Vice President, Fresh Foods

Our Commitment to You: Lunds & Byerlys is committed to taking care of the employees who take care of our customers. We are committed to creating work environments centered around the values of hospitality, teamwork, and opportunity. Lunds & Byerlys is committed to providing equal opportunities to all interested and qualified candidates.

A little bit about us, we might be for you if you are looking for a...

• Strong culture based on values, family and team. These words are not just tossed around. They are at the core of who we are.
• "Great place to work" - we are a Star Tribune Top Workplace 2019-2023.
• Hometown team with a beloved brand and solid reputation.

JOB SUMMARY

This position is responsible for all aspects of Fresh Foods categories, production facilities, and our distribution center. This position represents an executive leadership position and holds a key role in long-term business planning, setting strategic goals, and defining annual initiatives and financial targets. These responsibilities include developing business plans, establishing performance measures, and contributing to sales and profitability targets. This individual will have a continuous focus on aligning people, programs, processes, and metrics to achieve the organization's strategic objectives impacting our customers, employees, vendor partners, and the Lunds & Byerlys brand.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

The following description of work to be performed by this individual is not intended to be all-inclusive. Rather, it focuses on the major tasks that must be accomplished. There are many necessary activities to satisfy any of the following performance guidelines.

• Provide assistance to all Lunds & Byerlys team members modeling company customer service standards at all times
• Hire, train and develop team members, including performance evaluations, performance management and general supervision
• Coach, mentor, and lead direct reports to accomplish goals of the location plan and personal goals for each team member
• Collaborate with key executives in long-range strategic business planning, identifying opportunities to maximize company performance
• Partner with the executive team to develop and refine the Fresh Foods vision and strategy, guiding the development of business plans for all product categories to ensure a consistent retail experience aligned with, and supportive of, both the consumer and employer brand identity and business performance objectives
• Partner with category leaders to source and develop strategic partnerships with suppliers, cooperatives, and other retailers, promoting the development of business strategies that assure effective utilization of supplier programs and services
• Establish clearly defined performance objectives for Fresh Foods categories, food production facilities, and distribution centers, cascading accountability to the appropriate people for execution. This includes monitoring performance, celebrating successes, and developing talent across the organization to ensure performance objectives are achieved
• Ensure category management, food production and distribution center strategies are effective in further differentiating Lunds & Byerlys from the competition. Examples include private label, signature items, best in class, seasonal, event, lifestyle, and local products
• Collaborate with product leaders to develop category management strategies and evaluate category results on an ongoing basis to effectively maximize shelf management, item movement, profitability, selection, and variety
• Ensure merchandising programs are aligned and reflective of the company's vision and promote brand management objectives by mentoring category leadership with developing and deploying merchandising strategies
• Anticipate competitive threats and proactively develops strategies to preserve market share and prevent erosion of sales and profitability due to competitive market developments
• Consult with retail operations and serves as a collaborative problem-solving resource on departmental issues such as inventory management and related concerns
• Leverage communication models to ensure key stakeholders have information, tools, resources, and the appropriate level of involvement in decisions, programs, and strategies that affect them
• Participate with key executives in the development of new and existing stores, including store or facility design, forecasting, staffing plans, operational plans, and related data to assure the achievement of business objectives
• Partner with Employee Experience to identify future staffing needs of key positions, implementing programs and processes to cultivate internal talent, and executing talent selection processes to ensure all qualified and interested candidates are considered when seeking to fill vacancies in key positions
• Support programs and practices that cultivate continuous improvement with employee engagement, consistent with corporate values and culture, ensuring a high degree of employee satisfaction and productivity

OTHER JOB DUTIES (Not considered essential to the job)

• Perform all other related assignments (including special projects) as required in a professional and cooperative manner.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Education
  • Required: Bachelor's degree in Business Administration or related field.
  • Desired: Master's degree in Business Administration or related field.
• Experience
  • 10 or more years' progressive business experience in fresh item retail operations and/or category management.
• LFHI Competencies expected of all employees include: action oriented, communicates effectively, customer focus and instills trust.
• Other required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
  • A service-oriented individual with a high energy, positive and friendly demeanor
  • Ability to respond to continually changing priorities and coordinate multiple projects
  • Computer skills (Outlook, Excel, Word)
  • Strong customer service, interpersonal, communication and problem solving skills
  • Ability to read, write, speak and comprehend English

OTHER REQUIREMENTS/EQUIPMENT USED, IF APPLICABLE

Equipment Used

• Office Equipment (this may include computer, phone, printer, scanner, copier and fax machine)