Associate Area Manager

Description: Company Overview

Who is Costa Farms? We’re one of the world’s largest horticultural growers—but without an ego to match our acreage. Our headquarters are in Miami, Florida, where we were founded in 1961. Costa Farms started on just 30 acres, and over the last 60 years, we’ve grown to more than 5,000 acres around the world. We have farms in North and South Carolina, Central and South Florida, and the Dominican Republic, plus an office in China. Costa Farms now employs nearly 6,000 people: engineers, marketers, accountants/analysts, human resources professionals, and of course, growers and plant scientists!

Here at Costa Farms, we live by the values of H3: being Humble, staying Hungry, and always Hustling. The team rallies to the mission of being a lean, green, growing machine dedicated to enriching the world by bringing plants into everyone’s life.

True to that mission, we grow more than 1,500 plant varieties. Driven by the spirit of innovation, the team is always testing new plants and developing new solutions to make it easier for retailers and plant parents to enjoy plants. We’re also continuously testing different ways of growing our plants to increase quality and improve their ecological footprint as one aspect of our many sustainability efforts.

We cultivate plants, as well as a winning culture. Join the team, and you’ll find opportunities to learn and grow. You’ll collaborate with other driven, determined people who together keep Costa Farms an industry leader. You’ll support and be supported by a team that cares about each other, our customers, our consumers, and our community.

You’ll also find right away that Costa Farms is committed to providing a diverse environment. We’re proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetic information, disability, age, military status, marital status or veteran status, or any other group status protected by federal, state, or local law.

DESCRIPTION:

The Associate Area Sales Manager is a key role responsible for overseeing third party merchandising operations within a specific geographical area or region. This includes managing the visual presentation, product assortment, and inventory levels to drive sales and enhance the overall customer experience. The Area Sales Manager collaborates closely with store managers and other cross-functional teams to ensure consistent execution of merchandising strategies and objectives.

Requirements: RESPONSIBILITIES

• Reports to the Key Account Manager
• Support and maintain a professional, team environment.
• Communicate, monitor, and help execute weekly merchandising initiatives with 3rd party service teams.
• Collaborate with the Account Manager and Replenishment Team to ensure stores are properly stocked.
• Participate in weekly conference calls with Account Manager, Centralized Replenishment Team and 3rd party service teams.
• Conduct regular store visits to assess compliance with Live Goods Department/Visual standards and provide feedback.
• Resolve store level customer service issues and requests.
• Participate in district functions such as resets and events.
• While the role is managerial, store visits may include walking the sales floor, evaluating displays, ensuring product visibility, and sometimes providing hands-on support to the merchandising team.

Additional Responsibilities

• Availability for flexible schedule changes based on business needs (including but not limited to seasonal demand and additional hours outside of the regular work schedule, such as weekends, nights, and holidays).
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to gather information or help as required.
• Represent the Costa Farms brand by upholding standards of excellence, consistency, and professionalism, while also supporting the positive brand image of the assigned store.
• Represent the Costa Farms brand by upholding standards of excel lence, and professionalism, while also supporting the positive brand image of the assigned stores.
• Perform additional duties as required.

QUALIFICATIONS

• A high school diploma or equivalent; relevant technical certification is preferred.
• 2 to 3 years of management / leadership experience.
• Must have a current driver’s license.
• Previous experience is a plus.

Physical Demands

• Pushing and pulling fully loaded rolling delivery racks of product as needed.
• Work long hours as needed during the busy season, including weekends and holidays.
• Continuously walk, stand, bend, kneel as well as reaching overhead, and from side to side for long periods of time
• Ability to work outside in inclement weather, rain, wind, heat, cold, direct sun, etc.
• Work in a fast-paced and diverse environment

Work Environment

• The role is mobile and involves frequent travel between multiple Home Depot locations to ensure consistent execution of merchandising standards, and operational performance.
• The manager works both indoors and outdoors in the garden center area, which involves exposure to various weather conditions. Seasonal changes may affect the workload and hours, particularly during peak spring and summer months.

SKILLS

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to effectively communicate complex information to third party employees.
• Effective time management skills to complete tasks within project deadlines and maintain productivity.
• Ability to work independently as well as collaboratively within a team environment.
• Adjusts to changes in priorities, schedules, and retail conditions (e.g., weather, shipment delays).
• Comfortable using digital tools such as Microsoft Office, mobile scheduling apps, timekeeping systems, and communication platforms (e.g., Teams, Outlook)
• Ability to troubleshoot and resolve issues efficiently.
• Flexibility to adapt to changing priorities and work schedules as needed.
• Customer service and relationship building.
• Attention to detail.
• Analytical and reporting skills.

COMPETENCIES

• Collaborates
• Communicates Effectively
• Problem Solving
• Time Management
• Builds networks
• Customer focus
• Situational Adaptability

All applicants must be work-authorized.

Costa Farms will not sponsor any visa for this position.

After applying, follow us on LinkedIn to stay up to date on what’s happening around Costa Farms and to start becoming part of our family. Come Grow with Us™!

Costa Farms offers competitive wages and benefits, including:

• 401(k) Plan
• Company 401(k) Matching Contributions
• Health Savings Account, Flexible Spending Account, and Dependent Care
• Telemedicine/Mental Health Services
• Health Insurance
• Dental Insurance
• Vision Insurance
• Pet Insurance
• Supplemental Insurance (Aflac)
• Growth Opportunities
• Challenging and exciting work environment
• Costa Farms Scholarship
• Employee discounts on plants