligible

Work Remotely:

• No

COVID-19 Precaution(s):

• Remote interview process
• Personal protective equipment provided or required
• Plastic shield at work stations
• Temperature screenings
• Social distancing guidelines in place
• Virtual meetings
• Sanitizing, disinfecting, or cleaning procedures in place