Cannabis dispensaries are becoming more common and more profitable across the country. Because of this, there's a growing need for qualified, energetic employees to ensure customers are cared for. Additionally, higher-end dispensary jobs ensure that state and local compliance is tended to and that stock is maintained.
If you're interested in opening a dispensary, it's time to start familiarizing yourself with the different positions that work together to make a business like this succeed. What follows are the most integral parts of dispensary employment structures; the jobs that ensure everyone can get their cannabis and get on with their lives. While these aren't the only jobs in the cannabis industry — not by a long shot — these are the ones you're going to rely on when you stop by your local cannabis retailer for a pick-me-up.
The general manager of a cannabis dispensary is very much like the general manager of any other retail
establishment. Cannabis is a complex retail business that not only sells a highly desirable commodity but also works within a lot of interconnected laws. An ideal general manager for a cannabis dispensary will have extensive retail knowledge and have worked supervising people for quite some time in their past work experience.
Who are they?
In most cases, the general manager of a dispensary will have extensive experience independently running retail chains. They're the person responsible for all the day-to-day oversight of the business.
What do they do?
Job duties for this position include but are not limited to hiring, maintaining stock, making decisions about marketing, running multiple stores. Running multiple stores in some cases, communicating with supply chain businesses to ensure the smooth operation of the dispensary.
Qualifications and rough pay range:
The ideal candidate for this position will have 5 to 10 years plus of retail or food service managerial experience. They will have years of experience supervising people, ordering stock for business, working with the public, and independently running a business.
The compliance manager of a dispensary is responsible for ensuring all federal, state, and local laws are observed and complied with.
It is their responsibility to ensure they have the proper licensing and zoning for the business. They're also responsible for ensuring that all of their employees are trained in best practices for cannabis businesses.
Who are they?
A compliance manager is somebody who has extensive knowledge of the laws surrounding cannabis for their area. This includes the manufacturer of cannabis products but also the sale of them. They may be somebody with a law degree, but it's not necessary.
What do they do?
The dispensary compliance manager ensures that the business is not breaking any laws when they sell its products. They also make sure that all of their employees have the knowledge necessary to make informed declarations to customers. This person will keep certifications and compliance up to date for the entire dispensary and its employees.
Qualifications:
In most cases, the compliance manager of a dispensary will have either cannabis retail experience or education in the business and or business law fields. They'll also need some ability to work with cannabis software which can help with compliance needs.
A budtender is a person who actually sells you your cannabis. This person has to be extremely knowledgeable about the products that they're selling and how they can be useful to the customer. Just like you trust a bartender to recommend a drink or mix the perfect one for you, your budtender will help you pick the perfect product for you.
Who are they?
This is a person who is passionate about helping other people, especially in a retail space. In many cases, these people are intimately knowledgeable about medical cannabis and how it can help customers.
What do they do?
A budtender knows the products that they sell and how best to recommend them to customers. One of the most important jobs of a budtender is helping medical patients select the correct product for them based on their medical conditions. Recreational budtenders help average customers find products that they would enjoy based on how they like to experience cannabis. A budtender is also the point of salesperson in most dispensaries.
The uncelebrated hero of the cannabis industry. The delivery driver gets you your product when you can't or don't want to leave your home. Cannabis delivery drivers are exceptionally important for medical cannabis patients who literally cannot leave or in too much pain to travel to the business.
Who are they?
Like delivery drivers in any other industry, a cannabis delivery driver takes a retail purchase to a customer. They are somebody who enjoys customer service and likes driving.
What do they do?
This is a fairly straightforward process in which you make a purchase from a dispensary and bring it to a customer. There is more compliance than delivering, say a pizza, as in most cases you will need to verify identity, but it's not much more complicated than delivery is for other businesses.
These are hardly the only jobs that a cannabis dispensary does, but these are the four most likely to be at every single one. Every business needs a general manager and because there is so much law around cannabis, you absolutely need a compliance manager.
Budtenders are one of the most important people for customers because it helps them determine what they need in terms of cannabis, particularly for medical customers.
Finally, a delivery driver is a person that can get it to you when you need it most.
As the industry expands legality across the country these jobs will become more common and in higher demand. Keep in mind the personnel you will need as you grow your cannabis business.
