LEAD THE FUTURE OF FOOD JUSTICE IN SANTA MONICA

The Carlisle Group is pleased to partner with Co-opportunity Market to hire their next General Manager!

For 50 years, Co-opportunity Market has been Santa Monica's answer to corporate grocery: a community-owned pioneer proving that exceptional food, fair wages, and environmental stewardship aren't mutually exclusive. Now, we're looking for a bold leader to take us into our next era of growth and impact.

The Opportunity

As General Manager, you'll lead one of Southern California's most established natural food co-ops through an exciting inflection point. This isn't about maintaining the status quo. It's about building on five decades of trust to create something even more relevant, profitable, and community-centered.

You'll have full operational authority to:

• Build a team that wins: Lead with empathy while developing and retaining future leaders from within, and attracting top talent who want their work to matter
• Drive growth with purpose: Hit ambitious financial targets while expanding access to healthy food for our diverse members, guests, and community partners
• Innovate the co-op model: Prove that cooperative values and retail excellence aren't mutually exclusive. They're compatible and are competitive advantages
• Own the strategy: Partner with the Board on vision, then execute with autonomy

What Success Looks Like

Year One:

• Strong financial performance with a clear path to sustainable growth
• Energized team culture where people want to build careers, not just work shifts
• Deepened community relationships with local farmers, producers, and members
• Operational systems that free you to lead, not micromanage

Beyond:

• A co-op that's known as Santa Monica's grocery destination, not its best-kept secret
• Membership growth that reflects our community's diversity
• A workplace where people develop skills that launch careers in food justice
• Financial resilience that funds the mission for another 50 years

What You'll Bring

Must-haves:

• 5+ years leading grocery retail or mission-driven operations with P&L responsibility
• Track record of hitting financial targets while building high-performing, engaged teams
• Genuine passion for food justice, sustainability, and cooperative economics, not just box-checking
• Strategic thinking combined with operational excellence (you can build the plan and execute it)
• Ownership mindset: Takes accountability for results, receives feedback openly, and addresses challenges head-on rather than deflecting
• Comfort with Board partnership: you'll report to them but operate with significant autonomy
• Flexibility for evening/weekend presence as needed

Even better:

• Experience in natural/organic retail or cooperative business models
• Bilingual (English/Spanish)
• Deep connections in LA's food and wellness community
• Background developing talent and building leadership pipelines

What We Offer

• Compensation: Ideal salary range of $150-160K, based on experience, plus comprehensive benefits
• Impact: Every decision you make affects food access, farmer livelihoods, and community wealth-building
• Autonomy: Real authority to lead, not endless committee approvals
• Legacy: Shape the next chapter of an organization that's been getting it right since 1974
• Community: Lead a team and serve a membership that genuinely cares about what we're building together

Our Commitment

Co-opportunity Market is committed to building a team as diverse as the community we serve. We strongly encourage applications from anyone who brings perspectives that strengthen our ability to serve all of Santa Monica.

We are committed to creating an inclusive, diverse, and welcoming workplace for all employees. We strongly encourage applicants from all backgrounds, identities, and experiences to apply.

This compensation range reflects the company's expectations for this position at the time of posting. Actual pay will be determined based on factors such as relevant experience, alignment with role responsibilities, education, demonstrated skills, and performance during the interview process.

Details