This role is hybrid out of the Edina, MN location.

Job Overview:

The Fresh Operations Manager provides elevated field leadership and strategic operational oversight across all fresh perishable departments, including Meat, Seafood, Produce, Floral, Bakery, and Deli. This role is accountable for improving fresh department execution, financial performance, shrink results, merchandising consistency, food safety compliance, and customer experience across assigned stores or markets.

As a higher-level leadership role, the Fresh Operations Manager is expected to influence Store Directors, Department Managers, District Directors, Merchandising, and other cross-functional partners to deliver measurable business results. The role moves beyond support and monitoring by establishing clear expectations, diagnosing root causes, leading market-level action plans, developing leadership capability, and holding teams accountable for sustained improvement in sales, gross profit, shrink, labor productivity, inventory accuracy, freshness, and operational standards.

Job Responsibilities:

• Serve as the subject matter expert (SME) for six fresh departments – Meat, Seafood, Produce, Floral, Bakery, and Deli - demonstrating deep knowledge of department-specific operations, tools, processes, standards, merchandising, production, inventory management, labor practices, and financial drivers.

• Lead fresh operational execution across assigned stores or markets, by translating company standards, priorities, and business strategies into clear expectations, routines, measurable outcomes, and accountability across Meat, Seafood, Produce, Floral, Bakery, and Deli.

• Conduct regular store visits and operational assessments across the six fresh departments to evaluate merchandising, freshness, cleanliness, food safety, in-stock conditions, inventory accuracy, pricing and signing, production execution, labor effectiveness, and compliance with company standards.

• Own the identification of performance gaps, root causes, and develop sustainable corrective action plans that address both immediate execution issues and underlying capability gaps, driving measurable improvements in operational performance, accountability, and financial results.

• Own and influence fresh financial performance by analyzing and improving sales, gross profit, shrink, labor, productivity, inventory turns, ordering effectiveness, production planning, and other department-level operating metrics across districts.  

• Develop fresh operational strategies and execution frameworks that improve long-term business performance.

• Develop and implement fresh operational strategies, standards, routines, and execution frameworks that strengthen consistency across the six departments and improve long-term business performance. Serve as a trusted operational resource to Store Directors and District leadership, providing hands-on expertise, recommendations, escalation support, and practical solutions that strengthen execution across all six fresh departments.  

• Lead shrink reduction strategy and execution by identifying department-specific loss drivers, strengthening inventory controls, improving product rotation and handling practices, reinforcing production discipline, and building store leadership capability to sustain results.

• Improve ordering, forecasting, inventory, and production disciplines by leveraging department expertise and business data to optimize inventory levels, reduce out-of-stocks and overstock, improve freshness and waste, and support sales and customer satisfaction.

• Build fresh leadership capability across the organization by coaching Store Directors, Department Managers, and emerging leaders through practical application of department-specific knowledge, including production planning, labor utilization, shelf-life management, inventory control, ordering, merchandising, standards execution, and financial decision-making.

• Ensure consistent execution of merchandising programs and department-specific initiatives including seasonal transitions, promotional plans, planograms, displays, product presentation, production standards, and freshness expectations.

• Develop, master, and continuously apply fresh operational tools, systems, processes, and best practices to provide expert guidance, troubleshoot complex operational challenges, and identify opportunities to improve department performance and execution.

• Develop and sustain scalable training, operational tools, scorecards, routines, and best-practice resources that build fresh leadership capability and enable Store Directors and Department Managers to independently sustain high-quality execution.

• Provide data-driven decision support and recommendations to district and store leadership to improve sales, profitability, labor effectiveness, shrink, in-stock position, freshness, and customer experience.

• Serve as a key field connector between Store Operations, Merchandising, Category Management, Supply Chain, Finance, and other support partners by translating field needs and department-specific requirements into actionable solutions and removing barriers to execution.

• Lead or support new store openings, remodels, department resets, leadership transitions, operational pilots, and implementation of new fresh programs, tools, processes, and technology, ensuring department-specific requirements are effectively executed.

• Measure and sustain the effectiveness of operational initiatives through store visits, performance scorecards, department results, follow-up evaluations, capability assessments, and continuous improvement routines.

• Translate field insights, customer trends, competitive activity, department expertise, and operational performance data into actionable recommendations that influence merchandising strategies, process improvements, operating standards, and business priorities.

• Reinforce performance accountability through timely feedback, coaching, progress reviews, recognition, and follow-up, escalating unresolved execution gaps and ensuring agreed-upon actions result in sustained improvement.

• Performs other duties as assigned.

Job Requirements: Education/ Certifications:

• Bachelor’s degree or four years of experience in a similar or related role.

Experience:

• Five or more years of progressive retail grocery leadership experience preferred or equivalent leadership experience.

• Demonstrated leadership experience across fresh perishable departments, including Meat, Seafood, Produce, Floral, Bakery, or Deli, with responsibility for execution and financial performance strongly preferred.

• Experience leading through leaders, influencing cross-functional partners, managing store or market-level performance, and driving measurable improvement in sales, shrink, labor, gross profit, and operational standards preferred.

• Experience influencing strategic business decisions.

Knowledge/Skills/ Abilities

• Advanced knowledge of total fresh perishable operations, including merchandising standards, food safety, freshness, production planning, inventory management, ordering, labor utilization, shrink controls, and customer experience.

• Strong financial and analytical acumen with the ability to interpret sales, gross profit, shrink, labor, productivity, inventory, and customer metrics and translate results into clear priorities and action plans.

• Proven ability to diagnose root causes, prioritize opportunities, establish routines, and lead sustainable operational improvements across multiple stores or departments.

• Strong leadership, coaching, influencing, and relationship-building skills with the ability to develop Store Directors, Department Managers, and cross-functional partners without direct authority.

• Excellent written, verbal, presentation, and facilitation skills with the ability to communicate performance insights, priorities, and recommendations clearly to store, district, and senior operations leaders.

• Ability to manage multiple markets, stores, initiatives, and priorities while operating independently in a high-travel, field-based leadership environment.

• Sound judgment, decision-making, business ownership, and organizational skills with the ability to set direction, follow up consistently, and hold teams accountable for achieving company goals.

Work Environment:  Onsite Role: This position requires the associate to perform all duties at one of our UNFI locations, such as a distribution center or office.

Travel (minor): In-metro and out-of-metro travel is required up to 80% for this position.

Physical Environment/Demands: Office Roles:

• Most work is performed in a temperature-controlled office environment.

• Incumbent may sit for long periods of time at a desk or computer terminal.

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; and talk or hear.  

• Incumbent may use calculators, keyboards, telephones, and other office equipment in the course of a normal workday.

• Stooping, bending, twisting, and reaching may be required in the completion of job duties.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature of the work performed by the employees assigned to this job. All employees must comply with Company policy and applicable laws. The responsibilities, duties and skills required of personnel so classified may vary within each department and/or location.