Vice President of Food Access

Vice President of Food Access

Position Overview

The Vice President of Food Access provides visionary leadership and strategic direction for the organization's programmatic initiatives and food service operations. This role ensures that all programs align with organizations’ mission, goals, and values while maintaining the highest efficiency, compliance, and impact standards. The VP of Food Access collaborates with the CEO to advance organizational objectives, enhance community engagement and agency partnerships, and drive innovation in food service delivery and program development.

Why Work Here?

• Meaningful work: contribute to fighting hunger in your local community
• Community impact: make a tangible difference in the lives of families, seniors, and children who rely on food assistance, and be part of disaster recovery reliefs
• Positive work environment be part of a culture of compassion, teamwork, and service, working alongside like-minded and passionate individuals
• Benefits: enjoy excellent benefits in exchange for your hard work, expertise, and dedication to the mission
• Opportunity for innovation and creativity: contribute to process innovation and new strategies to help optimize and maximize donor contributions

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

• Develop and implement long-term strategies for program growth and food service operations that align with the organization's mission and vision.
• Collaborate with the CEO to set organizational goals, priorities, and policies.
• Lead efforts to identify, evaluate, and implement new programs and services that address community and nutrition needs.

Program Management

• Oversee all nonprofit program initiatives, ensuring they are mission-driven, impactful, and sustainable. Monitor program and food sourcing performance through data analysis and evaluation, ensuring outcomes align with organizational objectives.
• Reviews and analyzes agency capacity growth, agency group structure, mobile markets, agency recruitment, agency training, and all nutrition services initiatives.
• Develop and manage partnerships with external stakeholders, including community organizations, agency partners, funders, and governmental agencies.
• Oversee the growth of relationships with current and potential agencies and program retail and food sourcing partners to market products and services to expand network capacity, capability and reach, especially for TEFAP, CSFP, Backpack, and other programmatic functions.

Food Service Operations

• Provide strategic oversight for kitchen and food service operations, ensuring high-quality meal preparation and delivery that meets nutritional standards and safety regulations.
• Oversee the kitchen management staff to ensure compliance with local, state, and federal regulations related to food service operations.
• Work with culinary teams to optimize operations, reduce waste, and implement innovative solutions for meal programs.

Team Leadership

• Lead and inspire a multidisciplinary team of program managers and/or directors, kitchen staff, and support personnel to achieve excellence in service delivery.
• Foster a positive atmosphere, culture of team collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement across all teams.
• Oversee hiring, training, and professional development for staff in programmatic and food service roles.

Financial and Operational Oversight

• Develop and manage budgets for programs and food service operations, ensuring efficient use of resources and alignment with strategic priorities.
• Identify opportunities for cost savings, resource optimization, and funding growth.

Community Engagement and Advocacy

• Advocate for program and food service initiatives with donors, partners, and the broader community.
• Build relationships with community stakeholders to strengthen partnerships, expand services in rural areas, and i
• Increase the organization’s visibility and impact.

Compliance and Risk Management:

• Ensure all programs and food service operations comply with applicable regulations, policies, and industry standards, including but not limited to USDA/TEFAP and CSFP.
• Regularly assess risks and implement mitigation strategies to ensure safe, effective, and compliant operations.
• Oversee data collection and reporting structures for audit requirements from Feeding America, USDA, and external accounting auditors.

Position Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or certificate in a related field plus at least ten years of relevant experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience (15 years)
• At least three (3) years in a food service industry strongly preferred.
• Proven track record of successfully overseeing program development and implementation.
• Experience managing large, diverse teams and complex operations, including budgets and compliance requirements.
• Exceptional strategic planning and organizational leadership skills.
• Strong knowledge of food safety regulations, meal planning, distribution, and food service best practices.
• Technically savvy; experience with ERP systems preferred (NetSuite).
• Knowledge of food sourcing and kitchen management is preferred.