Deputy Chief Executive Officer

Applications accepted until filled with first review on March 12, 2021.

A cover letter is required for consideration.

The salary range begins at $135,000 and is dependant upon experience.

Who We Are:

Oregon Food Bank (OFB) believes that no one should be hungry. Our mission is to eliminate hunger and its root causes. 

At Oregon Food Bank, we believe that food and health are basic human rights for all. We know that hunger is not just an individual experience; it is also a community-wide symptom of barriers to employment, education, housing and health care. That’s why we work on two fronts in our mission to end hunger in Oregon: we build community connections to help people access nutritious, affordable food today, and we build community power to eliminate the root causes of hunger for good. 

Oregon Food Bank is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and we encourage applications from candidates who can contribute to the diversity of our organization. Over and above our commitment to non-discrimination, OFB actively seeks to employ members of the community who have experienced poverty or food insecurity and members of historically marginalized groups including racial and ethnic minorities. Our organizational commitment to equity is as follows: At Oregon Food Bank, we hold people experiencing hunger and food insecurity in Oregon and SW Washington at the center of our actions and decisions. We envision a community where each person can participate, prosper and have access to food that is both nourishing and in keeping with their culture. We recognize that systemic injustices exist – such as racism, classism, and sexism – and that these create and perpetuate conditions that sustain poverty and hunger. Understanding this, we commit to serve marginalized communities, in both urban and rural environments, in ways that value who they are and their lived experiences. We resolve to listen to and include these communities in our work, and to respond where bias and inequities appear. We will confront oppression and poverty by developing solutions to hunger that are community-driven, honor a diversity of needs, and value everyone. Our food programs and public policy efforts aim to build a society where everyone can thrive - celebrating our differences and working together to overcome injustices that might divide us...because no one should be hungry.

Position Summary:

The Deputy CEO works hand-in-glove with the CEO, building cross-department synergy for strategic priorities and  internal capacity.  The Deputy CEO partners with the CEO to identify shifting environmental factors and orchestrates innovative and adaptive solutions in and across OFB Departments. The Deputy CEO supports momentum: linking actions and accountability, schedules with resources to  maximize the effectiveness of the leadership team. The Deputy CEO shares supervision of seven Department Directors with the CEO. The Deputy CEO leads enterprise level strategy and planning processes. 

Who We Are Looking For: 

You care deeply about our community, about people experiencing hunger and hold them in the center of all that you do. You are highly strategic. You are committed to, and skilled in, using equity as a process and an outcome of your work to disrupt systemic social patterns that promote hunger such as racism, sexism, and transphobia.  You thrive as the driving force for implementing strategies, optimizing organizational strengths, and building cross-departmental collaboration. You have a strong affinity with OFB’s 10 Year Vision and are profoundly excited to achieve this vision for and with our community. You are highly skilled at building relationships and trust and at mentoring managers.  You are self-directed, innovative, and flexible. You are adept at change management.  You help build a caring workplace community that successfully blurs the historical line between service providers and recipients to operationalize interdependence and shared leadership.

You have confidence in your skills and knowledge and the humility to reflect, listen to understand, and be changed. You have an empathetic nature and are able to understand the situations, needs and motivations of the individuals, groups and organizations we work with. You are courageous enough to take risks, shoulder responsibility, fail occasionally, and continually learn.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Serve as the second-in-command, formally responsible for leading the organization in the CEO’s absence or temporary incapacity.
• Focus on strategic alignment,and organizational systems and capacity as the CEO focuses on external relationships.
• Provides strategic direction and coaching to executive leadership.  Share supervision of seven department directors with CEO, including performance evaluations, program leadership, mentorship, and professional development guidance.
• Support Directors to build and maximize departmental organizational structures: adjusting staff skills, workflow and reporting structures.
• Be the driving force behind enterprise wide processes, such as decision making structures, budget and work planning, strategic planning, IT infrastructure, and change management efforts moving OFB towards our 10 year vision. Design, pressure-test, implement, evaluate and improve all such processes.
• Actively identify opportunities to strengthen OFBs impact by encouraging Directors to sharply focus on priorities and conversely to test assumptions about OFB roles, opening new avenues for interdependence with community organizations and new strategies. Broker cross departmental collaboration.
• Develop and lead strategic and effective LT meetings and retreats.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with all OFB managers. Model superior manager behavior.
• Watch for opportunities to improve OFB’s culture and collaborate with the Director of Equity, People and Culture.
• Assist in holding OFB accountable to our equity commitment, particularly through our organizational processes.
• As a member of LT, model and demonstrate care, vulnerability, perspective and shared accountability; contribute to a spirit of trust and high morale; drive results for high impact; and evaluate efficacy and productivity.
• Attend Board meetings and Board Executive Committee meetings and support CEO with appropriate analysis and follow up.
• Other duties as assigned.

Skills and Experience:

• Deep passion for eliminating hunger and its root causes.
• At least ten years’ experience as a senior leader and manager with at least some experience in a social justice or social service organization.
• Demonstrated strategic thinker with experience leading effective enterprise-level initiatives, including impact evaluation.
• Expertise and experience leading racial justice through organizational development, program implementation and/or systems change. 
• Experience working cooperatively within and across teams; belief in the value and power of participatory decision-making.
• Outstanding interpersonal skills: good listener and thoughtful respondent; positive influencer; flexible communicator who can adapt to fit cultural context and circumstances.
• Ability to thrive in a creative, fast-paced culture. 

Preferred Qualifications:

• Organizational level preferred qualifications of exempt employees include:
• Multilingual skills at a minimum professional level of proficiency or greater in English and any additional language/s, defined as being able to speak the languages with sufficient structural accuracy and vocabulary to participate effectively in most formal and informal conversations on practical and professional topics.  
• Multicultural skills of adaptation and integration are strongly preferred.  
• Adaptation is defined as the capacity to communicate and interact with people of multiple cultures, backgrounds, and styles by incorporating and adapting to the world view and perspectives of others.
• Integration is defined as being able to “code-switch” or move in and out of one's worldview and help others understand different cultures, backgrounds, and styles to promote diversity and inclusion.
• Commitment to continued professional development to strengthen capacity to work through an equity lens for equity and racial justice.
• Strong capacity to consider multiple perspectives, to pivot to respond to emerging needs and lead through organizational changes.
• Personal living/lived experience of hunger and/or systemic inequity/oppression.   

The Fine Print:

Work is performed in an office environment while sitting in meetings or at a computer screen for extended periods. Periodically move throughout the facility (warehouse and office) to communicate with staff and check on the status of projects. Work outside normal working hours and occasionally drive vehicle for various projects.