Chief Operations Officer

SUMMARY

Reporting to the President/Chief Executive Officer (President/CEO), the Chief Operations Officer (COO) is directly responsible for developing and executing internal operational strategies necessary to achieve the goals and objectives of the Grand Rapids Downtown Market (GRDM). The COO works in collaboration with the President/CEO and oversees facilities, leasing and tenant relations, culinary operations, and the Christkindl Markt. The COO will serve a variety of roles and responsibilities when critical positions are vacant.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Directs, guides, and manages the staff and day-to-day operations and administration of all assigned departments
• Assists with recruiting and hiring team members and conducts performance evaluations
• Coordinates training programs for new team members and identifies training needs for current employees

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following, other duties may be assignedORGANIZATIONAL LEADERSHIP

• Active role on the leadership team that contributes to the organization's overall vision, mission, values, beliefs, and strategic goals
• Participates in executive team decisions and critical conversations
• Attends and actively participates in leadership meetings, offering ideas, insights, and recommendations on organizational policies, operations, staffing, customer and tenant experiences, strategic community partnerships, and other topics that ultimately impact the overall quality of the organization
• Active participant in Board of Director meetings and serves as staff liaison for various Board Advisory Committees

EOS Integrator

• Faithfully executes the business plan, achieving or exceeding planned P&L objectives
• Leads, manages, and holds the leadership team accountable for achieving agreed-upon commitments
• Integrates all major operating functions of the business; Ensures everyone is rowing together in the same direction; Models the way, always working toward the greater good of the business
• Resolves issues effectively—seeing real problems, being comfortable with conflict, calling out the problems, and solving the problems in a practical and healthy manner; Ensures the leadership team is healthy, functional, and cohesive
• Ensures that everyone is truly following, and adhering to, the company’s core processes and operating system with consistency
• Dependably demonstrates a strong adherence to values alignment, focus, simplicity, and clarity
• Effectively collaborates with the Visionary and stays on the same page; Maintains a high level of mutual respect with the Visionary; Realizes the unique contributions and ideas that the Visionary has, and possesses an ability to filter and translate those ideas into functional plans for the company
• Confirms that all key messages are properly and consistently cascaded across the organization; Verifies that a high level of effective communication exists throughout the organization

OPERATIONAL OVERSIGHT

• Responsible for overseeing the preparation of budgets and monitoring the expenditures within departments of responsibility
• Develops organizational improvements designed to streamline internal systems and/or procedures, and helps evolve ideas into future-growth initiatives
• Achieves the organization's overall strategic goals, working to contribute to the profitability of the organization, and ensures alignment of high-level organizational priorities with strong day-to-day operations
• Evaluates the success of assigned departments through measurable goals, KPIs and reporting

Facilities

• Oversees facilities department, including oversight of all facilities work, staff, and department coordination to ensure any and all organizational needs are met
• Ensures compliance with all local zoning laws, codes, ordinances, rules, and regulations for construction, electrical, fire safety, health/sanitation, signage, accessibility, and LEED certification
• Oversees all aspects of tenant and organizational construction/build outs
• Oversees all areas of IT and security, including access cards, security cameras, keys, wifi, audio visual, foot traffic counters, and any other monitoring systems

Leasing / Tenant Relations

• Oversees all leasing and tenant relations work and staff and achieves Market Hall leasing goals, including but not limited to sales reporting, lease violations and defaults, accounts receivable, tenant closures, permitted us changes, expansions, terminations, etc.
• Ensures cross departmental efforts for new and innovative opportunities for tenant business growth
• Leads in new tenant identification and qualification, which includes researching, cold-calling, and canvassing prospects with an emphasis on the local food industry
• Serves as the main point of contact for real estate broker
• Drafts and negotiates letters of intent, lease agreements, lease amendments, lease renewals, etc., in coordination with legal counsel
• Serves as staff liaison for board leasing committee
• Oversees tenant reporting accuracy and timeliness
• Ensures adherence to tenant leases, including rules and regulations

Culinary Operations

• Oversees operations of the Downtown Market’s incubator kitchen and Entrepreneurial Support Organization (ESO) programs, as well as business assistance to tenants
• Ensures the Downtown Market’s inclusion in a resource network of service providers that provide expert assistance to tenants, particularly professional and technical business start-up networks in the community
• Keeps awareness of growth and expansion opportunities, particularly as it relates to ESO programs and revenue generation
• Ensures the Education Foundation’s vision and mission are followed

Christkindl Markt

• Oversees vendor acquisition and all aspects of vendor management
• Oversees Christkindl Markt Facilities staff, work, and department coordination to ensure any and all organizational needs are met
• Ensures compliance with all local zoning laws, codes, ordinances, rules, and regulations for construction, electrical, fire safety, health/sanitation, signage, accessibility,
• Oversees all aspects of tenant and organizational construction/build outs
• Works collaboratively to ensure the vision of the Christkindl Markt is successfully executed annually
• Engages in strategic, collaborative leadership to achieve ongoing growth of the Christkindl Markt, both onsite and at external venues

COMMUNITY OUTREACH

• Represents the Downtown Market to the community through presence and participation in community organizations
• Serve on appropriate community committees
• Oversee related departmental strategic partnerships

REQUIRED SKILLS AND ABILITIES

• Able to interact and communicate effectively in a clear, concise manner with compassion for employees from a wide range of backgrounds
• Able to speak publically to a diverse audience
• Strong prioritization, problem-solving, and organizational skills
• Demonstrated ability to understand, create, and implement policies and system changes

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor’s Degree in a relevant field [specific degree(s)?]
• Minimum 10-15 years experience in operations management, including at least 5 years in a leadership role
• Commercial Leasing experience is preferred, real estate experience and/or real estate license are a plus
• Experience working in public markets is a plus
• Experience working in private events sales is a plus

WORK ENVIRONMENT

• Team members will work in a fast paced office environment requiring frequent collaboration across departments

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

• Team members will perform frequent computer-related tasks and must have the ability to sit and stand for extended periods of time
• Team members must occasionally lift and/or move up to 10 pounds
• Must be able to access all areas of the facility and be available 24 hours a day
• Ability to stand and walk for prolonged periods of time