General Manager

Role Description

The General Manager is responsible for leading and owning the day-to-day and long-term performance of The Common Market's Chicago distribution facility, with oversight of warehouse operations, trucking, food procurement and safety, and frontline team leadership.

This role sits at the intersection of operations, people, and performance. The General Manager ensures that systems are executed with consistency and discipline, while also building the structure, continuity, accountability, and team capability needed to support growth.

This role plays a critical part in ensuring we consistently deliver on our commitments to customers, farmers, and communities. This is a highly hands-on leadership role for someone who is energized by building strong teams, improving operations, and driving consistent execution in a fast-paced distribution environment.

Candidate Profile

This role is best suited for a hands-on operational leader who thrives in a lean, fast-paced environment. The General Manager will directly oversee and work across multiple areas of the business—including procurement, warehouse operations, trucking, food safety, and people leadership—without large layers of specialized support.

Successful candidates will be comfortable shifting between strategic leadership and hands-on problem solving while maintaining strong operational standards and accountability.

Snapshot of the Ideal Candidate

• An experienced operations leader who combines strong execution with the ability to build structure, proficiently navigate systems, develop people, and drive performance across a complex, multi-function operation.

• Able to lead frontline teams, manage competing priorities, and ensure that daily operations run smoothly while also identifying and implementing improvements.

• Comfortable on the warehouse floor, working with producers and production, reviewing performance metrics, directing staff, coordinating with cross-functional partners, scheduling repairs, and making real-time decisions that impact service, cost, and safety.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience

• 7-12+ years of experience in operations, logistics, or distribution environments

• 3-5+ years managing frontline or supervisory teams

• Experience in food handling environments required

• Experience leading operations in a small to mid-sized, lean organization where you held direct responsibility across multiple operational functions is strongly preferred

• Experience managing a trucking fleet and drivers. Refrigerated trucking preferred

• SQF, HACCP, FSMA, or equivalent experience required

• Strong organizational and communication skills