President & Chief Operating Officer (Chicago/Hybrid)

Work. Serve. Thrive.Imagine a place where your talent can make a meaningful difference in peoples’ lives. Working at Feeding America is a uniquely rewarding experience in which our employees work together as vital parts of a much larger mission. We are innovative, mission-focused, diverse, collaborative, values-driven and focused on results.Feeding America is the nation’s second largest charity and the leading domestic hunger-relief charity in the United States. Our mission is to feed America’s hungry through a nationwide network of member food banks and engage our country in the fight to end hunger.Learn more about Feeding Americahere.This position is based out of Feeding America’s new office location in the heart of downtown Chicago. At Feeding America, we believe in offering a flexible work environment. Employees can be in the office an average of 2 days a week (when not travelling for work) and work from home on other days. Employees also have access to a 30-day “work anywhere” program during the course of each calendar year that can be combined with PTO and/or holidays.The OpportunityLead the implementation of Feeding America’s strategy working hand in hand with Network partners including partner food banks, affiliate food banks partner state associations, and reginal cooperatives. Develop and implement changes in Feeding America’s operating model in support of the strategy and the outcomes it seeks to achieve leveraging the existing food bank network as well as new partners that supplement our core capabilities. Build and enhance relationships with Network leaders and other key partners to clearly define shared goals and co-create strategies and plans for achieving those goals in support of our vision and mission. The President & Chief Operating Officer serves at the number two executive at Feeding America, a member of the Executive Team, the leader of the Enterprise Governance Committee and the senior FANO member of the National Council.This position is being handled directly by Audeliss Executive SearchTo apply, please send your resume and cover letter toapplications@audeliss.comCompensationHere at Feeding America national organization, equity is central to our mission and is an integral part of ourcompensation policies and structures. Historically, systemic racism and sexism in all aspects of our society, including compensation practices, has led to pay inequities that negatively impact people of color, women, and especially women of color. These practices include basing salary offers on previous compensation and negotiating salary offers. As such, we maintain transparent salary ranges and clearly defined practices for how our team, including new hire salary offers, moves through these ranges. You can expect us to offer the best salary up front based on these clearly defined pay practices with little room for negotiation. The salary range listed below represents the starting to mid-point salaries for positions and comparable roles at this level at our organization and candidates should expect to be offered a salary near the starting point of the range that is listed on the job posting. We make exceptions for highly experienced (multiple years of at-level experience) new hires in accordance with our pay practices. Once hired, employees have the opportunity to progress through salary ranges via regular merit increases and step promotions.Salary Range: $320,000 to $390,000+ Based on ExperienceResponsibilities:Develop strong partnerships between the National Office and Network partners to ensure collaborative decision making and effective co-creation of strategies, plans, policies and governance keeping people facing hunger at the center of all we do together.Provide leadership for FANO staff and Network partners via open, two-way communication with the National Council food bank leaders. Work with the CEO and Chief Network Officer to engage Network members in ways that build trust, collaboration and commitment to shared mission.Lead the development of focused execution plans and measurable objectives to deliver against the strategy and annual operating plan exercising fiscal discipline over the investment of FANO’s resources both within the Network and with new partners. Ensure effective cross functional execution through leadership of the Enterprise Governance Committee.Provide leadership to stimulate the co-creation of integrated, outcomes focused, strategies including sourcing and distribution, technology and partnerships in collaboration with Network partners. Establish common vision with Network leaders and other partners focused on strategic outcomes and the operating model changes required to achieve these outcomes.Support the development, refinement and communication of a strong value proposition to the Network, media, donors, government, and others. Serve as spokesperson and key influencer for Feeding America on a broad range of issues.Guide the identification of clear technology investment priorities that drive the development of a technology strategy and roadmap. Ensure the technology organization is supported through strong partnership and needs prioritization from the Network including the national organization and Network partners.Foster a culture of research, innovation and learning with partners focused on deepening our understanding of hunger and the creation of new strategic opportunities to better serve our clients and advance the fight against hunger.Cultivate partnerships beyond the Feeding America Network that leverage new capabilities in the service of our mission and the outcomes we seek to achieve. Develop, strengthen, and maintain strategic alliances and partnerships with key stakeholders and partners in non-profits, corporations, academia, community-based organizations, educational institutions and government.Support the development and maintenance of a culture that encourages talented team members to achieve excellence and establish accountability; lead the implementation of internal policies and procedures that equitably support the success of team members and the organization.Working closely with the CEO and CFO lead the planning and execution of Board of Directors meetings and retreats. Oversee the Board effectiveness and governance function to ensure smooth function of the Board and its committees as well as onboarding and support for individual Board members.Required Experience and Qualifications:Fifteen plus years of demonstrated success in leadership positions including executive director or general management roles in not for profit and/or for profit organizations.Candidates should possess meaningful experience with social service oriented not for profits including program and partnership development either directly or through volunteer and/or board experience. Food banking experience in the Feeding America network is highly valued.Demonstrated success leading operations in a complex, geographically dispersed environment that demands a balance of understanding individual stakeholder needs from a practical perspective, while maintaining a consistent focus on the overall mission of the organization.Experience leading in a federated network, franchise operation or similar environment combined with experience in roles and/or organizations that require a service orientation.Broad general management background that includes ability to integrate key functional areas including operations, supply chain, technology, research, marketing/sales, finance and human resources at a strategic level. A track record of success in identifying and implementing “best in class” management operational processes in a consensus building leadership style.Experience in, and comfort with, serving as a senior spokesperson in demanding environments including media appearances, speaking engagements and stakeholder engagement such as donor/sales, partners, members, government officials, legislators, etc.Foundational Requirements:Mission Focused– Demonstrates a commitment to Feeding America’s mission through work and action. Is committed to people keep people facing hunger at the center of our work and strives to translate this commitment into action on a daily basis. Willing to advocate for people facing hunger and serve as an ambassador for Feeding America inside and outside of work.Embraces Equity, Diversity and Inclusion– Demonstrates a personal commitment to valuing different background and life experiences through word and action. Takes personal actions to build an inclusive culture that ensures everyone can fully contribute based on their unique talents, skills and perspectives and feels welcomed and valued. Commits to driving equitable solutions to address root cause issues by incorporating an equity framework in their daily work. Committed to continuous personal EDI development.Required Leadership Competencies:Establishes Vision and Crafts Strategy: Collaborates within the Executive team to develop organization vision and strategy. Creates and consistently follows processes to build organization alignment and drive effective strategic execution.Drives Change: Leads change efforts that produce sustained focus or improvements by addressing political and systemic barriers to change. Increases the organization’s capacity to implement and manage change by coordinating plans across functions/departments and assessing the impact on people. Owns change messages and communicates a vision for the desired future state while helping others across the organization understand the reason for change. Engages critical stakeholders in dialogue, productive conflict, and the design of changes to increase buy-in and improve the viability of solutions. Anticipates resistance to change and skillfully deflects it to turn resistors into advocates. Monitors the impact of change on others.Coaches and Develops Talent and Teams: Builds an organization-wide talent pool by hiring great people and intentionally growing and promoting employees to be shared across the organization. Spends quality time coaching and mentoring people inside and outside of own area and builds a deep bench of successors for own position. Models personal commitment to talent development through active involvement in all phases of talent management cycle, including recruiting, performance, development, and compensation. Drives expectations that every manager knows their people’s career interests, strengths, development needs and activities. Establishes a transparent culture around talent decisions.Manages for Results / Delegates Effectively: Holds self and others strictly accountable for completing timely, high quality work and achieving measurable goals aligned with organizational strategies. Validates that teams have the resources and capacity to implement projects effectively. Eliminates irrelevant activities and removes bureaucratic burdens so teams can focus on most important actions to achieve outstanding results. Creates systems to monitor strategic progress and provide transparent feedback to all levels of the organization. Ensures effective and proper use of performance management processes throughout the organization. Retains accountability for outcomes while delegating power and decision-making authority to those closest to the situation.Collaborates Internally & Externally: Identifies key stakeholders and ensures collaboration between departments, across the Network, and with external partners, removing barriers to teamwork when necessary. Ensures that working/project teams have people with diverse experiences and skills and further builds their skills to enhance overall team effectiveness. Creates inclusive collaboration by engaging and seeking input from stakeholders with diverse experiences and skills well before decisions are final. Recognizes when teams are struggling to make progress and initiates discussions to identify barriers and generate positive solutions to move forward. Listens deeply, elevates conversation, and constructively reframes conflict to focus on the people we serve verses individual or functional agendasFeeding America recognizes and values diversity. Our goal is to attract, develop, retain, and promote a talented diverse workforce where all employees feel a sense of belonging andcontribute to a culture that values differences, ideas, and experiences. We intentionally seek out diverse perspectives and skills on our teams, knowing that it makes us stronger as an organization and better equipped to serve our neighbors in need. We encourage individuals from historically under-represented communities and individuals with lived experience of hunger to apply.