Vice President, Operations

About Calgary Co-op

Calgary Co-op was founded in 1956 by local farmers, ranchers, and community members who set out to build a grocery store owned by the people it served. That founding idea — shared ownership and a genuine connection to local producers — still defines the organization today, nearly 70 years later.

Job Description

Now one of the largest retail co‑operatives in North America, Calgary Co-op serves Calgary and the surrounding communities of Airdrie, Cochrane, High River, Okotoks, and Strathmore through food centres, pharmacies, gas stations and car washes, Home Health Care centres, and wine, spirits, beer, and cannabis locations. The organization also owns and operates Community Natural Foods and Willow Park Wines & Spirits, and is the majority shareholder of Care Pharmacies.

Calgary Co-op operates on the Rochdale co‑operative principles — the model established by the world’s first modern co‑operative in 1844 — including democratic member control, member economic participation, and concern for community. Its vision is to be respected as the best and most trusted place for members to shop every day, delivered through a culture of Service, Caring, and Excellence.

The Opportunity

Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer, the Vice President, Operations will be a critical member of the executive leadership team, responsible for driving operational excellence across Calgary Co‑op’s diverse retail network. This is a pivotal moment for the organization as it works to strengthen foundational execution, improve consistency, and unlock greater performance across its grocery, wine spirits & beer, petroleum, home health care, and Community Natural Foods (CNF) businesses.

This leader will modernize how Calgary Co-op operates and serves its members, moving the organization toward a more disciplined, professionally managed operating model. Success will require a hands‑on leadership style — working directly with leaders at every level to ensure change is not just communicated, but genuinely embedded in day‑to‑day practice.

The Vice President will establish and own a disciplined operating model that brings clarity to standards, accountability to execution, and rigor to performance management, while ensuring a consistently high‑quality member experience across all locations. Building a culture of transparency, accountability, and trust across the operations organization will be central to the role.

Working closely with the CEO and executive team, this leader will translate strategic and cultural ambition into a scalable, repeatable operating model — one that blends the strengths of traditional grocery with a more differentiated, modern retail concept. This role will suit a strategic, inspiring, and hands‑on leader who thrives in complex, evolving environments and is energized by the opportunity to modernize operations while building on the strengths of a purpose‑driven, community‑owned organization.

Key Responsibilities

Operational Performance & Execution Consistency

• Drive consistent execution standards across all locations through clear operating routines, expectations, and accountability mechanisms.
• Instill a culture of performance management through regular review of operational metrics, store‑level results, and leadership accountability.
• Improve day‑to‑day execution across sites by addressing variability in performance and ensuring adherence to defined standards.
• Identify and close performance gaps across the network, improving productivity, cost control, and in‑store execution quality.

Foundational Standards & Operational Rigor

• Establish clear, practical standards for core operating processes across all formats.
• Reinforce adherence to safety, quality, and compliance procedures through structured routines and leadership oversight.
• Ensure site leaders understand, adopt, and consistently apply operational expectations.

Network Leadership Across Banners

• Lead operational performance across Calgary Co‑op’s multi‑format network — grocery, petroleum, and Community Natural Foods — ensuring alignment and consistency.
• Balance standardization with flexibility, preserving each banner’s distinctiveness within a common baseline of execution excellence.

Future‑State Operating Model Implementation

• Translate strategic direction into operating frameworks that can be executed consistently across locations.
• Define and implement new approaches to store operations, including operating rhythms, service expectations, and execution standards.
• Support the rollout and scaling of new concepts and formats, ensuring they are operationally viable and repeatable.

Cross‑Functional Execution Alignment

• Ensure operational readiness and