Department Manager Produce-Valdez

Albertsons Companies•Valdez, AK

About The Position

The Department Manager Produce directs the operation of the produce department, including supervising and training personnel. The role ensures customer service and product quality, freshness, safety, and selection while meeting department sales, profit, and service objectives. The manager oversees daily department functions and staffing, including scheduling, training, and monitoring associate performance. Responsibilities include managing inventory and ordering, inspecting produce for quality and freshness, maintaining displays and merchandising standards, controlling shrink and expenses, and ensuring compliance with food-safety requirements, retail labeling laws, regulations, and company policies. The manager also assists with produce handling and preparation, maintains department cleanliness and records, helps customers, and resolves customer and associate concerns. The position involves frequent handling of products and equipment, including lifting and maneuvering objects weighing up to approximately 75 pounds. Work takes place in a temperature-controlled store, with frequent exposure to water, ice, and cleaning agents and work in cold cases and coolers. Scheduled hours vary, and nights, weekends, and holidays may be required. Good attendance is required.

Requirements

Working knowledge of produce department duties, including trimming, cutting, displaying, watering, building displays, rotating products, and discarding outdated or spoiled products.
Strong communication, leadership, and interpersonal skills, with demonstrated ability to manage people and remain composed with customers and coworkers.
Knowledge of employment laws and workplace practices.
Understanding of company practices and produce department policies and procedures, and ability to judge and react to business activity.
Knowledge of produce varieties and standards, perishability, food safety and handling, sanitation, and labeling.
Ability to frequently reach, lift, stack, and maneuver objects of varying sizes and weights up to approximately 75 pounds; bend, stoop, and reach frequently; and occasionally climb ladders.
Ability to push and pull fully loaded hand trucks, six-wheel carts, and pallet jacks, and perform repetitive arm movements to prepare and package products.
Manual dexterity and good eye-hand coordination.
Mental alertness to complete work safely and accurately, and knowledge of basic mathematics and weights and measures.
Ability to operate computer software and electronic ordering devices for ordering products, planning sales, entering inventory and schedules, and printing labels.
Ability to operate scales, wrappers, compactors, and garbage disposals and to use cleaning supplies and equipment, knives, safety cutters, and latex gloves.
Extensive knowledge of profit and loss statements.
Good attendance; scheduled hours vary, and nights, weekends, and holidays may be required.

Responsibilities

Champion company and division customer-service programs, promote personalized service, and handle customer relations and complaints positively.
Supervise the day-to-day operation of the produce department to meet customer-service, sales, and profit objectives.
Supervise, motivate, direct, train, and participate in hiring produce personnel; monitor performance and recommend personnel actions.
Schedule personnel to provide adequate coverage and service while meeting department budget objectives.
Inspect produce sections daily and take corrective action to maintain freshness, quality, in-stock conditions, sanitation, and safety.
Rotate products and discard outdated or spoiled products.
Assist with receiving, cleaning, trimming, cutting, watering, and displaying produce.
Create promotional and seasonal displays; control shrink and expenses; complete and monitor required logs, reports, paperwork, and records.
Order, check, receive, and control inventory; take periodic inventories and maintain accurate department records.
Maintain and organize the produce work area and cooler.
Ensure produce quality, freshness, quantity, merchandising, signing, and product-flow standards are met.
Comply with retail labeling laws, federal and state regulations, company policies, and applicable health and food-safety standards.
Check competitors' prices, product variety, and merchandising procedures.
Assist customers with product suggestions and suggestive selling, and make intercom announcements.
Maintain cleanliness and sanitation of the sales floor, work area, cooler, equipment, wet boxes, and cases.
Answer and respond to incoming calls; resolve customer complaints and report them to the Store Director as appropriate.
Assist with emergency procedures when equipment or computer software malfunctions.
Ensure associates are trained and instructed in their duties; monitor performance, resolve associate complaints, and report observations or concerns to the Store Director as appropriate.
Maintain confidentiality concerning associates, store sales, and other company information.
Perform all duties safely, accurately, honestly, and with integrity, as well as other necessary and required duties.