Department Lead - Produce, Dairy/Deli, Frozen & Grocery Overview We are seeking motivated, dependable, and hands-on Department Leads to join our Grocery Outlet team in the areas of Produce, Dairy/Deli, Frozen, and Grocery . Department Leads are responsible for the overall condition and performance of their assigned department. This includes merchandising, product rotation, replenishment, inventory controls, cleanliness, pricing accuracy, shrink reduction, and providing excellent customer service. This is a leadership position for someone who takes ownership, works with urgency, and understands that strong department execution directly impacts sales, margin, and the customer experience.

Our expectation is simple:

Grand Opening conditions every day. Departments should be clean, organized, fully stocked, properly rotated, accurately priced, and merchandised in a way that makes customers want to shop. Key Responsibilities Take ownership of the daily operation, appearance, organization, and performance of the assigned department. Maintain strong merchandising standards, including attractive displays, full shelves, proper facing, product flow, and promotional execution. Replenish product throughout the day to maintain strong in-stock conditions and minimize empty shelves. Monitor inventory levels and identify opportunities to improve product availability, sell-through, and department productivity. Follow proper product rotation procedures, including FIFO, date checks, code-date management, and removal of expired or unsellable merchandise. Identify slow-moving, short-dated, damaged, or distressed merchandise early and take appropriate markdown action to reduce unnecessary shrink. Protect store margin by maintaining strong inventory controls, reducing throwaways, managing markdowns appropriately, and preventing avoidable losses. Ensure all merchandise is accurately priced, signed, and located correctly within the department. Maintain clean, organized, and safe shelves, displays, coolers, freezers, backstock areas, and department workspaces. Review department conditions continuously throughout the shift rather than waiting until the end of the day to correct issues. Train, coach, and provide direction to department clerks while maintaining clear expectations and accountability. Assign daily priorities and ensure department tasks are completed accurately and efficiently. Provide friendly, knowledgeable, and responsive customer service. Help customers locate products and respond professionally to questions or concerns. Communicate inventory issues, operational concerns, product opportunities, and department needs to Store Leadership. Support promotional changes, seasonal transitions, resets, new item placement, and other merchandising initiatives. Assist with receiving, stocking, backstock organization, and movement of merchandise as needed. Follow all store policies and procedures related to food safety, sanitation, workplace safety, loss prevention, and product handling. Work collaboratively with other Department Leads and Store Leadership to support total-store priorities. Department-Specific ExpectationsProduce Lead Maintain exceptional freshness, quality, color, and presentation throughout the Produce Department. Inspect product regularly and remove damaged, overripe, or poor-quality merchandise. Maintain aggressive rotation and freshness standards to minimize waste. Build attractive, abundant displays that encourage impulse purchases and increase sales. Monitor high-shrink items closely and make timely merchandising or markdown decisions. Maintain clean wet racks, tables, displays, prep areas, and backstock areas. Dairy/Deli Lead Maintain strong rotation and date-code controls across refrigerated and deli merchandise. Monitor short-dated product closely and execute timely markdowns. Maintain proper cooler organization, cleanliness, temperature awareness, and food-safety standards. Ensure high-volume items remain stocked and customer-ready throughout the day. Keep backstock organized by category and rotation priority. Frozen Lead Maintain full, organized, and properly faced freezer sections. Ensure accurate rotation and placement of frozen merchandise. Monitor freezer conditions and promptly communicate equipment or temperature concerns. Maintain organized backstock and minimize unnecessary product movement or handling. Keep freezer doors, shelves, tags, and merchandising areas clean and customer-ready. Grocery Lead Maintain strong shelf conditions through consistent replenishment, facing, and recovery. Ensure Grocery backstock is organized, rotated, and worked regularly. Maintain pricing and signing accuracy throughout the department. Identify holes, excess inventory, slow sellers, and merchandising opportunities. Support resets, displays, endcaps, promotional areas, and seasonal merchandising. Maintain organized aisles and strong presentation from opening through closing. Qualifications Previous grocery, retail, stocking, merchandising, or department experience preferred. Previous leadership or supervisory experience is preferred but not required for the right candidate. Strong understanding of stocking, rotation, inventory control, and merchandising fundamentals. Ability to lead, train, and hold team members accountable to department standards. Strong organizational skills and attention to detail. Ability to prioritize tasks and work effectively in a fast-paced grocery environment. Strong communication and customer-service skills. Dependable, punctual, and capable of working independently with minimal supervision. Comfortable using handheld devices, pricing equipment, pallet jacks, ladders, and other standard grocery equipment as required. Ability to safely lift, carry, push, pull, and move merchandise throughout the shift. Ability to stand, walk, bend, reach, and perform repetitive physical tasks for extended periods. Availability to work mornings, evenings, weekends, and holidays based on business needs. Bilingual or multilingual skills are a plus. What We Look For We are looking for Department Leads who think like owners of their departments. A strong Department Lead notices problems before they become bigger problems. They do not walk past empty shelves, poor rotation, expired product, damaged merchandise, pricing errors, messy backstock, or opportunities to improve a display. They understand that every decision impacts sales, customer experience, shrink, and profitability . We value people who take pride in their work, move with a sense of urgency, support their teammates, and genuinely care about the success of the store. The Lake Merritt Difference Our goal is to create a Grocery Outlet that feels exciting every time a customer walks through the door.

That means:

Grand Opening conditions every day Clean and organized departments Strong inventory controls Fresh, properly rotated merchandise Full and attractive displays Accurate pricing Protected margin World-class customer service Organized backrooms and work areas Employees who take ownership and care about results If you enjoy leading a department, building great displays, working hands-on with merchandise, developing a team, and seeing the direct impact of your work on sales and customer experience, we would love to hear from you.

Pay:

$19.00 - $21.00 per hour Expected hours: 40.0 - 45.0 per week

Benefits:

Paid time off

Work Location:

In person