Local Supplier Field Coordinator

What You'll Be Doing:

• Identify and recommend products/brands for partnership with Meijer.

• Utilize internal and external market information to anticipate trends and future customer needs to drive brand and item selection.

• Partner with SD and store teams to advocate for local and diverse brands.

• Cultivate relationships with local business organizations, including chambers, incubators and business development programs to educate them on what it takes to do business with Meijer.

• Track the performance and outcomes of the relationships with external business organizations.

• Represent the Meijer brand at community events, Meijer events and among media representatives, and skilled at capturing event highlights in video and photos that can be used in future marketing or communications materials.

• Support the increase of local brands in store by visiting stores (both Meijer, competition and local markets) regularly to solicit feedback from customers and store leadership for gaps in local brands carried in store.

• Develops collaborative and effective relationships with Store Managers and Area Leads to influence successful execution of standards and best practices to ensure vendor ability to support demand.

• Provide audit support for local endcap and strategies for local and diverse brand execution.

• Support training and teaching the "why" behind best practices and standards to inspire commitment and consistent execution from store leadership and vendors.

• Follow-up on guidance, recommendations, specific information and support given to Store Directors for demo's, displays and new item launches.

• Embody the Meijer brand in the community by being an active, visible participant for regional and store searches for potential and ready to go brands for our shelves.

• Effectively communicate our mission/values in the community.

• Leverage soft skills to effectively and comfortably communicate with individuals of various backgrounds.

• Keeps Supplier Inclusion Team informed of stories of interest involving local business collaboration with Meijer and provides feedback and insights on partnerships for future communications.

• Demonstrates our purpose of enriching lives, diversity & inclusion, and embodies our strategy in action.

• This role will travel up to 75% of the time.

• This job profile is not meant to be all inclusive of the responsibilities of this position; may perform other duties as assigned or required.

• Bachelor's Degree or greater.

• 2+ years of experience in business administration, marketing, communications, community relations, or other related fields. Retail experience beneficial but not required.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

• Experience posting and managing content on multiple social platforms, and skilled at capturing photos and video for use on social media platforms.

• Strong soft skills

• Empathetic, good listening skills and adaptable

• Strong relationship builder that is community-oriented and serves as an enthusiastic ambassador of the company, and able to develop and maintain effective, collaborative working relationships.

• Effective business acumen and able to build a positive rapport with all levels of the organization.

• Strong organizational skills.

• Ability to take initiative and work independently within a matrixed-structure.

• Represents Meijer at community and store events, often held on evenings and weekends.

• Bilingual or multilingual in languages primarily spoken in the community a plus.

• Sense of product trends.

• Enthusiastic, initiative and passion for retail.

• Office computer skills; able to learn company systems and tools, preference for Microsoft application experience.