Chief Operating Officer

Scope and responsibilities:

The COO will provide a pivotal leadership role within the organization; will focus on the day-to-day execution of the strategic goals and objectives, measure the organizations' progress against those goals and key performance indicators; and will be responsible for developing and evaluating the organization's capacity, processes, and infrastructure to deliver outstanding program services to the communities they serve.

The COO will lead an executive management team, and develop a performance-based culture for the diverse, talented individuals at the Foodbank to deliver measurable, cost-effective results that make the organization's vision a reality.

The successful candidate will bring the proven skills, emotional intelligence, proven past experience to tap into the power and talent that each member of the team brings to the organization's mission, while emphasizing the importance of having a world-class culture. While it is essential that the COO bring efficient and effective systems to increase the productivity of the organization, is it also critical that the team retain the creative spark that drives the vision, to create a stronger, healthier bi-state region, where no one goes to bed hungry.

The COO will be a member of the Executive Management Team along with the President & CEO, and the Chief Culture & People Officer. The COO will oversee four direct reports (Director of Operations, VP of Community Programs and Partnerships, Director of Finance, VP of Product Acquisition and Government Compliance), and a total (but growing) organization of more than 65.

Specific Responsibilities:

• Develop, implement, and monitor creative operational strategies that demonstrate thoughtful planning and entrepreneurial thinking. Responsible for the measurement and effectiveness of all operational processes (internal and external) by ensuring the collection and preparation of statistical data capturing results, course correcting as needed, as well as projecting future goals.
• Recruit, motivate and lead a high-performance management team whose responsibilities encompass operations, partner agency services, programs, food sourcing, facilities management, and our volunteer center.
• Oversee all planning, organization, operation and staffing of teams under their supervision as well as establish, evaluate, and measure goal setting and attainment.
• Engineer the alignment of people, processes, policies, and assets to obtain an optimal balance between efficiency, service provision and collaboration with member agencies and other partners in addressing hunger throughout the 26 counties we serve in Missouri and Illinois.
• Identify and drive change initiatives that improve operations workflow and productivity.
• Facilitate the horizontal integration of communications between Executive Leadership and departments to remove obstacles, improve responsiveness, and facilitate prompt decision making.
• Oversee research, analysis, trends, and program evaluation of operations in support of strategic planning, and day-to-day problem solving. Implement and lead a continuous quality improvement process throughout all functional areas, focusing on systems/process improvement and growth. Promote regular and ongoing opportunities for staff to provide feedback on programs and operations by promoting an open-door policy.
• Collaborate with the President and CEO and Executive Leadership to establish and accomplish annual goals and objectives, as well as assess metrics and KPI's to ensure we meet or exceed the goals and timelines of our strategic direction for the organization.
• Offer advice, guidance, and direction on business matters, including operational policies and procedures, new initiatives, and future strategic planning, while fostering a success-oriented and accountable environment, with a best-in-class culture.
• Work collaboratively with Executive Leadership to oversee the development and implementation of plans for program and service expansion within the framework of strategic objectives, succession planning and business resilience.
• Partner with CEO and Chief Culture and People Officer in the design and implementation of strategies focused on recruitment, training and retention directed towards the development of a high performing team of leaders and managers while emphasizing the use of strategic analysis, planning and programming to build capacity.
• Serve as the Disaster Incident Commander, overseeing the planning and execution of disaster response operations and management of partner relationships.
• Participate in meetings and committees as appropriate with the Board of Directors. Leads the Operations (Warehouse, Facilities, Logistics) sub-committee.
• Comply with all SLAFB policies and procedures and serve as a role model for integrity and core values.
• Maintain professional, positive, and courteous manner.
• Perform other duties as assigned to meet company needs.

  EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:

• Proven operations leadership success (experience in Warehousing and Logistics (highly preferred).
• 10+ years senior leadership experience managing cross-functional teams and generating superior outcomes with accountability for financial results, operations, programs/projects, customer service and staff development (experience outside not-for-profit will be considered).
• Demonstrated success in scaling /managing an organization
• Ability to interface effectively with multiple constituents/advocates/professionals (e.g. Board, Leadership Team, staff, and network of agencies) from different diverse backgrounds and experience levels.
• Experience serving on the Board of or working at a not-for-profit organization (preferred).
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• LEADERSHIP COMPETENCIES:
  • High levels of honesty and integrity and able to cultivate a culture on these values.
  • Utilizes benchmarking and key performance metrics to identify strengths and opportunities and to hold the organization accountable for results.
  • Innovative has vision acts as catalyst for organizational change always looking to improve.
  • Build trust and demonstrate personal accountability humility and ownership.
  • Emotional intelligence, awareness of both the "what" needs to get done, but also the "why and how" across the team.
  • Versatile in working with individuals across all levels of the organization.
  • Ability to build strong teams and hold people accountable and develop them into leaders.
  • Ability to evaluate and identify systemic issues and opportunities using employee feedback.
  • Ability to identify and manage external and internal emerging talent.
  • Courage to take risks, stand up for what you believe and do the right thing.
  • Ability to understand the core values and design initiatives that promote the culture of the Foodbank.
  • Ability to define, measure, and evaluate key metrics to assess organizational and employee health.
  • Ability to manage staff, budgets, and daily responsibilities in fast-paced environment.
  • Ability to grow and adapt remain flexible and embrace change aware of external trends and impact.
  • Ability to influence others and work together to achieve goals.
  • Ability to mentor and grow the skills of the team in a meaningful way.
  • Able to effectively speak on behalf of the Foodbank in the media, conferences, and public events/forums.

• PERSONAL / PROFESSIONAL ATTRIBUTES:

  • A passion to alleviate hunger.
  • Capable of managing multiple responsibilities simultaneously in fast-paced, growth environment.
  • Strong quantitative, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
  • Possess confidence, strategic thinking, and mission-driven assertiveness to promote positive, accountable work culture.
  • Ability, willingness, and sensitivity to work with diverse stakeholders.
  • Dependability, initiative, and follow-through.
  • Strong focus and commitment to results across teams.
  • Strong performance management and evaluation capabilities, including willingness and experience in ensuring team accountabilities.
  • Enthusiasm for innovation and proven ability to integrate technology to improve efficiency.
  • Demonstration of prior strategic leadership.
  • Demonstrated problem-solver and a pragmatic risk-taker.
  • Excellent written and oral communication, interpersonal, negotiation and conflict resolution skills.

   

  Education:

  • Bachelor's degree. An advanced degree, preferably an MBA is a plus.

Current Openings for Chief Operating Officer Jobs at St. Louis Area Foodbank