Company description

National Co+op Grocers (NCG), founded in 1999, is a business services cooperative for retail food co-ops located throughout the United States. We represent 165 food co-ops operating over 240 stores in 39 states with combined annual sales over $2.6 billion and over 1.3 million consumer-owners. NCG helps unify natural food co-ops in order to optimize operational and marketing resources, strengthen purchasing power, and ultimately offer more value to natural food co-op owners and shoppers everywhere. By providing a variety of purchasing, management, development, marketing, and other services, our co-ops are able to gain many of the advantages large grocery chains enjoy, while still reflecting the unique qualities of their local communities. For a map of NCG member and associate co-ops, visit our Find-a-Co-op page. To learn more about co-ops, visit www.grocery.coop.

Job description

REMOTE • CONTIGUOUS UNITED STATES

Cooperative Development • Member Development • Retail Consulting

Do you enjoy working with start-ups?  Do you believe in equitable food systems and want to make a positive social impact? Would you like to apply your grocery knowledge to support socially responsible, independent, and community-owned grocery stores? Do you enjoy traveling and meeting new people?

This position will play a crucial role in National Co+op Grocers’ engagement with start-up food co-ops by representing NCG and its programs and policies to the start-up community and serving as NCG’s main point of contact for early-stage food co-ops interested in NCG membership. This position will help start-ups utilize emerging and best practices to make decisions to develop a viable business and prepare them to become viable candidates for NCG membership.

This is an ideal position for retail grocery and co-op development experts interested in having a direct impact on the success of food co-ops, their suppliers, and their communities. Up to 50% business travel required.

Our goal is to attract qualified candidates and encourage applications from all individuals without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any characteristic protected by applicable law.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Respond to inquiries from early-stage start-up co-ops seeking information about NCG and NCG’s services and membership requirements for start-up food co-ops. 
• Help boards of directors at early-stage start-up co-ops understand the value of NCG membership and communicate NCG’s pathway to membership for start-up food co-ops. Attend board meetings and provide appropriate updates as needed.
• Provide early-stage start-ups with documentation about the systems, tools, technologies and practices that will be necessary for participating with NCG.  
• Offer guidance and coaching to early-stage co-op boards to help them remain eligible as potential clients for NCG’s business expansion team and as applicants for NCG membership.
• Promote appropriate professional development for boards of directors, leveraging internal and external training and development resources as necessary.
• Develop communications, resources and other content for early-stage start-up co-ops as directed and present this content at meetings and events as needed.

Qualifications:

• Minimum of three years’ experience in business development, economic and community development and/or cooperative development. 
• Minimum of one year of experience working with volunteer or steering committees and/or boards of directors.
• Minimum of five years’ experience writing reports, proposals, or other documents for accessing funds from public and/or private audiences preferred.
• Minimum of five years’ experience in developing strategic plans, budgets, and managing resources within budgetary limitations preferred.
• Experience in new store development and/or retail grocery operations preferred.
• Understanding of financial statements and the ability to communicate financial terms related to retail or business development.

Apply By: March 23, 2025

National Co+op Grocers: For more information about our company, please visit www.ncg.coop/about-us.

Benefits, benefits, benefits! We offer a generous salary and benefits package including 4 weeks PTO at hire, medical, dental, vision, HSA/FSA with company contribution, company-paid life and disability insurance, identity theft protection, comprehensive Employee Assistance Program (EAP), a matching 401(k) plan and many perks! The salary for this position is $113,800. To view NCG's 2025 Benefits Summary copy/paste bit.ly/NCG2025BenefitsSummary into an internet browser.

Home Office Option: This position is eligible for a home office in the contiguous U.S. if within 100 miles of a major airport and there is sufficient internet bandwidth and mobile phone service for work to be completed efficiently. 

Workstation Option: For individuals interested in working from an office, workstations are available in our St. Paul, Minnesota office. St. Paul is part of the major metropolitan area which along with Minneapolis is known as the Twin Cities. The area is known for its excellent parks, bike trails, and other outdoor activities; vibrant arts, culture, and dining scene; and cultural diversity. Our office is conveniently located between St. Paul and Minneapolis at 2610 University Ave W. There is free parking and the Green Line Light Rail stops at our building (Westgate Station).

Individuals with Disabilities: National Co+op Grocers wants all interested and qualified candidates to be able to use this career site to review and apply for employment opportunities. If you have a disability and need an accommodation to access this site, please contact us for assistance at (866) 709-2667 ext. 2992.

No recruiters or agencies please.

Compensation

this position is: salaried, more than 100k

Location

job can be done remotely

Application instructions

If you are not registered, you'll be prompted to do so. Don't worry, it's free!

Deadline

March 23, 2025