About the Role
We are seeking an experienced Recruiter to manage the full-cycle recruitment of Aspiring Operator Trainee (AOT) candidates. You will own the sourcing, engagement, assessment, and closing of candidates ready to pursue store ownership. This role reports to the Manager - Field Recruiting and plays a key role in strengthening the long-term pipeline of Independent Operators.
Responsibilities
- Source and engage qualified candidates through referrals, direct outreach, job boards, and industry networks.
- Conduct in-depth interviews to evaluate leadership, retail/management experience, financial readiness, and relocation flexibility.
- Effectively communicate the business ownership opportunity and set clear expectations.
- Manage the candidate journey from initial conversation through training assignment and store placement.
- Facilitate assessments, panel interviews, and evaluation checkpoints, consolidating feedback into clear recommendations.
- Maintain accurate candidate pipelines and documentation in CRM (Salesforce).
- Address questions related to business ownership, investment, and relocation to support candidate decision-making.
- Represent Grocery Outlet at industry events, webinars, and networking functions.
- Travel within the market to support in-person needs i.e. candidate meetings, networking events, operator connects, and corporate functions.
- Build lasting relationships with candidates, referral partners, and industry contacts to strengthen pipeline flow.
- Collaborate with Marketing to support campaigns that attract diverse, entrepreneurially-minded talent.
- Partner with recruiting leaders and cross-functional teams to forecast pipeline needs and meet annual AOT placement targets.
- Share insights and best practices while supporting continuous improvement of recruiting processes and tools.
- Contribute to team knowledge-sharing and help elevate recruiting standards across the organization.
Requirements
- 3–5 years of recruiting experience in a corporate or agency environment; franchise or leadership recruiting experience a plus.
- Proven success in managing full-cycle recruiting and closing candidates.
- Strong business acumen and comfort discussing financial readiness, relocation, and ownership opportunities.
- Excellent relationship-building and communication skills, with the ability to influence decisions at multiple levels.
- Proficiency with CRM/ATS systems (Salesforce preferred) and recruiting technology.
- Highly organized and adaptable, able to balance multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
- Maintain a consistent, high-quality candidate pipeline aligned to market demand.
- Move candidates efficiently through the evaluation and closing process.
- Keep CRM data accurate and current to support pipeline visibility and reporting.
- Meet annual AOT placement targets and Dept. KPIs set in partnership with leadership.
Skills
- Salesforce
- CRM
- ATS
- Recruiting technology
- Direct outreach
- Candidate assessment
- Relationship building
- Communication
- Business acumen
- Leadership
- Merchandising
- Marketing
Work Type
- Full-time
Experience Level
- 3-5 years
Salary/Compensations
- $95,000 - $110,000 Annually
- Annual Bonus Program
- Equity
Benefits
- 401(k) Profit Sharing
- Medical
- Dental
- Vision
About the Company
- Our Mission: Touching lives for the better
- Our Vision: Touching lives by being the first choice for bargain-minded consumers in the U.S.
- Our Values & Behaviors: Achievement, Diversity, Entrepreneurship, Family, Fun, Integrity & Service
- The Grocery Outlet Recruiting & Training team is tasked with hiring and developing Aspiring Operator Trainees (AOTs).
- Our AOT’s are the crucial pipeline of Independent Store Owners.
- We have a very rigorous selection and development approach, accomplished by robust sourcing and assessment, facilitating scalable learning and development, cultivating and communicating best practices and leveraging our unique culture.
- Our goal is to serve the AOT and Operator communities with integrity and accuracy while focusing on continual improvement, collaboration and FUN!
- The recruiting team is responsible for finding candidates who have a passion for grocery retail and an entrepreneurial spirit.
- The team fully educates AOT Candidates on the realities of Owning/Operating a Grocery Outlet store successfully, facilitates the relationship between AOTs and their Training Store Operators, provides an opportunity for families to build a business together, and foster the continuing development of an exceptional Operator network.
- Our training team develops blended training programs includes operator/mentor-lead in store immersion, classroom-based instructor lead facilitation with on-line supplemental learning.
- Training focuses on developing business acumen, along with leadership, merchandising, and marketing skills.
