Description

At Mother’s Market & Kitchen, Prepared Foods is a key driver of traffic, brand loyalty, and differentiation. The Assistant Director – Prepared Foods will lead the strategy, financial performance, innovation, and long-term growth of this high-impact business across our store fleet.

This role requires a commercially minded food leader who can balance culinary excellence with financial discipline while advancing our commitment to natural, organic, and responsibly sourced ingredients.

Pay Range: $90,000 ‒ $110,000 Annually

Benefits: Medical, dental, vision, life insurance, & in-store discounts

What You Will Do

Lead Category Strategy & Growth

• Build and execute a multi-year strategic roadmap for the Prepared Foods category.

• Define assortment strategy across hot bar, salad bar, grab-and-go, catering, bakery, and kitchen programs.

• Identify emerging trends in natural, organic, plant-based, and clean-label innovation.

• Drive product lifecycle management, including new item launches and SKU optimization.

Own Financial Performance

• Manage full category-level P&L across all stores.

• Deliver against sales growth, gross margin, contribution margin, shrink, and inventory turn targets.

• Develop annual budgets and quarterly forecasts.

• Analyze performance data and implement corrective action plans.

• Optimize pricing architecture to balance customer value perception with profitability goals.

Build Strategic Vendor Partnerships

• Lead negotiations to secure favorable cost structures and promotional funding.

• Develop long-term partnerships with national, emerging, and local suppliers.

• Evaluate and onboard vendors aligned with quality and sustainability standards.

• Ensure supplier compliance with food safety and regulatory requirements.

Drive Culinary Innovation

• Partner with Culinary and Operations teams on menu development and seasonal innovation.

• Protect ingredient integrity (organic, non-GMO, responsibly sourced).

• Lead limited-time offerings and innovation pipelines.

• Expand and strengthen private label prepared foods programs.

Collaborate Across the Organization

• Work closely with Supply Chain to improve forecasting accuracy and reduce waste.

• Partner with Marketing on promotional strategy and merchandising execution.

• Support Store Operations with training resources and execution standards.

• Champion data-driven decision-making across teams.

Advance Sustainability & Brand Standards

• Integrate sustainability principles into sourcing decisions.

• Expand local sourcing initiatives.

• Drive shrink reduction and waste mitigation strategies.

• Ensure transparency in ingredient standards and labeling.

What You Bring

Required

• 3–5+ years of progressive experience in category management, merchandising, or fresh food leadership.

• Experience managing high-volume prepared foods or fresh categories.

• Demonstrated ownership of category-level P&L performance.

• Strong analytical and financial reporting skills.

• Proven success negotiating vendor contracts.

Preferred

• Experience in a natural, organic, or specialty grocery retail environment.

• Culinary background or knowledge of commercial food production systems.

• Experience developing private label programs.

How Success Is Measured

• Sales Growth %

• Gross Margin %

• Shrink %

• Inventory Turns

• Category Contribution to Total Store Sales

• Vendor Funding & Cost Savings

• New Item Performance & Adoption Rates

Schedule Requirements
Flexible availability across various shifts and locations including weekends and evenings

Why Join Mother’s Market?

You’ll be part of a mission-driven company that values wellness, sustainability, and outstanding customer service. We foster an inclusive workplace where team members are respected and encouraged to grow.

 Equal Opportunity Employer

Mother’s Market is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We welcome all qualified applicants regardless of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, or any other protected status.

Make Health Your Mission—Apply Today!

If you're ready to lead with passion, support your team, and make a real impact at Mother’s Market, we'd love to meet you.