Specialty Department Manager

Healthy Living is a locally owned, independent chain of supermarkets serving communities in Vermont and New York. Our mission is to fuel a passion for great food, health, and well-being and be the place where people gather to shop, eat, and work. We are committed to providing super healthful, innovative, and delicious food while maintaining exceptional hospitality and creating an inviting place to shop and eat. We also prioritize our relationships with local farmers and producers, and actively contribute to our community.

About the role

The Specialty Department Manager leads the daily operations of the Specialty Departments (cheese/bread, housewares and beer/wine), delivering well-merchandised departments, quality products, and outstanding guest service. This role provides leadership, training, coaching, and support to department staff while maintaining company standards and regulatory compliance. The Specialty Manager oversees inventory management and ordering processes across the department, works with vendors as needed, and provides support for related department functions. They maintain accurate inventory levels, monitor back stock, support sales and financial goals, and lead by example to create an efficient, welcoming, and guest-focused department.

Location: 3065 Route 50, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866

Responsibilities

• Create schedules, approve timecards, manage staffing needs, and resolve attendance, performance, and workplace concerns.
• Travel to other locations as needed to support training and department operations.
• Manage replenishment ordering, inventory accuracy, cycle counts, shrink reporting, credits, and purchase order maintenance for assigned categories.
• Build strong vendor relationships, coordinate new items, demos, and seasonal ordering, and communicate product performance, trends, and guest feedback to Category Managers.
• Maintain merchandising standards through accurate shelf tags, signage, product presentation, cross merchandising, promotional displays, and well-stocked sales floor and backstock areas.
• Lead the daily operation of the department by maintaining a clean, organized, safe, and fully stocked environment.
• Deliver outstanding guest service through product knowledge, special orders, and sales floor support.
• Execute monthly promotions, maintain merchandising standards, and support department and store operations during peak business periods.
• Partner regularly with Category Managers and store leadership to achieve operational, merchandising, and sales goals while maintaining all company standards and regulatory requirements.

Requirements

• At least 2 years of progressive supervisory experience
• At least 3 years’ experience working with cheese, wine, beer and/or bread preferably in a retail environment
• Previous purchasing or inventory management experience
• Previous experience working with local products is preferred

Skills

• Make Someone’s Day: Genuine enthusiasm for helping others, both staff and guests, with a focus on creating positive experiences.
• Move fast and be thorough: Work with a purposeful sense of urgency while maintaining excellence and connecting with guests.
• Create a team people want to stay on: Foster a positive, respectful, and collaborative team environment where everyone thrives.
• Show Up: Be reliable, present, and bring authentic, positive energy to work every day.
• “What can I do?”: Proactively anticipate and address the needs of coworkers and guests.
• Come with a solution: Identify pain points and propose creative, adaptable solutions.
• Own it: Hold yourself and others accountable, celebrate successes, and pay attention to details.
• Seek knowledge: Embrace feedback, reflect on performance, and pursue growth opportunities.

Benefits

• Health Insurance (employer pays 75% for single health benefits)
• Dental and Vision Insurance
• Short Term Disability Insurance
• Life Insurance
• Critical Illness Insurance
• Accident Insurance
• Flex Spending Accounts
• Health Spending Accounts
• Paid time off (Full-time staff receive 2 weeks; additional week on 1st and 4th anniversary)
• Sick time (Part-time staff receive 40 hours of sick time a year)
• Paid Maternity/Paternity leave (up to 8 weeks paid time off)
• Generous store discount: 20% off grocery, 20% off hot bar/salad bar/coffee and juice bar, 10% off beer, 20% off wine, 30% off vitamins/supplements
• Half price one-month bus passes
• 401(k): 100% match of the first 3% of contributions, 50% match on contributions above 3% and up to 5%; fully vested from day one
• Income advance program with North Country Federal Credit Union
• Free Celtics tickets
• Additional benefits available

Pay

Starting at $26-30.14/hour (previous experience will be taken into consideration)

Schedule

Full-Time, flexible scheduling, weekend and holiday availability required