Position: Store Manager – Local Store (maternity leave, excluded)
Deadline to apply: November 30, 2025
Compensation: $24 — 26/hour depending on experience
Scope: 30 — 35 hours / week
Number of positions: One
Start Date: ASAP
Location: Fernie, BC
Term: Nine (9) months with possibility of extension into other positions in the store or
elsewhere within the organization
Job Summary
The Local Store Manager is responsible for overseeing and maintaining the daily
operations of the Local store, and reports to the Wildsight Elk Valley Board of
Directors. The Store Manager manages Local’s team of staff and volunteers, and is
responsible for developing and maintaining positive relationships with Local vendors.
The Store Manager works closely with Local staff to coordinate merchandising,
marketing and communications, and is constantly seeking ways to improve the
success and profitability of Local. They are solely responsible for invoicing,
calculating vendor payouts, reporting, and communicating with the Wildsight Elk
Valley Board, Treasurer, and bookkeeper.
About Local
Located in Downtown Fernie, Local is a retail food store and social enterprise
operated by the Wildsight Elk Valley non-profit, with a focus on local, sustainable
food products. We support farmers and producers from the Elk Valley, Southern
Alberta, and the BC interior to get their product to market. By providing shelf-space
for local food products, we aim to strengthen our local food system and inspire
sustainable and resilient food practices.
Work Schedule
● The Store Manager sets their own schedule, with most hours worked being
during store open hours
● The Store Manager ensures the store is always staffed during scheduled
open hours and may adjust their own schedule to accommodate other staff
availability
Time Off
● The Store Manager will not have any scheduled vacation time during the
nine-month term
● Vacation will be paid out regularly at 4% of each pay period, in liu of vacation
time
● The position is entitled to the BC minimum five paid sick days
Important Considerations:
● Applicants must live in or within commuting distance to Fernie, BC to be
considered for this position
● Applicants must be available to work five days per week through December
except statutory holidays
● This is a management position which is excluded from parts 4 and 5 of the BC
Employment Standards Act – therefore this position is not entitled to overtime
pay or statutory holiday pay
Key Attributes
● A proactive and self-motivated individual who takes initiative, anticipates
needs, and follows through reliably
● Able to prioritize tasks, manage competing deadlines, and keep store
operations running smoothly
● Comfortable working independently and making informed decisions quickly
and effectively
● A strong leader who provides clear guidance, sets expectations, and
empowers staff and volunteers
● Comfortable addressing performance issues in a respectful, constructive way
● Competent with analyzing financial statements and reports, providing
recommendations, and making decisions to support both business growth and
risk management
● Friendly, community-oriented, and service-focused individual who enjoys
building relationships with customers, vendors, staff, and community partners
● Represents Local with professionalism and enthusiasm
● Collaborative and communicative, committed to maintaining open lines of
communication with the Board of Directors, bookkeeper, vendors, and staff
● Shares updates and issues proactively and seeks support where appropriate
● Comfortable working with systems, checklists, and procedures, and
committed to keeping processes organized and up to date
● Combination of education and/or experience in retail management, business
communication, marketing, and/or merchandising is an asset
Key Responsibilities
COORDINATION
- Oversee store operations – including cleaning, temperature checks, store
operation - Teamwork – collaborate with and support the Retail Coordinator(s) in their
role to ensure smooth operations and store growth - Customer service – promote a culture of high quality customer service and
oversee and remedy customer complaints / issues. - Stock store – ensure Local is well-stocked with a variety of local products,
recommend new products, take regular inventory of all products to ensure
accuracy, place wholesale and consignment orders, process new inventory - Systems – develop and update systems and procedures, including Health
and Safety plans; develop and update an operations manual to have a record
of how the store is run
STAFF MANAGEMENT
- Hiring Local Staff – lead the recruitment and hiring of Local staff with the
support of Board delegates - Manage Local Staff – manage and supervise the Local Retail Coordinator(s)
and any future Local staff - Local Staff Performance Reviews – complete biannual performance reviews
for Local staff with support from the Wildsight Elk Valley Branch HR
Committee
STAFF SUPPORT
- Support Staff – be prepared to support staff to complete work as required
and cover shifts for illness or other staff shortages - Store Knowledge – aim to understand all aspects of Retail Coordinator(s) job
and be able to cover as needed
VENDOR SUPPORT
- Vendor relationships – support vendors in selling at Local. Develop and
maintain positive working vendor relationships. Track vendors’ concerns and
comments to identify ways to improve working relationships. Field inquiries
from and look for new prospective vendors. - Local Line support – train and support vendors on Local Line, the store’s
online shopping platform
VOLUNTEER SUPPORT
- Oversee volunteer coordination – support volunteer recruitment,
orientation, ongoing training and scheduling; troubleshoot any issues that
arise from the work of volunteers; help develop materials for volunteer
training; promote volunteer opportunities at Local - Train volunteers – assist in training and supporting volunteers to create a
culture of advancement and skill development
REPORTING
- Vendor payouts – calculate monthly payouts for vendors and communicate
to bookkeeper - Bookkeeping – monitor cash flow and bookkeeping, including spoiled or lost
products; work closely with Wildsight Elk Valley Bookkeeper and Treasurer on
financials, including month-end bookkeeping, submitting invoices, and
tracking expenditures - Reports – complete monthly Wildsight Elk Valley Branch reports, daily
cashouts and store updates, and develop Annual Impact Report in
collaboration with the the Board - Product profitability – track profitability of products and income
- Track stats – update KPI tracking including sales, volunteer stats, and
distance of vendors, and donations
COMMUNICATION
- Engage Board of Directors – chair biweekly meetings with Board delegates
for planning, direction, reporting and seeking feedback - Basecamp – utilize Basecamp project management software to communicate
with the Board, delegates and volunteers; track work completed at Local via
the platform - CiviCRM – utilize CiviCRM platform to send communications; keep contacts
and groups (i.e. Newsletter, Active Volunteers) up-to-date - Newsletter – develop and distribute monthly Local newsletter, including new
vendors, updates, and events; attract new subscribers
MARKETING
- Social Media – work with Retail Coordinators to create timely and engaging
social media content and engage with the community online - Presale – develop and implement presale campaigns for novel or seasonal
items - Email Marketing – develop content for store email marketing
- Website – ensure online content is accurate and up to date
- Public relations – respond to requests for public relations and other
information
How to Apply
Send your resume and cover letter to the Wildsight Elk Valley HR Committee,
elkvalley@wildsight.ca.
Wildsight is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion in our hiring processes and
work environment. We encourage women, People of Colour, people of Indigenous
ancestry and 2SLGBTQ+ individuals to apply for this position.
The deadline to apply is November 30, 2025. Only applicants selected for an
interview will be contacted.
Organizational Background
Wildsight Elk Valley is a branch of Wildsight, a BC registered non-profit organization,
governed by an engaged Board of Directors and supported by active members and
volunteers. Wildsight’s work aims to promote environmental stewardship and
conservation in our community.
The Elk Valley Branch prioritizes support for locally-produced food and food-growing
space. Our passionate volunteers established and continue to manage the
Community EcoGarden, the Cold Climate Seed Library, Keeping Food Real
cold-climate gardening course, Elk Valley ToolShare, and the Local Store. We work
together with Wildsight Regional and the five other Wildsight Branches.