General Manager at Wild Onion Market – Chicago, Illinois

About Wild Onion Market

Wild Onion Market is a mission-driven, member-owned grocery store serving Rogers Park and nearby communities. We exist to provide high-quality food, an inclusive and welcoming customer experience, and meaningful community impact rooted in cooperative values. We are seeking a hands-on, outcomes-oriented General Manager (GM) to grow sales, deliver operational excellence—especially in Produce—and articulate and execute a compelling vision for a cooperative market in Rogers Park.

Position Summary

The General Manager is Wild Onion’s chief executive responsible for overall performance, financial sustainability, and daily operations in alignment with Board policy and cooperative principles. The GM sets direction and operating discipline, leads the team to execute consistently, and serves as a visible ambassador to member-owners and the broader community. This role combines strategic leadership with sleeves-rolled-up retail execution.

Core Outcomes (What You’ll Be Accountable For)

Within the first 12–18 months, the GM will be expected to demonstrate the following capabilities, during our transition from an operational to a strategic board:

• Deliver sustained sales growth and improved customer loyalty.
• Establish best-in-class stock excellence (freshness, display standards, in-stocks, shrink control, receiving and cold-chain routines) and local product selection.
• Improve profitability and cash discipline through margin management, labor productivity, inventory turns, and expense control.
• Build a high-performing, accountable management team and staff culture aligned to cooperative values.
• Strengthen Wild Onion’s community relevance and member-owner engagement in Rogers Park and nearby communities.
• Maintain strong, transparent partnership with the Board, with clear reporting and decision-ready recommendations.

Key Responsibilities

1) Strategy, Vision & Execution Rhythm

• Articulate a clear vision for Wild Onion as a cooperative market in Rogers Park and surrounding communities; translate vision into strategy, annual goals, and marketing and operating plans that translate into the market’s capture of a growing percentage of total neighborhood spend.
• Establish an execution cadence: weekly KPI reviews, monthly business reviews, and quarterly planning/checkpoints.
• Identify growth opportunities (assortment, promotions, prepared foods, foot traffic, membership growth, expanding loyalty sales, partnerships) and drive prioritized initiatives to completion.
• Monitor local competition and grocery trends; adapt strategy and store execution accordingly.

2) Sales Growth, Merchandising & Customer Experience

• Own retail fundamentals: assortment strategy, pricing integrity, promotions, planograms/standards, and endcap/seasonal execution.
• Improve in-stocks, conversion, basket size, and trip frequency through disciplined merchandising and customer experience management.
• Partner with marketing/outreach to drive measurable results—traffic, sales, and membership growth—through campaigns, events, and community storytelling.
• Build a differentiated product offering, with an emphasis on growing relationships with local and regional suppliers and providing a culturally relevant assortment that reflects the cultural and economic diversity of Rogers Park.

3) Operational Excellence

• Set and enforce storewide operating standards (SOPs) for receiving, ordering, inventory, sanitation, food safety, and service.
• Ensure compliance with all food safety and regulatory requirements; create a culture of safety, cleanliness, and accountability.
• Oversee facilities/maintenance to ensure a clean, safe, and inviting shopping environment.
• Lead (or delegate) stock excellence as a signature capability of the store:
• Freshness/quality standards and daily culling routines
• Cold-chain discipline and receiving processes
• Display standards and seasonal merchandising
• Shrink prevention and accurate ordering/forecasting
• Labor planning and cross-training to support peak execution

4) Financial Management & Controls

• Own full P&L performance: budgeting, forecasting, cash management, labor planning, margin strategy, shrink control, and expense discipline.
• Establish operational controls (inventory accuracy, cash handling, vendor management, price integrity).
• Use data to drive decisions: identify root causes, set targets, and implement corrective actions.
• Develop decision-ready recommendations for investments (capex, systems, staffing) supported by business cases and ROI logic.

5) People Leadership & Culture

• Recruit, develop, and retain a high-performing leadership team and staff; build bench strength and succession plans.
• Create a performance culture: clear expectations, coaching, feedback, and timely accountability.
• Implement training systems for customer service, department standards, food safety, and leadership development.
• Foster an inclusive, respectful workplace aligned with cooperative values.

6) Member, Community & Board Partnership

• Strengthen member-owner engagement through cooperative education, events, feedback loops, and transparent communication.
• Maintain strong communication with the Board: concise reporting on KPIs, risks, and priorities; clear escalation of issues; collaboration on strategy and annual planning.
• Operate effectively within governance boundaries—Board sets policy and direction; GM leads operations and execution.
• Serve as a visible community leader and ambassador; build partnerships with neighborhood organizations, schools, nonprofits, and local businesses.

Competencies (How You Work)

• Commercial leadership: proven ability to grow sales and improve margin in grocery/food retail.
• Operational rigor: systems mindset; discipline in routines, standards, and continuous improvement.
• Produce/perishables mastery: deep expertise in produce quality, shrink control, receiving/cold-chain, and merchandising.
• Financial acumen: strong command of budgets, forecasting, and KPI-based management.
• Talent builder: hires well, coaches leaders, builds accountability, and creates a positive culture.
• Community-centered communicator: credible with staff, owners, vendors, and community stakeholders; clear, transparent, and persuasive.
• Values alignment: authentic commitment to cooperative principles, equity, and community impact.

Qualifications

Required

• 5+ years of progressive grocery/food retail leadership with direct P&L responsibility (GM/Store Director/Operations Director or equivalent).
• Demonstrated track record of sales growth and operational improvement.
• Strong experience leading perishables operations—especially produce—including shrink, food safety, ordering, and merchandising standards.
• Proven people leadership and performance management capability.
• Comfort using retail systems and data (POS, inventory/ordering, scheduling/labor tools).

Preferred

• Experience in a co-op, mission-driven, or community-rooted retail organization.
• Experience partnering with a governing Board and operating within policy frameworks.
• Experience driving membership/loyalty growth and community partnerships with measurable business outcomes.

Salary and Benefits

• Projected base salary range is $70,000-$85,000. Actual salaries may vary depending on factors including, but not limited to, skills and experience.
• Medical coverage option available

Work Environment & Schedule

This is a full-time, store-based leadership role requiring regular on-site presence. Schedule includes some evenings/weekends based on store needs, peak periods, community events, and Board meetings.

Equal Opportunity

Wild Onion Food Co-op is an equal opportunity employer committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace and community.

Important Disclaimer Notice

The job duties, elements and responsibilities, skills, functions, experience, educational factors, requirements and conditions listed in this job description are representative only and not exhaustive of the tasks that the employee may be required to perform. The Co-op does reserve the right to revise this job description at any time and require employees to perform other job duties as assigned.