Regional Director at Luke's Local in San Francisco, CA

Regional Director

About the Job

We are seeking an experienced, hands-on multi-unit operator to lead our grocery operations in the Bay Area. Someone who brings a genuine passion for food and grocery retail, with an eye for freshness, quality, and visual appeal that translates directly into sales. This important role reports directly to the CEO and requires a high level of trust and the ability to drive impact. The ideal candidate is a business builder at heart—someone who is never satisfied with the status quo, consistently identifies opportunities for improvement, and possesses the credibility and communication skills to inspire their teams.

In this position, you will be the steward of the guest experience, the champion of your team, and the representative of our commitment to exceptional food and community. Your responsibilities will include achieving financial results for all Bay Area retail locations by meeting sales targets, ensuring profitability, and managing payroll and expenses. You will oversee all store managers within the stores.

You will take full ownership of the P&L and daily performance of multiple store locations across the Bay Area. Your role will serve as a vital link between our company's strategic vision and the daily operations on the sales floor. A genuine passion for organic, natural, and locally sourced food is essential, as well as the ability to share that passion with both guests and team members. We're looking for someone who nourishes their team the same way we nourish our community: with intention, humility, and a commitment to helping everyone around them thrive.

Responsibilities

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these essential functions.

Operational Excellence

• Drive consistent execution of standards across all Bay Area locations — from in-stock levels and shrinkage to cleanliness, safety, and the customer experience
• Identify operational gaps and implement solutions swiftly; move from insight to action without waiting to be asked
• Develop and maintain store-level operating rhythms, ensuring teams are supported and aligned on priorities every week
• Serve as the escalation point for complex operational issues and resolve them decisively

Business Performance & P&L Ownership

• Own revenue, gross margin, labor, and controllable expense performance across Bay Area stores
• Analyze financial and operational KPIs to surface trends, prioritize improvements, and hold teams accountable to results
• Partner with the CEO to set goals, track progress, and course-correct when needed
• Identify and pursue growth opportunities — in traffic, basket size, shrink reduction, and labor productivity

Team Leadership & Culture

• Lead, develop, and inspire a team of store managers and their teams across the region, including mentoring, coaching, and conducting performance evaluations to encourage a high-performance work culture
• Build a culture of accountability, ownership, and continuous improvement at every level of the organization
• Get genuine buy-in rather than compliance — communicate the why behind decisions and motivate your teams to execute with care and urgency
• Partner with Training & Development Manager to identify future leaders and actively develop them
• Partner with HR on hiring, performance management, and engagement

• Work alongside store leadership teams in store to cultivate a teamwork mentality and operational perspective
• Communicate directly and transparently; comfortable delivering hard feedback and receiving it
• Move with urgency but not impulsivity; balance speed of execution with sound judgment
• Oversee Category Management and support emerging brands that are not available anywhere else
• Visit assigned stores on a daily, weekly, or rotating schedule

CEO Partnership

• Act as the CEO's eyes, ears, and right hand in the field — proactively sharing what's working, what isn't, and what you're doing about it
• Maintain a strong, transparent relationship built on honest communication and follow-through
• Translate the company strategy into regional plans and hold yourself accountable for delivering against them
• Collaborate with the CEO to scout new Bay Area locations
• Coordinate and lead new store openings

Compliance

• Ensure stores operate in compliance with company policies, procedures, and regulatory requirements
• Immediately address any lapses in compliance with corporate policies or local/national laws
• Remain knowledgeable and up-to-date about grocery maintenance, including refrigeration, MEPs, cleaning, and POS; assist Store Managers as needed with ongoing execution.

Strategic Planning

• Recognize and identify marketplace trends to maximize productivity, profitability, and long-term retention
• Never stop looking for a better way — in operations, merchandising, customer experience, team performance and engagement, or cost structure
• Pilot and implement new initiatives: move fast, measure results, and scale what works
• Stay current on competitive trends and bring forward-looking ideas to the leadership team

Competencies

• Creative thinker
• Eagerness to learn
• Strategic Thinker
• Organization
• Strong communicator
• Friendly, team player
• Good work ethic
• Collaborative
• Ability to read and interpret, analyze the P&L statements

Work environment

• Office and sales floor of retail grocery stores

Supervisory responsibilities

• Manage and oversee the professional development of the Buying & Merchandising Manager, Store Managers, and Training & Development Manager

Physical demands

• Must be able to lift 50 lbs
• Must be able to spend 4-8 hours per day on your feet
• Stooping, bending, lifting, standing for long periods of time, stretching, twisting, reaching, repetitive stocking motions
• Stocking of shelves and merchandising displays
• Handling of refrigerated products in cold environments for extended periods
• Comfort with handling animal products and byproducts

Travel required

• Position requires regular travel between store and commissary locations
• Attend trade shows & networking events
• Valid driver's license and reliable personal vehicle

Required education and experience

• 5+ years of multi-unit general management experience in grocery retail operations
• Direct history of successfully opening multiple new brick-and-mortar stores
• Demonstrated track record of improving operational performance across multiple locations simultaneously
• Demonstrated experience in opening new stores in various locations or restructuring existing ones
• Experience owning a full P&L, including labor, shrinkage, and controllable expenses
• Experience leading through change and executing large-scale operational initiatives
• Proven ability to build and develop high-performing store management teams
• Proven track record of driving sales growth, operational excellence, and profitability across multiple locations
• Proficiency with Excel, Google Sheets, and other business systems and reporting tools

Preferred education and experience

• Experience with retail, preferably grocery
• Experience with food preparation, service, and safety
• Experience managing large geographic territories and complex multi-unit operations
• Proven ability to build high-performing teams and develop future leaders
• Strong understanding of merchandising, inventory management, asset protection, and workforce planning

Additional Eligibility Requirements

• Flexible schedule, including evenings/weekends as needed
• Must be 18 years or older
• Proficiency in English

Other duties

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Benefits

• Medical insurance, with employer contribution of up to 100%
• Dental insurance, with 70% employer contribution
• Vision insurance, with 50% employer contribution
• Paid sick leave
• Paid vacation - up to 2 weeks per year
• Paid volunteer days
• Pre-tax 401k savings account
• Storewide employee discount of 20%
• Daily staff meal
• Pre-tax commuter benefits savings account
• Regular review & raise cycles
• Professional development and mentorship program

About Luke’s Local

Luke's Local is an independently-owned grocery business that provides food from local family farms, butchers, ranchers, and food makers. Luke's sincerely sources great food made with integrity, and is passionate about making grocery shopping an inspiring experience for Bay Area communities. We operate four vibrant brick and mortar markets - one on Cole and Parnassus in the heart of Cole Valley, a second in Cow Hollow on Union St, a third on Green Street in North Beach, and a fourth in the Inner Sunset on 9th Ave. As a company, we are constantly striving to create an environment that fosters equity, inclusion, and nourishment for our customers and team members alike. Our hope is to make it possible for anyone to bring the spirit of discovery, creativity, and joy into their kitchens. We hope you’ll join us.