Food Co-Op General Manager

The Carlisle Group is proud to be partnering with the historic Park Slope Food Coop (https://www.foodcoop.com/) to find their next General Manager.

Nestled in Brooklyn, NY, Park Slope is a gem of a neighborhood. With gorgeous brownstones, plenty of green space, and an excellent schools, it's a classic NYC neighborhood. It's known for its open-minded community of families and young professionals. The mix of indie boutiques, laid-back bars and casual restaurants along 5th Avenue and pockets of 7th Avenue caters to the diverse area. Locals and visitors head to sprawling Prospect Park for outdoor concerts, picnics, and exercise.

Founded in 1973, the Park Slope Food Coop (PSFC) has a long history of providing high-quality, healthy foods, emphasizing locally grown and regionally produced items at an affordable price for its members. The cooperative movement in the early 1970s had two main principles: “Food for People, Not for Profit” and “Cooperation Means Working Together.” Striving to express and maintain these goals, the PSFC has evolved into a vibrant community institution. Sustaining a commitment to affordable good food through the participatory work requirement and ensuring PSFC’s solid foundation for the future presents unique opportunities to its management team.

The PSFC is the largest single-store consumer food cooperative in the country with 16,000 member owners and sales expected to reach $59 million this fiscal year. PSFC’s 80 employees and extensive member-labor system enable the Coop to achieve sales per square foot far exceeding the national average.

The General Manager, working collaboratively with the General Coordinator team, oversees all aspects of managing the Park Slope Food Coop, playing a pivotal role in the Coop’s continued success while following its core mission and cooperative values and demonstrating a strong commitment to our member-labor participatory model. The General Manager serves as one of the Chief Administrative Officers described in the Coop’s bylaws, leading or coordinating projects to develop and improve Coop systems and policies.

The General Manager upholds the Coop’s standards by effectively developing and supporting the Coop’s management team and staff, demonstrating stellar leadership, being accountable for financial success, and implementing efficient and productive systems. The General Manager also reports to and supports the activities of the monthly General Meeting, the decision-making body of the Coop since 1973, and the Coop’s governance system in general.

The General Coordinator team comprises the PSFC senior management team, overseeing over $11 million in annual operating expenses. They are responsible for all aspects of running this successful and growing business, including daily operations, finances, purchasing, staff supervision/hiring/development, management of the member-labor system, building maintenance, and insurance.

The Coop upholds and supports the International Principles of Cooperation:

• Open and Voluntary Membership.
• Democratic Member Control.
• Members' Economic Participation.
• Autonomy and Independence.
• Education, Training, and Information.
• Cooperation Among Cooperatives.
• Concern for Community.

Required Qualifications

Financial Management: Excellent business acumen and fiduciary skills with a robust knowledge of financial management and reporting. Comprehends financial variables, how to find them, and how to place them in a business context. Creates and manages projections and budgets (operating, capital, and cash budgets.)

Strategic Thinking: Thinks conceptually, imaginatively, and systematically about success. Identifies strategic opportunities and areas for improvement and develops strategies to achieve success. Communicates a compelling vision with goals.

Managing People: Experience leading management-level employees by effectively evaluating, inspiring, recognizing, delegating work, and providing timely coaching and guidance. Exhibits patience and consideration.

Change Management: Aligns stakeholders to effectively implement organization and business changes. Listens to new ideas and alternatives.

Cultural Awareness/Intercultural Competency: Fosters an inclusive and welcoming environment where members and staff feel valued, respected, and empowered to contribute to the Coop’s success.

Problem-solving: Accurately diagnoses root causes of issues and correctly identifies appropriate resolution.

Accountability: Is willing and able to hold people accountable for Coop, department, and personal success. Able to hold oneself accountable.

Courage: Willing to make unpopular decisions and have difficult discussions with stakeholders when needed.

Adaptability: Resilient and keeps moving forward in the face of challenges or new information.

Embraces Cooperative Structure: Articulates what makes coops different and works successfully within the cooperative structure.

We are ideally seeking an individual with a minimum of three years of executive-level grocery/retail management experience to join our General Coordinator team as the General Manager.

A robust compensation package is being offered, including a $165-185K salary, and a Benefits Package including:

• 5 weeks paid vacation
• 11 health & personal days
• 5 paid holidays
• Health, dental and vision plans with no payroll deductions (i.e., premium contribution)
• Flexible Savings Account
• Life insurance
• Short- and Long-term disability insurance
• Defined Benefit Pension Plan (no payroll deduction)
• Optional 401K plan (no employer match)
• Parental Leave
• Bereavement Leave
• Employee Assistance Program

The Park Slope Food Coop is an equal opportunity employer that values diversity. We are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills and are seeking an applicant pool that reflects this diversity. We believe that a variety of viewpoints strengthens our organization. All employment decisions are based on qualifications, merit, and Coop needs.