Job Summary: 

The Produce Operations Specialist is responsible for leading and executing the produce operation and merchandising initiatives of assigned district to increase sales, ensure progressive growth profitability, foster continuous productivity improvement, and enhance the customer experience in alignment with overall Company objectives and goals. The Operations Specialist will work directly with Store Manager, Assistant Store Manager, and Produce teams to develop, model, and mentor their Produce teams and provide leadership, merchandising expertise, and guidance to deliver on the Company’s growth objectives. This role is directly responsible to support and execute on all financial district Produce goals and provide expert financial counsel to stores and district leadership.

The Operations Specialist supports district Produce teams on succession planning, diversity, performance and change management, and team member recognition. The role is a servant-leader for their district Produce Teams providing and encouraging an open-door two-way communication with all store teams. This role encourages and fosters a collaborative environment for open dialogue and sharing of ideas to improve stores and Fresh operations.

The Operations Specialist works closely with the District Manager, Store Teams, Merchandising, Central Operations, Brand and Supply Chain teams to identify key customer building and product solution opportunities, by store, to ensure relevance to the communities we serve.  Position delivers profitability and growth within assigned district while networking with other Operations Specialists across the banner to drive positive results.  The Operations Specialist monitors the marketplace, including competition, consumer demands and demographics to pivot on opportunities that are advantageous to the district and Banner. The role ensures Fresh department adherence to legal, governmental regulations, and company compliance standards.

Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities: 

Supports, and develops Produce teams within assigned district Executes on the district’s Produce operational, merchandising and brand initiativesSupports Center Stores to achieve operating results, growth objectives, and overall customer experience while maintaining district and banner financial targets Supports and encourages strong and diverse community involvement within the districtLeads and encourages innovation from team members to grow the business within the districtSupports achievement of key performance metrics such as customer feedback results, labor, team member engagement, front-end productivity, work safety, food safety compliance, cleanliness and sanitation, asset protection, etc.   Works collaboratively with District Manager, Merchandising, and Brand teams to execute on merchandising, brand, and store operations standards Identifies and assists Store Manager, ASM, and Produce Managers on business building opportunities based on local market intelligence; provides input to the banner operations team to encourage continuous improvement in our company initiatives Supports effective training and accountability around selling, services, compliance, etc.  Identifies opportunities and trends and provides/coaches solutions within Produce operations Monitors team member and customer engagement and satisfaction indicators as key measurements in internal/external customer feedback   Analyzes store results and customer feedback and works with Store Managers, and Communications to develop appropriate response/feedback/action(s) Utilizes effective communication and company tools to provide timely feedback/coaching of team  Sets the example in banner values and diversity initiatives Performs other duties as assigned