Produce Specialist

• HOUCHENS FOOD GROUP, INC.
• Produce Specialist
• Department: Produce Job Status: Full Time
• FLSA Status: Exempt Reports To: Produce Director
• Grade/Level: High School or Equivalent Amount of Travel Required: Travel Required
• Work Schedule: Positions Supervised:
• Hours that best suit produce operation and meet Produce Manager
• customer's needs, scheduled by the Produce Director
• Nights and weekends might be necessary.

COMMUNICATIONS

• Communicate with all stakeholders’ information pertinent information of the company standards in relation to day to day information as it applies to their operation.
• Weekly Agenda— the specialist will be responsible for communicating their weekly itinerary for the upcoming week to the director of their department. This will be listed by store and include the purpose for the visit.
• Quarterly meetings with district manager, store manager, department manager and store staff to review YTD performance goals and upcoming seasonal changes.
• The specialists are responsible to communicate any product quality issues (from our suppliers) to the department director.
• Operational issues, personnel issues, should be discussed with the store manager and the district manager.
• Promotional opportunities and merchandising opportunities should be communicated to the department manager and store manager by the produce supervisor.
• The specialist will be expected to schedule one day per quarter to visit stores with each district manager in their territory.

STORE VISIT

• At the beginning of the store visit the specialist should introduce them self to the store manager and briefly explain the purpose of the visit. The specialist should then walk the department with the store manager and discuss any opportunities.
• Insure store management and department employees follow through with established programs such as sanitation, processing, pricing, display merchandising, weights, measurements, tares, scanning, receiving, record keeping, refrigeration, inventory and customer service.
• Sharing and reviewing measured performance of sales, shrink, distribution, gross profit and labor with store management and department manager.
• Before leaving the store the specialist will be responsible for completing the “Store Audit”; this audit will be used to document their store visit and to identify areas that need to be addressed.
• The specialist should make a brief walk through of the store to assess the overall store condition (is the store ready for business?).
• The specialist should walk the department with the department manager and the store manager (or P.I.C.), and discuss the store audit (covering areas of concern until the next visit).
• A copy of the “store audit” should be left at store level, a copy sent to the director, and a copy kept by the specialist.
• Upon leaving the store the specialist should call the district manager and briefly communicate the results of the visit.

SUPPORT

• Develop, support motivate and direct department employees in a manner to achieve maximum sales, profits within the operational budget.
• Direct and coordinate activities of the produce department with production, pricing, plan o grams, sales, gross profits and distribution.
• Assist in establishing and implementing departmental policies, goals, objectives and procedures.
• Assist store management with staffing, recruiting, hiring, interviewing and training. As well as recommendations regarding demoting and terminating when necessary.
• Support of advertising plans, sales planner, promotions, allocations and display plans.

MEASUREMENTS

• Constantly measure and evaluate data analytics in taking corrective actions when needed.
• Competition checks
• Review and interpret financial statements, sales and activity reports. Along with data performance to measure productivity and goal achievement to determine areas needing program improvement.

TRAINING

• Continued development of the of our store personnel which includes store management and department personnel.
• Developing and mentoring department mangers and staff in growing their skill levels.
• Direct and implement customer service programs.
• Direct and implement skill level programs such as Pro Flow program, inventory levels, category managements, signage, CTO, movement reports and problem solving.
• Must be proficient in basic of operational standards such as freshness, rotation, inventory level (orders), backroom conditions.

JOB REQUIREMENTS AND DUTIES

• Must maintain the highest level of customer service at all times.
• Unassisted lifting of objects in excess of 50 pounds.
• Overnight stay during the work week may be required.
• Ability and willingness to work flexible hours including evenings, weekends and holidays to meet the needs of the business, regular on-site attendance is required
• Ability to handle multiple projects and tasks with a high attention to detail.
• Standing and walking for extended periods of time.
• Moving, lifting, and bending constitute a major part of your daily activities.
• Physical and mental dexterity to work all duties of the job.
• Must have the capacity to take initiative when problems arise.
• Any other job related tasks.

POSITION QUALIFICATIONS

• Competency Statement(s)
• Accountability - Ability to accept responsibility and account for his/her actions.
• Accurate - Ability to perform work accurately and thoroughly.
• Assertiveness - Ability to act in a self-confident manner to facilitate completion of a work assignment or to defend a position or idea.
• Communication, Oral - Ability to communicate effectively with others using the spoken word.
• Communication, Written - Ability to communicate in writing clearly and concisely.
• Customer Oriented - Ability to take care of the customers’ needs while following company procedures.
• Decision Making - Ability to make critical decisions while following company procedures.
• Detail Oriented - Ability to pay attention to the minute details of a project or task.
• Honesty / Integrity - Ability to be truthful and be seen as credible in the workplace.
• Leadership - Ability to influence others to perform their jobs effectively and to be responsible for making decisions.
• Management Skills - Ability to organize and direct oneself and effectively supervise others.
• Motivation - Ability to inspire oneself and others to reach a goal and/or perform to the best of their ability.
• Organized - Possessing the trait of being organized or following a systematic method of performing a task.
• Problem Solving - Ability to find a solution for or to deal proactively with work-related problems.
• Reliability - The trait of being dependable and trustworthy.
• Responsible - Ability to be held accountable or answerable for one’s conduct.
• Self-Motivated - Ability to be internally inspired to perform a task to the best of one’s ability using his or her own drive or initiative.
• Team Building - Ability to convince a group of people to work toward a goal.
• Time Management - Ability to utilize the available time to organize and complete work within given deadlines.
• Education
• High School Graduate or General Education Degree (GED)
• Experience
• No prior experience necessary
• SKILLS & ABILITIES
• Computer Skills
• General

Other Requirements

• Required to have access to a phone at all times and able to perform basic math calculations.
• PHYSICAL DEMANDS
• Physical Abilities Lift /Carry
• Stand F (Frequently) 10 lbs or less C (Constantly)
• Walk F (Frequently) 11-20 lbs C (Constantly)
• Sit O (Occasionally) 21-50 lbs F (Frequently)
• Handling / Fingering C (Constantly) 51-100 lbs F (Frequently)
• Reach Outward F (Frequently) Over 100 lbs O (Occasionally)
• Reach Above Shoulder F (Frequently)
• Climb O (Occasionally)
• Crawl O (Occasionally)
• Squat or Kneel F (Frequently)
• Bend F (Frequently)
• Push / Pull
• 12 lbs or less F (Frequently)
• 13-25 lbs F (Frequently)
• 26-40 lbs F (Frequently)
• 41-100 lbs O (Occasionally)
• N (Not Applicable) Activity is not applicable to this occupation.
• O (Occasionally) Occupation requires this activity up to 33% of the time (0 - 2.5+ hrs/day)
• F (Frequently) Occupation requires this activity from 33% - 66% of the time (2.5 - 5.5+ hrs/day)
• C (Constantly) Occupation requires this activity more than 66% of the time (5.5+ hrs/day)

Other Physical Requirements

Vision (near, distance, color, peripheral, depth perception)

• Sense of Sound (Must be able to hear emergency sirens such as fire drill.)
• Sense of Smell
• Sense of Touch
• Ability to wear Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) (Agree to wear black belt when lifting and handling heavy
• objects.)
• WORK ENVIRONMENT
• Grocery/Produce Department
• Prepared by: ____________________________ Date: _______________________________
• Approval Signature: ___________________________ Date: ____________________________
• Approval: ___________________________________
• Approval: ___________________________________
• The company has reviewed this job description to ensure that essential functions and basic duties have been included. It is not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all functions, responsibilities, skills and abilities. Additional functions and requirements may be assigned by supervisors as deemed appropriate.

Houchens Food Group is an equal opportunity employer. Hiring decisions are made without regard to race, color, sex, national origin, religion, disability, or pregnancy. Applicants may request accommodations based on religious beliefs, disability, or pregnancy.

Subject to pre-employment background and drug screening.