Director, Produce

Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation; Phoenix (AZ); On-site; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive pay

15% discount for household members

Vacation accrual plan

Flexible schedules

Employee Assistance Program

401(K) Retirement savings plan with a

Job summary

Sprouts Farmers Market is seeking a Director of Produce Merchandising to drive a 3- to 5-year strategy for Produce and Floral, strengthening the brand as a fresh, high-quality destination. You will lead cross-functional teams, optimize category performance, and build strong supplier partnerships to deliver growth, margin, and exceptional customer experiences.

The role requires a track record of translating strategy into executable plans, strong analytics, and the ability to influence across

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
• 10+ years of progressive retail merchandising, category management, buying, or fresh food leadership experience; produce experience strongly preferred.
• Strong commercial leadership with experience translating strategy into executable plans that deliver measurable sales, margin, shrink, and customer experience results.
• Ability to lead a fresh business with multiple operational touchpoints, including sourcing, replenishment, store execution, and quality.
• Proven ability to build differentiated category strategies, simplify assortments, improve item productivity, increase customer relevance, and strengthen Sprouts’ market position.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to connect financial, customer, competitive, commodity, and store-level insights into clear business actions.
• Demonstrated strength in supplier strategy, negotiations, vendor accountability, cost management, funding, innovation development, and service-level improvement.
• Ability to influence merchandising, sourcing, supply chain, operations, finance, marketing, ecommerce, analytics, and field leadership.
• Leadership style that is direct, accountable, collaborative, and action-oriented, with the ability to raise issues early and drive resolution.
• Proven ability to develop talent, build organizational capability, strengthen succession pipelines, clarify ownership, and hold teams accountable to results.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to simplify complex topics and make clear recommendations to senior leadership.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development and execution of the 3-5 year strategy for Produce and Floral.
• Accountable for category sales, gross margin, shrink, inventory productivity, market share, and overall financial performance.
• Lead with urgency, accountability, and cross-functional influence to optimize store execution and customer experience.
• Build and lead strategic supplier partnerships that enhance quality, innovation, cost competitiveness, service levels, and exclusive product opportunities.
• Lead integrated merchandising strategies across physical and digital channels with cross-functional teams to drive enterprise alignment.
• Oversee resolution efforts for significant issues while driving sustainable improvements.
• Maintain strong field and supplier engagement to translate strategies to stores.
• Develop talent, succession planning, and coaching to strengthen team performance.

Skills

Category management

Merchandising leadership

Analytical skills

Vendor negotiations

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Job description

Overview

Job Description The Director of Produce Merchandising leads the strategy and execution for half of the Produce and Floral business and is accountable for strengthening Sprouts’ position as a preferred produce destination through differentiated customer experiences, category growth, and market share expansion. This leader is accountable for building a customer‑leading experience that reflects Sprouts’ brand promise: fresh, differentiated and quality driven. The role owns category strategy, financial performance, assortment architecture, pricing and promotion strategy, supplier partnerships, innovation, and store execution readiness. This leader must be able to connect the big picture to the details—turning customer insights, commodity trends, vendor opportunities, and store feedback into clear plans that drive sales, margin, freshness, availability, shrink improvement, and stronger item productivity. The Director will lead with urgency, accountability, and cross‑functional influence while developing a high‑performing team that can simplify the business, strengthen execution, and make Sprouts a more compelling destination for produce & floral, the heart of the store.

Overview Of Responsibilities

• Lead the development and execution of the 3-5 year strategy
• Accountable for category sales, gross margin, shrink, inventory productivity, market share, and overall financial performance.
• The Director of Produce Merchandising leads the strategy and execution for half of the Produce and Floral business and is accountable for strengthening Sprouts’ position as a preferred produce destination through differentiated customer experiences, category growth, and market share expansion.
• Leverage customer insights, competitive intelligence, commodity trends, and business analytics to identify opportunities and make strategic commercial decisions.
• Build and lead strategic supplier partnerships that enhance quality, innovation, cost competitiveness, service levels, and exclusive product opportunities.
• Lead integrated merchandising strategies across physical and digital channels, partnering with Sourcing, Supply Chain, Replenishment, Planning, Operations, Finance, Marketing, Ecommerce, and Field Leadership to drive enterprise alignment, customer engagement, and execution excellence.
• Lead cross‑functional response and resolution efforts for significant quality, supply, service, or customer‑impacting issues while driving sustainable improvements.
• Maintain strong field and supplier engagement to identify trends, remove execution barriers, and ensure strategies translate effectively to stores.
• Build organizational capability through leadership development, succession planning, talent strategies, and coaching that strengthen team performance and bench strength.
• Provide clear communication and strategic recommendations to senior leadership regarding business performance, risks, opportunities, and key decisions.
• Shape enterprise merchandising priorities by influencing strategic decisions, evaluating investment opportunities, and aligning category strategies with company growth objectives.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
• 10+ years of progressive retail merchandising, category management, buying, or fresh food leadership experience; produce experience strongly preferred.
• Strong commercial leadership with experience translating strategy into executable plans that deliver measurable sales, margin, shrink, and customer experience results.
• Ability to lead a fresh business with multiple operational touchpoints, including sourcing, replenishment, store execution, and quality.
• Proven ability to build differentiated category strategies, simplify assortments, improve item productivity, increase customer relevance, and strengthen Sprouts’ market position.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to connect financial, customer, competitive, commodity, and store‑level insights into clear business actions.
• Demonstrated strength in supplier strategy, negotiations, vendor accountability, cost management, funding, innovation development, and service‑level improvement.
• Ability to influence merchandising, sourcing, supply chain, operations, finance, marketing, ecommerce, analytics, and field leadership.
• Leadership style that is direct, accountable, collaborative, and action‑oriented, with the ability to raise issues early and drive resolution.
• Proven ability to develop talent, build organizational capability, strengthen succession pipelines, clarify ownership, and hold teams accountable to results.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to simplify complex topics and make clear recommendations to senior leadership.

Benefits

In addition to a rewarding career, Sprouts offers a comprehensive program to help support you and your family. These programs include:

• Competitive pay
• Sick time plan that you can use to support you or your immediate families health
• Vacation accrual plan
• Opportunities for career growth
• 15% discount for you and one other family member in your household on all purchases made at Sprouts
• Flexible schedules
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• 401(K) Retirement savings plan with a generous company match
• Company paid life insurance
• Contests and appreciation events throughout the year full of prizes, food and fun!

Eligibility Requirements May Apply For The Following Benefits

• Bonus based on company and/or individual performance
• Affordable benefit coverage, including medical, dental and vision
• Health Savings Account with company match
• Pre‑tax Flexible Spending Accounts for healthcare and dependent care
• Company paid short‑term disability coverage
• Paid parental leave for both mothers and fathers
• Paid holidays

Get Paid Every Day!

Sprouts Farmers Market offers DailyPay - if you’re hired as an eligible employee, you’ll be able to transfer the money you’ve already earned at no extra cost, and get it the next business day, for free. We offer DailyPay so you don’t have to wait for payday to access the money you’ve already worked for. With DailyPay, you can see how much you’ve made every day and you can transfer your money any time before payday.

You can learn more by visiting https://www.dailypay.com/partners/sprouts-farmers-market/.

Why Sprouts

Grow with us!

If you have a passion for inspiring people and a flair for fresh food, consider applying for a job at Sprouts! With a focus on customer service, our neighborhood grocery stores offer high-quality, farm fresh produce, natural meats, plenty of scoop‑your‑own bulk goods and much more in a fun, friendly, old‑fashioned farmer’s market setting. Come grow your career in healthy living with a fast‑paced, rapidly growing company and teams that pride themselves on empowering others along their journey.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of the work being performed by people assigned to this work. This is not an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, and requirements. Sprouts’ management reserves the right to amend and change duties, responsibilities, and requirements to meet business and organizational needs as necessary.

Sprouts will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of the Fair Chance in Hiring Ordinance.

California Residents: We collect information in accordance with California law, please see here for more information.