Tobacco Outlet General Manager - The Cowlitz Indian Tribe

POSITION TITLE: Tobacco Outlet General Manager
DEPARTMENT: Tobacco
LOCATION: Ridgefield, WA
REPORTS TO: CEA Board of Directors staff designee
FLSA STATUS: Exempt, fulltime
SALARY RANGE: $76,804.73 - $92,165.66

Closing Date: October 9, 2024

***If you are an American Indian/Alaska Native and/or a Veteran and would like this to be considered preference in hiring, please upload documentation with your resume and cover letter. Acceptable documentation includes Tribal Enrollment card, a letter from your Tribe stating your enrollment, or BIA 4432 and/or DD214.***

Position Summary:

Serve as General Store Manager for the Cowlitz Tobacco Outlet. Manages and oversees all strategic objectives to grow retail operations. Creates and ensures maximum sales, profitability and operational excellence goals are met. Leads a team in providing exceptional and seamless inventory management, customer service, visual merchandising, advertising, and special promotions. Develops and reports on performance metrics. Honors and represents the mission, vision, values of CIT and tobacco store outlets.

***If you are an American Indian/Alaska Native and/or a Veteran and would like this to be considered preference in hiring, please upload documentation with your resume and cover letter. Acceptable documentation includes Tribal Enrollment card, a letter from your Tribe stating your enrollment, or BIA 4432 and/or DD214.***

This list of duties and responsibilities is illustrative only of the tasks performed by this position and is not all-inclusive.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities:

• Manages daily operations of store including purchase and sale of inventory, maintaining strict opening, and closing schedule, arrangement of stock, addressing customer needs, visual merchandising, advertising and special promotions.
• Identifies key business metrics and develops strategies to grow retail operations; ensures achievement of sales, profitability, and operational excellence goals; and communicates and advises executive leadership of dispensary operations.
• Prepare and deliver comprehensive operational and financial reports to analyze business performance, assess impact, and communicate key insights to stakeholders.
• Monitor and evaluate performance against budgeted goals to measure success and drive strategic decision-making.
• Develop and implement strategies for customer retention and acquisition, including overseeing advertising campaigns, digital engagement, social media channels, and initiatives to drive customer traffic.
• Ensure all communication tools, including signage, digital platforms, and marketing materials, align with and adhere to established Brand Guidelines.
• Establishes work schedules for operations to ensure appropriate staffing levels to meet customer demand; implements policies procedures, programs, and systems in accordance with operational objectives.
• Every other week, oversees the timely and accurate processing of payroll, and tips weekly.
• Responds to customer questions or concerns in a professional and timely manner, achieving positive resolutions.
• Improves staff effectiveness by counseling, training, and recommending disciplinary action for employees; preparing employee schedules; planning, delegating, monitoring, and appraising job tasks and results in a timely manner.
• Provides training and development to supervisory staff; weekly one on ones to ensures that staff has the tools to perform job duties.
• Hosts quarterly staff meetings to ensure communication between personnel and store-related activities.
• Performs application screening, interviewing, and selecting new team members; coordinates with HR to complete hiring and onboarding process.
• Orders store inventory and maintains positive vendor relationships; monitors and adjusts pricing levels to ensure maximum profitability.
• Organizes merchandise on shelves and reviews inventory levels to ensure adequate stock.
• Oversees and coordinates scheduled monthly store inventory and ensures all information is accurate and complete.
• Protects financial assets by reconciling receipts; makes store deposits according to established policies and procedures; updates financials and reports to accounting department.
• Prepares and administers annual budget, and monitors and tracks expenditures.
• Oversees and maintains vendor services and ensures adherence with contractual agreements.
• Mail coupons 2x each month. Check mail, daily, for payments and reconcile coupons sent and received.
• Monitors product margins on a daily basis. Make changes as needed and monitor new items.
• Reviews price changes with each invoice.
• Ensures compliance with established health, security, and safety regulations.
• Contributes to operational effectiveness by identifying short-term and long-range issues and goals that must be addressed; providing information and commentary pertinent to deliberations; recommending options and courses of actions; implementing directives.
• Maintains the cleanliness and sanitation of all outlet areas, interior and exterior of building facility and equipment; coordinates repairs as needed.
• Keeps leadership and other departments informed of status of operational activities by attending meetings and submitting reports.
• Maintains professional and technical knowledge by conducting research, attending seminars, educational workshops, classes, and conferences; reviewing professional publications; establishing networks; participating in professional societies; conferring with representatives of contracting agencies and related organizations.
• Recognizes and celebrates team and individual accomplishments, work anniversaries, etc.
• Contributes to a team effort and accomplishes related results as required.
• Performs other duties as assigned.
• Hourly performance reviews 1 time per year.
• Hourly one on ones 1 time per quarter.
• Supervisor performance review 2 times per year.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Knowledge of traditional form of government and tribal customs and traditions.
• Knowledge of applicable federal, state, county, and local laws, regulations, and requirements.
• Skill in operating various word-processing, spreadsheets, and database software programs in a Windows environment.
• Skill in preparing, reviewing, and analyzing operational and financial reports.
• Skill in increasing sales and profitability.
• Skill in supervising, training, and evaluating assigned staff.
• Skill in analyzing problems, projecting consequences, identifying solutions, and implementing recommendations.
• Skill in using hand truck or dolly.
• Ability to interact and maintain good working relationships with individuals of varying social and cultural backgrounds.
• Ability to exercise independent judgment.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality.
• Ability to work independently and meet strict timelines.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Associate degree in Business, Retail, or related field.
• 5 years retail management experience with significant public interaction.
• 2 years supervisory experience in tobacco store, convenience store, or comparable retail business.
• Must be 21 years of age or older.
• Must be able to successfully pass a background screening / investigation according to the established requirements below.

Tribal preference in accordance with Cowlitz Indian Tribe Code and CIT Employee Policies and Procedures Handbook shall apply to all positions. All positions are required to adhere to CIT’s established safety policies regarding vaccine requirements and personal protective equipment (PPE).

Background Investigation Requirements:

• Pre-employment drug screen.
• Reference checks, education, and employment verification.
• Federal, state, and/or tribal criminal history checks including fingerprint verification.

Physical Demands:

While performing the duties of this job, the employee regularly is required to stand; walk; sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands or arms; and talk or hear. The employee occasionally is required to climb or balance; stoop, kneel, or crouch. The employee is occasionally required to lift up to 50lbs. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and clarity of vision at long distance.

Work Environment:

Work is generally performed indoors in a retail setting where employee may have frequent contact with the public. Exposure to dust, fumes, chemicals, airborne particles and secondhand smoke. Employee is required to stand for eight or more hours. Extended work hours including evenings, holidays and weekends is required. Occasional exposure to excessive noise. Tight time constraints and multiple demands are common.