New Store Perishable Team Leader (Department Manager) - Bradenton, FL - Fall 2026

Job Responsibilities

• Maximize productivity and efficiency through proper scheduling and analysis
• Ensure Team Members operate and sanitize all equipment properly
• Maintain proper product assortment, merchandising, and inventory control
• Monitor and achieve sales, margin, expense, and labor targets
• Maintain clear expectations to achieve the highest standards of retail execution
• Hold ATLs, supervisors, and Team Members accountable for delivering outstanding customer service
• Provide timely, thorough, and thoughtful performance evaluations
• Respond promptly to customer needs and questions
• Establish and maintain collaborative and productive working relationships with departmental and store leadership

Job Skills

• Clear communication and team collaboration skills
• Strong organizational skills
• Ability to prioritize and delegate tasks effectively
• Ability to visually examine products for quality and freshness
• Sustains exceptional level of knowledge and awareness of relevant competitors and industry trends
• Advanced knowledge of products, buying, pricing, merchandising, and inventory management
• Food safety certification, for some roles
• Excellent interpersonal, motivational, team building, and customer relationship skills
• Capable of teaching others in a positive and constructive manner
• Thorough product knowledge
• Advanced knowledge of regulatory and safety policies and procedures
• Proficient mathematical skills for assessing financial performance, monitoring profitability, and managing inventory
• Demonstrated decision-making ability, leadership skills, and ability to prioritize and delegate
• Proficiency with email, Microsoft Office, and operations-related applications

Experience / Qualifications

• 24+ months retail experience including 12+ months of team leadership experience
• High school diploma or equivalent preferred
• Must be 18+ years old

Physical Requirements / Working Conditions

• Stand/walk for 6-8 hours per shift
• Lift up to 50 pounds
• Work in various to temperatures: 90 degrees Fahrenheit
• Perform work in a wet and cold environment
• Perform repeated motions: bending, reaching, grasping, twisting, squatting
• Operate standard retail equipment safely including box cutters, knives, electric pallet jacks, forklifts, ladders, hand trucks, six-wheel carts, balers, and other heavy machinery
• Exposure to refrigerated areas and FDA approved cleaning chemicals
• Flexible availability including nights, weekends, and holidays
• Thrives in a fast-paced retail environment

Bradenton Structure (Echelon Model)

The Bradenton location will function with a consolidated team operational model with two key structural changes:

• A unified operations model that combines Center Store (Grocery, Specialty, Whole Body) and Perishables (Meat, Seafood, Produce) teams.
• The creation of a dedicated Inventory Management Team to centralize and optimize store inventory operations and order writing.

This transformation is a cornerstone initiative which strengthens our labor management foundations with a customer-obsessed, forward-thinking innovative approach to operational organization.

Benefits

• Operational Efficiency: Streamlined team structures eliminate redundancies and create clearer execution pathways, reducing administrative burden on leadership while improving task completion rates.
• Enhanced Team Member Development: Cross-functional team design provides team members with diverse experience across multiple operational areas, creating transparent career pathways and building versatile skill sets.
• Improved Customer Experience: Demand-responsive scheduling and clearer role accountability ensure the right people are in the right place at the right time to serve customers.

Team Leader Preferred Qualities

• Leadership & People Development: Experience leading teams of 15-30+ associates in retail or grocery settings
• Track record of coaching and developing team leads and supervisors
• Ability to build trust with frontline teams and drive accountability through clear expectations
• Innovation & Adaptability: Comfortable implementing new processes and programs at the store level
• Experience supporting pilot programs and providing feedback on operational changes
• Willingness to test new approaches and adapt based on results
• Demonstrates flexibility when priorities shift or new initiatives roll out
• Operational Excellence: Strong working knowledge of store operations: inventory, merchandising, shrink, safety, and compliance
• Consistent delivery of departmental goals for sales, shrink, labor efficiency, and customer metrics
• Experience working across multiple departments to support store needs
• Self-Starter Mindset: Takes initiative to solve problems within their area of responsibility
• Identifies and implements small-scale process improvements
• Makes decisions independently on day-to-day operational issues
• Customer Focus: Consistently models excellent customer service behaviors
• Coeaches team members on customer-first approaches
• Responds quickly to customer concerns and escalations

Pay Range

The wage range for this position is $22.40-$40.40 Hourly, commensurate with experience.

Whole Foods Market offers "Whole Benefits". Whole Benefits offers a wide range of benefits for Full and Part-Time Team Members, including eligibility for a store discount, paid time off, financial wellness, health & wellness support programs, and access to other Team Member perks. Eligibility for Whole Benefits is determined under the terms of the applicable Whole Benefits plan at a person’s date of hire and may vary based on work location, length of service, and job type (such as regular or seasonal).