Innovation and Programs Manager - St. Louis Area Foodbank

St. Louis Area Foodbank (SLAFB)

JOB DESCRIPTION

Job Title: Innovation and Programs Manager

Immediate Supervisor: Director of Partners and Programs Employees

Supervised: Equitable Access Supervisor, Youth and Family Programs Coordinator, Community Healthcare Programs Coordinator, and Nutrition and Wellness Programs Coordinator

FLSA: Exempt

General Description/Position Summary:

The Innovation and Programs Manager is an innovative and creative leader dedicated to fulfilling the St. Louis Area Foodbank's (SLAFB) vision of a nutritionally secure Missouri and Illinois. Through community needs assessments and data evaluation, the Manager and their team will design the charitable food model of the future with a focus toward nourishing people by meeting immediate food and resource needs, establishing replicable best practices and ultimately developing a pathway to end hunger throughout our 26-county service territory. Responsibilities include program development, management, and assessment with support toward planning, goal setting, staffing, initiating, leading, and overseeing programmatic activities while ensuring outcomes that assist people in achieving food and nutrition security.

Objectives

• Understand the geographic and economic barriers that impact our communities as well as unique individual barriers, such as awareness, stigma, and physical access, that impact our neighbors.
• Set the strategic direction and goals of the Equitable Access and Health and Wellness teams. Ensure key performance indicators and desired outcomes are met.
• Lead the creation, development, piloting, measurement, and continuous improvement of all programs to ensure access to nutritious foods and mitigate barriers in communities with a high rate of food insecurity and low food access.
• Stay abreast of trends and research regarding best practices in hunger relief and ending hunger programming.
• Provide leadership, coaching, goals, and ongoing support to Equitable Access and Health and Wellness teams.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Partner with leadership to set outcome-based goals that ensure access to nutritious and culturally appropriate foods across our 26 counties.
• Identify gaps in access to hunger relief programming and work collaboratively with the Partner Services team to identify and grow the capacity of community partners that may be able to assist.
• Lead the continual improvement of internal processes, ongoing updating of policies and procedures and evaluation of the effectiveness of departmental goals against projected outcomes and timelines.
• Collaborate across departments to gather feedback and support on the development of programs and services that meet identified community needs as described within our Strategic Plan.
• Direct, implement, disseminate, and administer program strategies, program plans and objectives to ensure alignment with organizational vision and mission.
• Lead and direct programmatic strategies including goals, measurements, and desired outcomes including incorporating food insecurity screenings in healthcare settings and providing follow up services which move our neighbors and communities toward nutrition security.
• Incorporate nutritional nudges, education, and outreach into existing programs and partner models including elements of client choice and Supporting Wellness at Pantries (SWAP).
• Create standard operating procedures, policies, program criteria, logic models and tools to measure outcomes, improve efficiencies and increase impact for all program models.
• Monitor program operations and activities to ensure they adhere to legal guidelines and internal policies.
• Analyze data on a consistent basis to determine successes and areas for improvement. When needed, create related program improvement plans.
• Take a leadership role in supporting philanthropic and marketing efforts to ensure impact and evaluation is done in a way that potential donors and community members can easily understand while supporting the drafting of fundraising proposals. Facilitate cross-departmental connections as needed.
• Monitor and track all grant requirements and budgets to ensure donor intent is met.
• Ensure the SLAFB is represented in the community and actively involved in dialog with influencers who can support our mission to help shape and strengthen our community
• Build an in-depth understanding of the politics, capacity, resources, challenges, opportunities, and the data supporting these across our service territory.
• Support network and neighbor needs assessments and survey opportunities as needed.
• Champion Foodbank tools, software, and systems to ensure effective utilization across the department.
• Responsible for executing and updating annual department work plan including budgets, calendars, goals, and tasks.
• Ensure the implementation of the Foodbank's Nutrition Policy and SWAP across all departments.
• Recruit, develop, and retain a talented and diverse team to meet and exceed organizational outcomes.
• Ensure the incorporation of volunteers, interns, and AmeriCorps members into all programs and services.
• Actively engage with VOAD/COAD partners in preparing the Foodbank and its partners for disaster relief. Includes overseeing emergency distributions during times of disaster.
• Serve on strategic committees as designated including, but not limited to, the Partners and Programs Committee of the Board, the Disaster Response Team and Feeding America Committees.
• Attend program-related training conferences and workshops as appropriate.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

• Bachelors' degree from an accredited university required with emphasis in Non-Profit Administration, Public Health or another related field. Master's degree and/or coursework in management/evaluation or nutrition/dietetics is a plus.
• Minimum of 3 years of experience with program management including experience creating, launching, and assessing programs in a non-profit environment required.
• Two to five years' experience managing and developing staff with proven success in mentoring, leading, and motivating.
• Bilingual a plus.
• Experience in developing programs/project management, compliance, and continuous improvement.
• Knowledge of performance evaluation techniques and key metrics.
• Knowledge of data analysis, reporting and budgeting.
• Strong sense of business acumen and an entrepreneurial spirit.
• High level of honesty and integrity with an innovative, flexible outlook.
• Experience in achieving impact through influence, including working cross-departmentally to forge strong partnerships that build consensus and trust, and inspire action toward shared goals.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving and conflict management skills.
• Customer focused with excellent organizational skills and detail oriented.
• Passion for the Foodbank mission and the ability to demonstrate SLAFB's Core Values: Stewardship, Teamwork, Agility and Respect.
• Proficient in Microsoft Suite and able to quickly learn and adapt to new technology.
• Ability to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing.
• Ability to manage multiple projects with attention to detail, ability to handle interruptions, maintain focus, and produce accurate work.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with diverse stakeholders.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Must be able to pass drug screening and criminal background check.

Work Schedule

• Monday - Friday onsite at the SLAFB facility and in the community as needed.
• This role may be hybrid and flexibility will be granted as appropriate in accordance with the SLAFB's Remote Work/Working From Home Policy.
• Special events and other projects related to this position may require evening and/or weekend work.
• Meeting attendance may require overnight travel.

Physical Requirements

The Innovation and Programs Manager will spend significant time in the community, at partner sites, in our warehouse and at food distributions. Requirements include:

• Walking to and from the corporate office to the warehouse, both of which are on the Foodbank campus.
• Walking on hard concrete surfaces (in the warehouse or in the community).
• Ability to lift, bend, stoop, pick up and move objects up to 40-50 pounds.

The Impact You Will Make

Building a stronger bi-state region by nourishing people, empowering communities, and transforming systems.

At the St. Louis Area Foodbank, we are working to create a nutritionally secure Missouri and Illinois. With the dedicated partnership of over 500 hunger-relief partners - including soup kitchens, food pantries, shelters, and residential programs - we are responding to emergency hunger needs in communities across 26 counties in Missouri and Illinois by distributing food to more than 300,000 people every year.

Since opening in 1975, and with the tremendous support and generosity of this community, the St. Louis Area Foodbank has grown to become our region's largest food distribution charity. Not only are we dedicated to nourishing people, but we are also committed to collaborating with partners and communities to empower them and transform the hunger-relief system. Together, we are feeding people and working to address the root causes of hunger for lasting impact every day.

What we can offer you...

Beyond a great mission, dedicated team members and an incredible opportunity to truly make a difference in our community, you will be generously rewarded for your contributions including:

• Competitive pay commensurate with experience
• Generous Paid Time Off (PTO) plan
• 403b plan with amazing company match
• Comprehensive benefits (medical, dental, vision, and more!)

We work hard, play hard and change lives - so apply to join our Foodbank Family!

SLAFB DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION (DEI) STATEMENT

You are welcome at the St. Louis Area Foodbank (SLAFB) for who you are. At the SLAFB, we strive to empower our team to embrace and celebrate who they are by cultivating a diverse, equitable, and inclusive work environment. Doing so strengthens our organization, cultivates a culture where everyone feels valued and can bring their best selves to the SLAFB and enables us to nourish people, empower communities, and transform systems. At the SLAFB, we champion diversity, equity, and inclusivity to create a respectful and fulfilling workplace representing a broad range of lived experiences and viewpoints. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive team that reflects the neighbors and communities we serve in the bi-state region to enhance engagement and connectivity with all key stakeholders.

This job description does not list all the duties of the job. Performance of other duties may be requested. Evaluations will be in part based upon performance of the tasks listed in this job description. St. Louis Area Foodbank has the right to revise this job description at any time. The job description is not a contract for employment.

This job description does not list all the duties of the job. Performance of other duties may be requested. Evaluations will be in part based upon performance of the tasks listed in this job description. St. Louis Area Foodbank has the right to revise this job description at any time. The job description is not a contract for employment.

Revised April 2024