General Manager, Food Distribution Center

The Common Market•Bedford Park, IL

6d•$100,000 - $100,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Common Market is seeking a hands-on General Manager to lead the daily performance of its Great Lakes food distribution center in Bedford Park, Illinois. The role oversees warehouse, fleet, food safety, and frontline teams, and is accountable for service, safety, staffing, cost, and continuous improvement—from receiving and inventory control through order fulfillment and delivery. The GM makes day-to-day decisions independently and works with the Executive Director, Sales, Customer Support, and VP of Operations to develop staff and support growth. The position leads warehouse activities for fresh and perishable products, including safe handling and cold-chain practices, inventory accuracy, product rotation, traceability, and controls to limit shrink, spoilage, and waste. It also directs transportation and fleet operations, including the five-truck fleet, driver scheduling, route execution, vehicle readiness, and applicable compliance. The GM oversees site-level implementation of the SQF food safety program in coordination with designated food safety personnel, and maintains compliance with applicable HACCP, FSMA, sanitation, temperature-control, and customer requirements. The role also leads hiring and performance management, manages site labor and operating budgets, tracks operational KPIs, resolves issues, and implements practical process improvements. Success includes reliable delivery and fleet operations, accurate inventory, safe food handling, strong audit performance, cost control, and frontline accountability. The role is full-time and onsite at the Great Lakes distribution facility, 7424 S Lockwood Ave, Bedford Park, IL 60638. Salary is $100,000 annually.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent relevant experience.
7–12+ years in operations, logistics, or distribution, including 3–5+ years leading frontline or supervisory teams.
Experience in a food-handling environment.
Demonstrated experience with warehouse operations, inventory management, and order fulfillment.
Experience overseeing delivery drivers, transportation operations, and fleet maintenance.
Working knowledge of SQF, HACCP, FSMA, or comparable food safety systems, including audit or corrective-action processes.
Experience managing operational budgets, analyzing costs, and making decisions that affect site-level financial performance.
Ability to lead multiple functions in a lean operation; strong communication, organization, and problem-solving skills.

Nice To Haves

Direct food distribution, foodservice, fresh produce, refrigerated distribution, or comparable perishable-food operations experience.
Experience with refrigerated trucking.

Responsibilities

Lead receiving, storage, picking, packing, staging, and shipment of fresh and perishable products while maintaining safe handling and cold-chain practices.
Maintain inventory accuracy, product rotation, traceability, and controls to reduce shrink, spoilage, and waste.
Manage warehouse staffing, equipment, workflow, order accuracy, productivity, and service-level performance.
Oversee procurement coordination, inventory availability, and product flow, partnering with Sales and Customer Support to meet customer commitments.
Direct route execution, driver scheduling, safe loading, dispatch, and on-time delivery.
Oversee the five-truck fleet, including preventive maintenance, vehicle inspections, repairs, and operational readiness.
Supervise drivers and oversee applicable DOT compliance, vehicle safety, route efficiency, and transportation costs.
Oversee site-level implementation of the SQF food safety program, including audit readiness, corrective actions, documentation, and staff compliance, in coordination with designated food safety personnel.
Maintain compliance with applicable HACCP, FSMA, sanitation, temperature-control, and customer requirements.
Lead hiring, onboarding, scheduling, coaching, and performance management for warehouse and driver teams.
Develop and manage site-level labor and operating budgets; analyze costs and make decisions affecting site-level financial performance.
Track operational KPIs, including productivity, order accuracy, safety, on-time delivery, labor efficiency, and product waste.
Resolve operational problems proactively and implement practical process improvements.