JOB OPENINGS
Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
Atlanta Retailers Association (ARA)
The Atlanta Retailers Association (ARA) is seeking a visionary Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to lead the organization and its subsidiary, the Platinum Business Alliance (PBA). As the highest-ranking executive, the CEO is responsible for providing leadership and making major decisions that benefit the organization.
Organizational Overview
• Foundation: Established in 1995, ARA was conceived to connect independent convenience store owners to increase purchasing power on goods and services.
• Growth: The association has achieved success by providing sustainable value programs to members and vendor partners.
• Scale: In 2021, the Platinum Business Alliance (PBA) was launched as a wholly owned subsidiary.
• Current Reach: The combined network for ARA and PBA currently stands at over 1,600 member stores.
Roles and Responsibilities
The CEO focuses on driving strategic direction, fostering a creative culture, and delivering value to stakeholders. Key functions include setting goals aligned with the Board’s vision, mission, and financial resources.
Strategic & Financial Leadership
• Direction: Defining and aligning the association’s vision, mission, and long-term goals.
• Capital Allocation: Managing financial resources to ensure sustainable growth and profitability.
• Risk Management: Identifying and navigating market uncertainty.
• Decision Making: Making critical decisions impacting brand identity and financial health.
Operational & Vendor Management
• Vendor Relations: Managing vendor partner negotiations and ongoing relationships.
• Growth: Meeting with new vendors to learn about products and services to bring them under the ARA portfolio.
• Revenue: Developing incremental revenue streams for the associations.
• Data Analysis: Utilizing data to gain maximum advantage for members.
• Oversight: Reviewing performance, identifying inefficiencies, and driving innovations.
Culture & Communication
• Team Building: Building a strong, resilient, and diverse organizational culture and hiring key executives and other staff.
• Liaison: Communicating effectively between the Board, executives, and staff members.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Engaging with the Board of Directors, members, and key vendor partners.
Candidate Profile
Experience & Skills
• Professional Background: 10+ years of experience, with 5+ years specifically in ConsumerPackaged Goods (CPG).
• Management: Proven success in upper management and leading teams.
• Financial Acumen: Deep understanding of P&L, balance sheets, budgeting, and Merger & Acquisitions (M&A).
• Strategy: Ability to develop and execute long-term vision.
• Operations: Broad exposure across business functions like sales and operations.
• Soft Skills: Excellent communication, problem-solving, and negotiation skills.
Educational Background
• Undergraduate: Bachelor’s Degree in business administration, Accounting, Finance, or Economics
• Graduate: Master’s Degree (MBA) is preferred.
• Other: Degrees in law, science, or other relevant fields are also valued.
Compensation & Location
• Base Salary: Lucrative compensations.
• Total Compensation: Performance-based bonuses, incentives and additional bonus.
• Residency: The candidate must be willing to relocate to Atlanta, Georgia.
Territory Development Manager SOUTH GA– $48k–$55k
Territory Development Manager
The Territory Development Manager works to improve the organization’s market position and achieve financial growth, by identifying new member store opportunities, improving member store profitability by maximizing program participation and maintaining extensive knowledge of current market conditions.
The primary role of the Territory Development Manager is to prospect for new members by networking, cold calling, or by other means that generate interest from prospective convenience store operators and manage a territory of existing member stores.
Interested Candidates must reside in the Warner Robbins or Macon areas, as the assigned territory includes member stores throughout South Georgia.
Primary Duties and Responsibilities
• Prospect for potential new members
• Cold call as appropriate to ensure a robust pipeline of opportunities. Meet potential members by growing, maintaining, and leveraging your network.
• Identify potential members, and the decision makers within the prospect’s organization.
• Plan approaches and pitches.
• Work with the marketing team to develop proposals that speak to the member’s needs, concerns, and objectives.
• Use a variety of styles to persuade or negotiate appropriately.
• Present new products and services and enhance existing relationships.
• Work with marketing staff and other internal colleagues to meet customer needs.
• Arrange and participate in internal and external prospect debriefs.
• Attend industry functions, such as association events and conferences, and provide feedback and information on market and creative trends.
• Identify opportunities for campaigns, services, and distribution channels that will lead to an increase in membership.
• Submit weekly progress reports and ensure data is accurate.
• Ensure that data is accurately entered and managed within the company’s CRM or other sales management system (Member Management Portal).
• Forecast enrollment targets; track and record activity and help to close gaps in order to meet these targets.
• Visit existing member stores and make recommendations that maximize participation in marketing programs
• Visit existing member stores and conduct program compliance surveys and make corresponding recommendations that allow member to be in compliance with program requirements
Qualifications
• Education – Bachelor’s Degree and/or 3-5 years of sales or marketing experience.
• Other Skills and Qualifications – Networking, Persuasion, Prospecting, Public Speaking, Research, Writing, Closing Skills, Motivation for Sales, Prospecting Skills, Identification of Customer Needs and Challenges, Territory Management, Market Knowledge, Meeting Enrollment Goals, Professionalism, CRM, and Microsoft Office.
Equal Employment Opportunity
Atlanta Retailers Association provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.
This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.