The San Antonio Food Bank is dedicated to ending hunger across our 29-county service territory, ensuring people have access to the food and support they need to thrive while strengthening systems that promote long-term health, dignity, and stability.
The San Antonio Food Bank is seeking a dynamic Chief Operating Officer to provide executive leadership for the organization’s core operating systems and neighbor-facing services. Reporting to the President & CEO, the Chief Operating Officer serves as a member of the executive leadership team and is responsible for ensuring that food distribution, logistics, facilities, partnerships, and services function together effectively, safely, and with integrity.
The Chief Operating Officer provides organization-wide leadership for the operational and service delivery infrastructure that ensures food and essential support reach neighbors across the community, from immediate access to nutritious food to federal benefits and workforce programs that build long-term resilience. This role ensures readiness, reliability, and coordination across daily operations as well as during emergencies and disasters, supporting the Food Bank’s ability to respond quickly and effectively when community needs are greatest. The Chief Operating Officer also serves as a visible leader in the community, representing the Food Bank with partners and public agencies, particularly during periods of heightened need.
Key Responsibilities
Organizational Leadership and Strategy
- Serve as a member of the executive leadership team and strong peer partner to fellow Chiefs, contributing to organization-wide strategy and driving cross-departmental alignment and shared accountability.
- Translate organizational priorities into integrated operational and service delivery plans with clear performance metrics and accountability.
- Oversee enterprise operational systems and shared services that support programs and departments across the organization.
- Serve as a visible executive leader in the community, cultivating strategic partnerships that strengthen operational capacity, equitable access, and coordinated service delivery.
- Ensure timely and accurate reporting to Feeding America to uphold membership and contractual requirements.
- Provide executive leadership during emergencies and periods of heightened demand, serving as a primary organizational point of contact in coordination with executive peers.
Operations, Infrastructure, and Readiness
- Lead the systems and controls that support food receipt, inventory management, storage, transportation, and distribution across the organization
- Ensure facilities, logistics, and operational infrastructure are safe, efficient, and positioned to scale in response to changing community needs.
- Oversee operational planning for continuity of services during disasters, disruptions, or rapid changes in demand
- Ensure organizational compliance with food safety, transportation, workplace safety, and regulatory standards, including AIB and OSHA requirements.
Service Delivery and Community Partnerships
- Provide executive leadership for food distribution programs and neighbor services, including workforce initiatives and SNAP and other benefits assistance, ensuring services are accessible, coordinated, and responsive to community needs.
- Set strategy and direction for large-scale distribution and service delivery across a multi-county region, expanding equitable access through strong partner networks and community collaboration.
- Ensure service delivery models are supported by reliable systems, clear standards, data-informed decision-making, and scalable operational capacity.
- Build and sustain strategic relationships with community partners, public agencies, and cross-sector stakeholders to strengthen coordinated distribution and service alignment.
- Promote integration between food distribution and supportive services to improve neighbor experience and long-term outcomes.
- Ensure the organization consistently meets ambitious annual distribution and service goals while maintaining operational excellence, compliance, and equity.
People Leadership and Culture
- Lead and develop senior leaders across operations and services.
- Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, safety, and continuous improvement while supporting professional development, succession planning, and workforce stability.
Financial Stewardship and Risk Management
- Lead financial stewardship across operations and contribute to organization-wide fiscal sustainability and alignment with organizational priorities
- Partner with the Chief Financial Officer to align budgets and operational investments
- Oversee operational risk management related to facilities, logistics, service delivery, and continuity
Qualifications
- A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university; an advanced degree is preferred.
- A minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible leadership experience in operations, service delivery, logistics, or related fields within complex organizations.
- Senior-level leadership experience overseeing large-scale, operationally intensive, community-facing functions.
- Ability to translate strategic priorities into operational execution and measurable results.
- Experience representing an organization at the executive level in community, governmental, or cross-sector settings, with strong executive presence in public and high-level stakeholder environments.
- Significant experience leading and developing senior leadership teams, including executive-level leaders and directors.
- Proven ability to manage complex systems, processes, and teams in fast-paced environments.
- Strong financial acumen, including experience managing budgets and allocating resources effectively.
- Experience ensuring compliance with safety, regulatory, and operational standards.
- Ability to lead through change, ambiguity, and periods of heightened demand or emergency response.
- Strong communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to work effectively across executive, operational, and community settings.
- A strong commitment to the mission and values of the San Antonio Food Bank.
Physical Demands
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions and responsibilities of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is constantly required to sit, stand, talk, hear, reach, and utilize fine manipulation and near visual acuity. The employee is frequently required to walk, utilize gross manipulation, push, pull, stoop, and keyboard. The employee must occasionally lift, and/or move up to 50 pounds.
Work Environment
This job is performed in an indoor environment and occasionally may require attendance at outdoor events. You may be required to drive to various locations with varying conditions. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.
The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and levels of work to be performed and are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities and duties.