Store Operations Manager - Retail Excellence

Job Summary

The Store Operations Manager serves as a key leader for Hometown Grocers, driving operational performance, compliance, and continuous improvement across retail locations. Working closely with Store Managers, this role conducts structured audits, identifies operational gaps, coaches store leadership, and helps build action plans to elevate total-store execution, ensuring each location achieves targeted projections and financial results.

Job Description

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES & ESSENTIAL DUTIES

1. Operational Excellence 

• Field Leadership & Routine Visits: Conduct routine store visits across all locations with a sharp focus on operational excellence, program execution, compliance and overall store performance. Provide clear insight and guidance to help each store achieve its operational goals and metrics.
• Store Audits & Quality Integrity: Perform both announced and unannounced visits across locations using company scorecards. Audit total-store conditions, including fresh departments, merchandising standards, inventory, food safety, sanitation, and guest experience.
• Accountability & Corrective Action: Document operational gaps, review findings with Store Managers, assign clear resolution timelines, and perform follow-up assessments to validate sustained improvements.
• Best Practice Standardizations: Develop, review, implement, and continually reassess new operational best practices with store leadership. Identify high-performing store workflows and share them across all regional locations.
• Operational Execution: Ensure meticulous planning and execution of all store activities and operations in full alignment with established company standards.

2. Talent Management, Coaching & Cultural Alignment

• Cultural Leadership: Actively maintain and champion company culture through leading by example and holding leadership teams accountable to shared values and behaviors.
• Leadership Coaching & Onboarding: Lead, coach, and reinforce guest service and operational performance expectations to Store Managers and store leadership teams. Support onboarding for new Store Managers and foster accountability through consistent feedback and recognition.
• Performance Management & Development:
• Review Store performance metrics, providing timely coaching, actionable feedback, and recognition.
• Deliver and share performance feedback and audit findings to VP, General Manager 

3. Financial Management & Operational Decision-Making

• Financial Accountability: Contributes to strong operational and financial results across stores. Partner with Store Managers to identify financial performance opportunities and develop measurable improvement plans.
• Financial & Operational Analysis: Analyze store-level key performance indicators (sales, gross margin, labor productivity, shrink, and inventory accuracy) to identify operational risks and capture profitability opportunities.
• Objective Field Decision-Making: Provide effective, objective decisions and recommendations to Store Managers regarding operational choices in work procedures, inventory allocations, new product purchases, scheduling, and other complex store scenarios to maximize operating results.
• Labor & Resource Allocation: Monitor labor budgets against real-time sales volume to optimize labor schedules, control overtime, and protect customer service standards during peak shopping windows.

4. Communication & Collaboration

• Cross-Functional Partnership: Frequently partner with Human Resources, Asset Protection, Cash Office/Finance, and Marketing teams to streamline communications, ensure program success, and remove store-level operational barriers.
• Structured Meeting Facilitation:
• Collaborate, plan, and facilitate annual to biannual Store Manager Meetings of operations initiatives, excellence and strategic goals.
• Develop and deliver content during weekly Store Manager meetings to share critical company information, build team knowledge, and foster peer collaboration.
• Strategic Initiatives & Feedback: Support field implementations for store improvement projects or acquisitions, pilot new technologies and processes, and provide direct field-level feedback to executive leadership.

RELATIONSHIPS AND CONTACTS

• Supervisory Relationships:
• Directly reports to the VP, General Manager - HGI
• Organization Relationships:
• Daily contact with all levels of store management to provide direct support and guidance
• Frequent contact with all levels of store management to gain information, direct partnership on joint projects and utilize expertise
• Frequent partnership with Perishables and Non-perishables leadership teams as well as all other support departments to ensure operational success
• Expect to be available Monday’s mornings for a weekly Operations Meeting 
• Additional meetings beyond Monday will be required depending on projects / initiatives

QUALIFICATIONS

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential job duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skills, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Experience: 5+ years of progressive grocery retail leadership (e.g., Store Manager, Assistant Store Manager, or equivalent). Multi-store experience is preferred.

Key Skills:

• Strong knowledge of grocery fresh departments (Meat/Seafood, Produce, Deli, Bakery) and food safety regulations.
• Practical understanding of store financials, labor scheduling, shrink management, and inventory controls.
• Demonstrated ability to coach, influence, and hold store teams accountable.
• Tech-literate (proficiency with tablet-based audit tools, and Google Workspace).
• Requirements: Valid driver’s license; ability to travel 70%–80% in WI.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS & WORK ENVIRONMENT

The physical demands and work environment described below are representative of those that must be met by an associate to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

• Regularly required to stand, walk, and use hands to handle or move products throughout the shift.
• Frequently required to reach, bend, stoop, kneel, or crouch.
• Must be able to lift and/or move up to 50 lbs. with or without assistance.
• May be required to work in varying temperatures including refrigerated areas (coolers/freezers).
• Exposed to a retail store environment with frequent guest and team member interaction.
• Requires fine finger and broad manual dexterity, and eye-hand-foot coordination in order to operate equipment. 
• This position requires the employee to have the ability to have full range of upper body motion in order to occasionally lift stock.  Requires the ability to perform repetitive tasks for prolonged periods of time.

WORK SCHEDULE

The work schedule will include mornings, afternoons, evenings, weekends, and holidays. 

• Ability to travel within the state of WI, up to 80% of the time in order to visit all stores in WI on a routine basis and conduct store walks that take a minimum of 1 to 1.5 hours to complete.
• As a 24/7 business operation, this role is expected to work at least one weekend day during most work weeks, Saturdays and some Sundays are considered part of the work week.