Produce Department Head

Produce Department Head

Purpose: To select, price, display, and promote fresh produce and to supervise department staff to meet objectives for sales, margin, inventory turns, labor and customer service. Working with and taking direction from Produce Buyer. To supervise produce clerks, ensuring proper staffing, scheduling and training to meet store objective and mission standards.

POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES

Customer Service

• Greets, assists, and prioritizes customer needs above all. Acts as role model for staff.
• Assist customers with produce questions in prompt friendly courteous manner.
• Assist customers with special orders, and oversee the special orders system to ensure that customers receive their orders.
• Pass on relevant literature for staff to read about produce products.
• Ensure staff is aware of changes in policies and procedures affecting customers.
• Respond to produce department customer suggestions, comments, & complaints in a reasonable manner.

Inventory Control (With direction of Produce buyer)

• Work with buyer and suppliers for favorable prices, terms, quality, and delivery.
• Control produce inventory following product selection guidelines & marketing plan, (e.g., priority for local, organic,) with buyer direction.
• Ensure adequate and timely supply of promoted products.
• Ensure accurate, up-to-date prices of produce products in POS system and shelf tags through coordination with the buyer, receiving and marketing.
• Receive orders, or ensure proper receiving by other staff in accordance with established procedures.
• Coordinate with Receivers in handling returns and obtaining credit from suppliers for produce items.
• Coordinate inventory counts for produce department.

Merchandising

• Attend meetings with other department managers to plan promotions and storewide merchandising.
• Plan attractive produce displays, using color and texture to enhance; give impression of abundance and quality, while maintaining proper storage conditions.
• Trim, wash, bundle produce as needed.
• Ensure displays are replenished, rotated, culled several times daily.
• Price produce to achieve margin and sales goals, while maintaining a competitive image.
• Mark down items as needed to reduce losses.
• Offer tastes, samples, suggestions for purchase and ways to prepare products daily.
• Ensure building and maintaining of in-store displays, according to established standards for appearance, variety and ease of shopping and stocking.
• Set preparation & stocking priorities for department staff to ensure tables/coolers are fully stocked and rotated for freshness. Stock items as needed.
• Work with Graphic Artist to ensure accurate, up-to-date uniform department signs.
• Provide product information to customers and staff.

Department Maintenance

• Coordinate storage of items to be returned to suppliers. See that unsellable items are properly disposed of. Keep accurate shrinkage records.
• Proper shrink management/communication
• Ensure that produce department shelves, displays, aisles, prep & storage areas in clean, orderly condition, meeting health department & ADA standards.
• Remove trash promptly, sweep and mop retail and backroom area floors frequently.
• Mark down items as needed to reduce losses.
• Participate in inventory counts.
• Use equipment safely. Ensure maintenance of department equipment in working order. Monitor cooler temperatures. Notify Store Director of equipment problems or needs.
• Aid store director in the hiring of qualified applicants following established policy.
• Ensure on-the-job training.
• Conduct performance evaluations with store director.
• Take disciplinary action, with council from store director, as needed following established policy. Use proper documentation.
• Schedule hours for department within budget, with store director, and review time cards as needed.
• Organize department meetings.
• Available and responsible to staff and/or cover call outs.
• Ensure department staff is informed of storewide meetings and policy changes.

OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES

• Attend Management Team meetings and storewide meetings.
• Perform other tasks assigned by Store Director.
• Assist customers in all departments, in prompt friendly courteous manner, referring them to other staff when necessary.
• Answer & route phone calls.
• Cover produce buyer responsibilities when they are out for a period of time

QUALIFICATIONS

• At least one year of experience in retail produce.
• Knowledge of organic and commercial growing practices, and organic certification regulations.
• Knowledge of current trends in natural foods industry.
• Several innovative ideas for merchandising.
• Supervisory experience: hiring, training, evaluating, and giving directions.
• Ability to read financial statements; firm grasp of margin and pricing.
• Organized, consistently follows through on commitments.
• Demonstrated ability to handle multiple demands.
• Communications skills--clear directions, good listener.
• Experience serving the public.
• Ability to project friendly, outgoing personality.
• Manual dexterity with hazardous equipment.
• Ability to lift 40+ pounds.
• Ability to stand for long periods.
• Ability to work in cold, wet conditions.
• Willingness to work evenings and weekends.
• Ability to work all shifts including nights and weekends.
• Willingness and ability to learn and grow to meet the changing requirements of the job.
• Word processing and spreadsheet. POS system familiarity.
• Ability to read financial reports.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER NOTICE:

The job duties, elements, responsibilities, skills, functions, experience, educational factors and the requirements and conditions listed in this job description are representative only and not exhaustive of the tasks that an employee may be required to perform. The employer reserves the right to revise this job description at any time and require employees to perform other tasks as circumstances or conditions of its business, competitive considerations or the work environment change.