Retail Management Consultant - for Dikken el Mazraa

The Retail Management Consultant will support Dikken el Mazraa, one of the groups supported under Mada Platform, which is a space that offers flexible support for civil society initiatives to help them grow and reach their full potential.

Dikken el Mazraa is an experimental and innovative solidarity grocery project in Beirut, founded in 2020 in the midst of the economic crisis to fight price inflation and poverty by pricing goods progressively according to the client/ member’s socio-economic situation. Its cross-subsidization model is based on middle- or high-income members buying with a profit margin from the shop allowing identified vulnerable communities to purchase at almost cost price (and sometimes at lower than cost price). Dikken is now adapting its economic model to increase self-reliance and aims to become an outlet for products from producers using eco-friendly practices.

The Retail Management Consultant has the mission to develop internal organisational rules and guidelines, develop and update management tools, build a customer relation strategy, and build the organizational capacities of staff.

Main tasks and responsibilities:

Develop (write) internal guidelines for the shop’s management and operations to include:

• Operating hours
• Display and categorization of products
• Pricing strategy to tackle currency fluctuation
• Health and hygiene policies related to food storage and display, in accordance with the Lebanese law

Develop and/or update management tools:

• Update daily reports templates
• Update inventory reports documents
• Update job descriptions for each position
• Develop a monthly reporting process
• Develop a procurement data base: list of key food, beverage, and product suppliers and contact details
• Develop a target-based bonuses system for staff.

Build a customer relation strategy with focus on:

• Raising awareness around the concept of the solidarity grocery
• Increasing membership subscriptions
• Handling customer complaints.

Training and capacity building: 

• Train the staff on internal guidelines and customer relations
• Support in identifying human resources needs (if any).

Education and Experience Required

• University degree in Business Management or related fields
• 3 to 5 years of experience in retail management or related fields
• Knowledge in the food and beverages sector in Lebanon
• Good understanding of the retail and wholesale industry in Lebanon, including producers, suppliers, and distributors
• Experience with e-commerce
• Ability to work with a broad spectrum of people, both staff and beneficiaries/ clients 
• Ability to effectively present information and maintain flexibility 
• Ability to cope with stressful situations and tight deadlines 
• Advanced writing skills
• Strong reporting and analysis skills
• Effective leadership and interpersonal skills
• High communication and pedagogical capacities
• Excellent command of word and excel
• Ability to meet deadlines
• Excellent English and Arabic skills (written and oral).