Director, Partnerships

Spoonfuls keeps good food from going to waste. Through food recovery and distribution, education, and advocacy, we work to address the health, environmental, and economic impact that wasted food has on people and the planet. To learn more about our work, visit spoonfuls.org.

The Director, Partnerships is responsible for leading the development, management, and expansion of our food donor and receiving agency partnerships. This role brings together donor relationship management, beneficiary relationship management, and partnership strategy under one integrated leadership function and is critical for our growth and expansion goals.

The Director will be part of the Programs team at Spoonfuls and will be instrumental in identifying, cultivating, and sustaining partnerships that support and grow our food recovery operations. They will play a key role in building a high-performing Partnerships team, overseeing both the direction of partnership development and the quality of day-to-day relationship management. This includes supporting the Partnerships Coordinator and managing the portfolio of donor and agency relationships that form the backbone of our food recovery operations.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Leadership & Management

• Strategically plan and operationalize program delivery models including building sustainable processes and partnerships for food recovery, ensuring relevant performance metrics are in place and being tracked, and programmatic data is collected, reviewed and analyzed, and reported on regularly, creating best-in-class service
• Work with the team to create and maintain standards that are consistent with food safety guidelines. Develop a clear decision-making process and timeline that allows for consistent judgment and decisions across both management and the front-line staff.
• Lead and manage the Partnerships Coordinator, including hiring, onboarding, performance management, and delegation of responsibilities. Cover partnership functions during periods of staff transition or absence.
• Create and support a culture of continued education, in close coordination with the Head of Programs and lead change management efforts across the partnerships team and work collaboratively with other departments as we continue to grow.

Vendor and Beneficiary Management

• Build relationships with partners on both the vendor and beneficiary side to ensure the program is functioning properly, to collect regular and necessary data, to make data-driven programmatic decisions, and to provide support and guidance as needed to navigate challenges
• In coordination with the Head of Programs, develop, diversify, and improve Spoonfuls’ Food Acquisition Strategy, creating and leveraging new partnerships with food banks, corporate brands, farms, wholesalers, stadiums, universities, restaurants, and other food businesses to continue to expand Spoonfuls’ food recovery model and establishing strategies to improve current donor performance, including educating about food donationIn coordination with the Head of Programs, develop, diversify, and improve Spoonfuls’ Beneficiary & Waitlist Strategy to continue to expand Spoonfuls’ impact
  • Analyze current food distribution patterns to ensure equity and efficiency, including visits per week, pounds per delivery, and inventory allocation across food recipients
  • Develop and implement a strategy for optimizing delivery frequency across the partner network, including plans to transition high-frequency partners to more sustainable schedules while maintaining strong relationships
  • Continue to develop a strategic pipeline of beneficiaries to prepare for future routes, to build up the service footprint in our current service area, and to prepare for emergencies
• Create a robust calendar of consistent off-schedule activities, building relationships with different food businesses and ensuring that, at busy times of the year or during holidays, food recovery is attempting to keeping pace with growing community demand for food delivery

Reporting & Data Management

• Develop, implement, and oversee reporting systems and processes for partnership metrics, beneficiary data, donor performance, and program outcomes
• Ensure data is collected consistently, analyzed regularly, and reported to Head of Programs, Senior Leadership, and external stakeholders
• During the initial period before the Coordinator is hired, directly manage all reporting functions; upon the Coordinator's hire, transition appropriate reporting tasks while maintaining oversight of accuracy and completeness
• In coordination with the Admin team, research, test, and implement operations technology and systems to track and store data

Organizational Growth and Programmatic Expansion

• Inform yearly goal-setting with Senior Leadership and departments across the organization, ensuring that Spoonfuls’ Partnerships model can support the design of new routes in new areas of service
• Suggest and collaborate on partnerships with outside service providers that may be useful to support any part of the program and develop strategic pitches for new and existing vendor and beneficiary partners
• Working closely with the Communications and Public Affairs team and the Development team, provide content and data for communications, grants, reports, proposals, and email blasts to market Spoonfuls’ impact and work
• In coordination with the Head of Programs and other departments, represent Spoonfuls at coalition meetings, fundraising events, awards ceremonies, media opportunities and within the ecosystem to represent our work and identify potential partnerships, and lead presentations to corporate food donors to support partnership development

Qualifications & Skills

The ideal candidate will possess many, though perhaps not all, of the following skills, expertise areas, and competencies

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience, and at least 7 years of professional experience, ideally in a nonprofit, social service, or mission-driven organization or business
• At least 4 years of management experience required, with a proven track record of managing programs and processes, developing employees, and providing critical feedback
• Experience building and managing partnerships or vendor/client relationships
• Ability to balance relationship-building with accountability and performance expectations
• Commitment to excellence and high level of accuracy, with an ability to manage multiple, competing priorities with flexibility when priorities change
• Strong ability to collect, organize, analyze, and make decisions based on data; comfort translating data into actionable insights and strategic recommendations
• Proactive, self-starter with proven time and stress management skills
• Exceedingly well organized and flexible
• Strong technological savvy, with specific proficiency in MS Office, Google Apps, and Mac/PC platforms
• Excellent writing, analytical, customer service, and problem-solving skills and uncompromising regard for confidentiality
• Communicates clearly, professionally, and effectively in all oral and written communications
• Impeccable interpersonal and team building skills
• Familiarity and strong passion for food rescue and food justice issues
• A sense of humor, a positive can-do attitude, and the humility to regularly incorporate the feedback of others into work processes
• Ability and desire to relate to and work with individuals of various ages, economic, racial, and ethnic groups.
• Means and ability to travel to meetings throughout Massachusetts
• Proficiency with Salesforce (or similar CRM platforms) and ability to learn new database/management systems quickly
• ServSafe or other food safety experience preferred, but not required; if not in possession of a food safety certification, employee must be able to obtain one within 90 days of hire and keep it maintained and updated
• Spanish fluency preferred but not required; bilingual candidates bring valuable skills to partner relationship-building and community engagement

Skills and Competencies required:

• Leadership
• Management and Coaching
• Project Management
• Relationship Management
• Critical Thinking/Problem Solving
• Public Speaking

Hours

Full-Time, Exempt: Must be available 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, though schedules may vary day to day. Must be available to make decisions late at night or early in the morning when weather or other emergency situations necessitate a change to our regular Partnerships schedule.

Benefits

Spoonfuls provides health, vision, and dental insurance through our PEO partner, as well as generous PTO and holiday closures and 401k matching contributions.

Physical Demands

This is largely a sedentary role; however, some filing and materials management is required. This would require the ability to move files, open filing cabinets and bend or stand as necessary.

Work Environment

This job operates in a professional office environment. This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, and filing cabinets. Some tasks outside the office may be required (attending meetings, attending events, shipping materials, etc.).