Full Time Cheese Master

Harristeeter; Charlottesville (VA); On-site; USD 22,000 - 36,000; Full time

Job summary

Murray’s Cheese Shop at Harris Teeter in Charlottesville, VA is seeking an experienced Store Manager to lead the Murray’s Cheese experience, train staff, and drive sales through expert product knowledge and proactive service.

You will coordinate in-store tastings, classes, and events; ensure food safety and stocking; manage budgets and labor; foster teamwork and a strong customer focus.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or GED; or related experience and training.
• Excellent communication skills and ability to multi-task.
• Willing to taste cheese and support cheese business initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Create and maintain Murray’s Cheese experience: interactive service, product education, cross-selling, merchandising.
• Train staff in Murray’s operations and products; maintain knowledgeable, friendly team.
• Place orders and maintain inventory; comply with safety and labeling procedures.
• Set up weekly in-store selling events (tastings, classes, dinners).
• Meet or exceed budgetary goals for the Murray’s Cheese Shop.

Skills

Communication

Customer Focus

Adaptability

Planning and organizing

Decision Making

Managing Work

Safety Awareness

Education

High school diploma or GED

Job description

Responsible for creating a unique customer cheese experience that will embody the food passion, cheese knowledge, interactive customer service, team leadership and industry leading merchandising that is uniquely Murray’s Cheese. Work closely with Fresh Foods Merchandising and District Staff, as well as the direct reports to create an environment of outgoing, personal, theatrical cheese retailing within the store environment. Role Model proactive selling and superior product knowledge to drive sales in a targeted manner.

Essential Job Functions

• Create and maintain the Murray’s Cheese experience: interactive customer service, ongoing product education, effective cross-selling, merchandising, pushing and promoting designated products
• Maintain knowledgeable, efficient, friendly staff fully trained in Murray’s operations and products
• Ensure all Harris Teeter and Murray’s policies, operating standards, and procedures are communicated effectively, maintained, and followed at all times
• Ensure that staff adheres to all Food Safety, HACCP and Sanitation Procedures
• Place orders and maintain inventory
• Responsible for setting up weekly in store selling events (cross-departmental tastings, classes, dinners)
• Contribute to store goals for increasing sales and improving profit
• Effectively control shrink and waste by following Murray’s and Harris Teeter’s best practices
• Control labor expenses through appropriate scheduling
• Meet and/or exceed budgetary goals for the Murray’s Cheese Shop
• Offer product samples to help customers discover new items or products they inquire about.
• Inform customers of Murray's Cheese specials.
• Provide customers with fresh products that they have ordered and the correct portion size, or as close as possible to the amount ordered, to prevent shrink.
• Adequately prepare, package, label and inventory ingredients in merchandise.
• Check product quality to ensure freshness.
• Review "sell by" dates and take appropriate action.
• Label, stock and inventory department merchandise.
• Adhere to all local, state, and federal health and civil code regulations.
• Comply with all state, county and local weights and measures laws and labeling requirements.
• Ensure proper temperatures in cases and coolers are maintained and temperature logs are maintained.

Reinforce safety programs by complying with safety procedures and identify unsafe conditions and notify store management.
Practice preventive maintenance by properly inspecting equipment and notify appropriate department or store manager of any items in need of repair.
Notify management of customer or employee accidents.
Report all safety risks, or issues and illegal activity, including: robbery, theft or fraud.

Competencies/Skills:

• Adaptability - Maintaining effectiveness when experiencing major changes in work tasks or the work environment; adjusting effectively to work within new work structures, processes, requirements, or cultures.
• Building Strategic Working Relationships - Developing and using collaborative relationships to facilitate the accomplishment of work goals.
• Building Trust - Interacting with others in a way that gives them confidence in one's intentions and those of the organization.
• Communication - Clearly conveying information and ideas through a variety of media to individuals or groups in a manner that engages the audience and helps them understand and retain the message
• Customer Focus - Making customers and their needs a primary focus of one's actions; developing and sustaining productive customer relationships.
• Continuous Improvement – Originating action to improve existing conditions and processes, using appropriate methods to identify opportunities, implement solutions, and measure impact.
• Decision Making – Identifying and understanding issues, problems, and opportunities; comparing data from different sources to draw conclusions; using effective approaches for choosing a course of action or developing appropriate solutions; taking action that is consistent with available facts, constraints, and probable consequences.
• Inclusion – Appreciating and leveraging the capabilities, insights, and ideas of all individuals. Working effectively with individuals of diverse style, ability, and motivation for a direct effect on business results.
• Managing Work (includes Time Management) – Effectively managing one’s time and resources to ensure that work is completed efficiently.
• Planning and organizing – Establishing courses of action for self and others to ensure that work is completed efficiently.
• Results Oriented – Setting high goals for personal and group accomplishment: using measurement methods to monitor progress toward goal attainment: tenaciously working to meet or exceed those goals while deriving satisfaction from the process of goal achievement and continuous improvement.
• Safety Awareness - Identifying and correcting conditions that affect employee safety; upholding safety standards.
• Technical/Professional Knowledge, Compliance and Skills – Achieving a satisfactory level of technical and professional skill or knowledge in position and/or related areas; keeping up with current developments and trends in areas of expertise. Ensures associates and location comply with laws and regulation applicable to the company.

Management experience &/or Food Retail Experience &/or 2 year Culinary Degree
Willing to taste cheese, in accordance with company policies.
Supportive of cheese business initiatives
Able to inspire, motivate and train staff while ensuring successful completion of all assigned tasks
Excellent communication skills
Ability to multi-task
Able to stand for long periods of time
A strong desire to learn, enthusiasm for the product, and an interest and willingness to try new and innovative approaches (to service, management and merchandising) will have a critical impact on the success of this position.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Associates must be at least 18 years of age.

PERSONAL SKILLS.

Exceptional interpersonal skills. Willingness to participate in and successfully complete required training and to work with the team to increase customer satisfaction and sales.

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE.

High school diploma or general education degree (GED); or one to three months related experience and/or training; or equivalent combination of education and experience.

LANGUAGE SKILLS.

Ability to read and comprehend simple instructions, short correspondence, and memos [in English]. Ability to write simple correspondence [in English]. Ability to effectively present information in one‑on‑one and small group situations to customers, clients, and other associates of the organization who only speak English.

MATHEMATICAL SKILLS.

Ability to add and subtract two-digit numbers and to perform these operations using units of American money and weight measurement.

REASONING ABILITY.

Ability to apply commonsense understanding to carry out detailed but uninvolved written or oral instructions. Ability to deal with problems involving a few concrete variables in standardized situations.

CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS.

Complete Company.s training including but not limited to: new hire orientation, food sanitation, customer service network, safety, food safety, and product knowledge.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS.

The physical demands described here 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 the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the associate is regularly required to stand; walk; use hands to handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; talk or hear; and taste or smell. The associate is occasionally required to climb or balance and stoop, kneel, or crouch. The associate must regularly lift and/or move up to 30 pounds [occasionally lift up to 50 pounds] and reaches from 6-72 inches. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, color, and depth perception.

WORK ENVIRONMENT.

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an associate encounter while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the associate constantly works in a moderate environment and is frequently exposed to hot, cool, and extreme cold, moving mechanical parts, fumes or airborne particles, and toxic or caustic chemicals. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate to loud.

Additional Information

Compensation

• Pay Transparency: Harris Teeter reasonably expects to pay between $15.50/hour and $25.50/hour for this role as a newly hired associate. Pay may depend on previous experience and skill sets of the applicant.

You will be eligible for Harris Teeter’s group benefit plans that pertain to your position upon the completion of applicable waiting periods. Your eligibility for these benefits is subject to the terms of the applicable plan and Harris Teater policy.

Equal access to employment, services and programs is available to all persons. It is the policy of Harris Teeter to provide equal opportunity for all applicants and candidates for employment and to administer all human resource practices such as recruiting, hiring, promoting, and all other terms, conditions, and privileges of employment in a manner which does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, disability, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. Those applicants requiring reasonable accommodation to the application and/or interview process should notify a representative of the organization.