Harris Teeter Division Business Strategist

at  Murray s Cheese

JOB SUMMARY

The primary responsibility of the Harris Teeter Division Business Strategist is to provide strategic, on-the-ground support for the Murray’s Cheese program in Harris Teeter. This role serves as a liaison between Harris Teeter Leadership and Murray’s Cheese to support assortment, promotions & event execution. The Business Strategist also streamlines communication, ensures alignment and maintains program compliance within the division.
The Harris Teeter Division Business Strategist oversees the merchandising, training, and operations of Murray’s Cheese shop to enhance customer experience and achieve sales goals. In service of this goal, the Business Strategist manages a team of Murray’s Cheese Specialists (MCS) & Store Opening Specialists (SOS) within the Harris Teeter division.

REQUIREMENTS

• 4-5 years retail experience, preferably in cheese
• Extensive product and industry knowledge, CCP preferred.
• Proven track record in meeting sales goals & managing teams.
• Demonstrate a passion for cheese and all things food.
• Ability to analyze and leverage sales reports to take informed actions.
• Proficient with Microsoft Office Word, Excel, and Outlook
• Team player who enjoys collaborating on all fronts
• Must be willing to relocate to specific region of the country to fulfill the needs of the business.

Strategic Support

• Serve as the main point of contact between Harris Teeter Leadership & Murray’s Cheese to maintain alignment on assortment & promotions
• Adapt training & execution materials to accurately reflect division product assortment & promotions
• Assist in building Planogram schematics that reflect current, accurate assortment (in partnership with division)
• Hold weekly check-ins with Harris Teeter Department Leadership to ensure clear & timely communication and progress against goals
• Support top-to-top meetings with planning & execution, materials development etc.
• Secure weekly & monthly financial reporting from Department Leadership & communicate to Murray’s Center of Excellence team to inform strategy implantation
• Communicate on the ground feedback up the chain to support development of National Program strategies. Including but not limited to training needs, service needs, merchandising & product strategy.
• Manage all Murray’s-related posting & file organization on Harris Teeter Intranet; ensure correct documents are posted and remove outdated information. Maintain organization system to ensure all business-critical documents are easily located.
• Support hiring at store level to shape the caliber of cheese mongers behind our counters.
• Conduct quarterly divisional retail evaluations for home division and present performance and development recommendations to regional leadership team.
• Serve as advocate for Murray’s Brand Standards & ensure overall compliance to Murray’s Cheese program

Team & Territory Management

• Embody Murray’s Cheese mission and enthusiastically represent the brand every day.
• Champion Murray’s Brand Standards in division and ensure compliance at store level
• Oversee division schedule & delegate divisional tasks (schedules, training, store support etc.) to Murray’s Cheese Specialists (MCSs) & Store Opening Specialists (SOSs) based on the needs of the business.
• Execute onboarding, orientation, and ongoing training and management of MCS & SOS hires as directed by the Manager of Talent Development & Retail Execution and/or leadership team.
• Manage Travel & Entertainment expenses within allocated budget accurately & consistently
• Hold MCS & SOS teams accountable for:
• Leading store teams to execute customer experience, merchandising, and sales strategies to Murray’s standards to achieve sales goals.
• Executing and scheduling trainings in support of Murray’s Cheese training strategy, including but not limited to Murray’s Core Curriculum and additional training modules as needed. Maintaining training records/achievements for internal and divisional teams.
• Opening new stores and training store associates to Murray’s standard.
• Assisting store teams in executing Murray’s Cheese Engagement Events including, but not limited to, coordinating with DCS to influence staffing, understanding set up requirements for demos, merchandising displays, supporting product needs etc.
• Building and maintaining strategic relationships with DCS and key stakeholders, including but not limited to, Cheese Masters & their teams, Store Management, & Deli Managers to advance initiatives in the division.
• Influencing hiring at store level to shape the caliber of cheesemongers behind the counter
• Utilizing all team tools (Repsly, MS Teams, sales reporting, etc.) to set individual divisional goals and track progress.
• Administrative duties including but not limited to expense reports, CRM data entry, and scheduling.
• Other duties as assigned.