Chief Operations and Impact Officer

Chief Operations and Impact Officer

Location Mesa, AZ 85210 Date Posted October 30, 2026 Job ID 15713 Employment Type Retained

Scion Executive Search has been retained to conduct an immediate search for the Chief Operating & Impact Officer of United Food Bank, an organization on a mission to unite communities to alleviate hunger in Arizona. This is a full-time, onsite position based in Mesa, AZ.

ABOUT UNITED FOOD BANK:

United Food Bank is a mission-driven nonprofit uniting communities to alleviate hunger across Arizona. Through a network of roughly 250 agency partners, including food pantries, churches, schools, dining rooms, and shelters, the organization provides reliable access to nutritious food for neighbors facing hardship. United Food Bank views food security as the first step toward helping individuals and families achieve long-term stability and opportunity. Grounded in the values of being Uniters, Cultivators, and Optimists, the organization fosters a collaborative, solutions-focused culture and continues to expand its reach and impact across Arizona communities.

At a pivotal moment of growth, United Food Bank is advancing a dual strategy to support lasting stability. Through Food for Today, the organization gets the right food to the right place at the right time across a complex supply chain. Through Food for Tomorrow, United Food Bank uses its operational touchpoints, partnerships, and programs to connect neighbors with resources that support long-term economic stability. The organization is also redesigning how food reaches its agency partners and designing a new campus that opens in 2028.

POSITION OVERVIEW:

The Chief Operating and Impact Officer (COIO) oversees the complex logistics required to source, store, repack, and distribute tens of millions of pounds of food across more than 19,000 square miles of Arizona, serving communities from urban centers to remote rural and tribal areas. In parallel, the COIO leads the programs, partnerships, and operational frameworks that ensure neighbors receive both immediate nutritional support and connections to resources that support long-term stability. The COIO leads most of United Food Bank's frontline staff, making this a culture leadership role as much as an operational one.

Reporting to the Chief Administrative Officer and supervising the Directors of Transportation & Logistics, Agency Network, Retail & Innovation, Inventory and Food, and Operations, the COIO is a member of the Senior Leadership Team and shares responsibility for advancing United Food Bank's mission and organizational success. The COIO also staffs the Board's Operations & Impact Committee and ensures strong operational systems and compliance with federal, state, local, and Feeding America requirements.

This is a moment of change, and the COIO arrives to lead it: redesigning how food reaches agency partners, preparing operations for a new campus, and rebuilding trust between leadership and the teams on the dock, in the warehouse, and on the road.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Senior Leadership & Strategy

• Serve as a key member of the Senior Leadership Team and senior operations leader, reporting to the Chief Administrative Officer.
• Serve as staff lead to the Board's Operations & Impact Committee, presenting quarterly impact results and the Operational Response Plan that Feeding America requires every three years with Board approval.
• Translate United Food Bank's Stability First strategy into a continuous, multi-year operational roadmap aligned with strategic priorities.
• Anticipate industry trends and operational risks, naming obstacles early and providing insight that strengthens long-term organizational direction.
• Step into a role currently held by an interim leader during the holiday distribution season, quickly stabilizing operations, earning the team's trust, and leading the changes ahead without disrupting work in progress.
• Serve as operations owner for the new campus, approved by the Board for Phase 1 design in October 2026 and opening in 2028, shaping dock configuration, flow, refrigeration, and staffing and planning the move into the new site.

Food for Today: Operations & Supply Chain

• Lead the end-to-end food supply chain, including food acquisition across grocery rescue, prepared food rescue, USDA commodities, produce, and purchased product, as well as inventory, warehousing, transportation, and distribution of tens of millions of pounds of food annually.
• Own the redesign of the distribution model, moving roughly 250 agency partners from individual deliveries to consolidated morning distributions in partnership with Transportation & Logistics, Agency Network, and Finance, with the model finalized between January and March 2027.
• Oversee logistics across a 19,000+ square mile service area, from urban Maricopa County to remote rural and tribal communities in Navajo, Apache, Gila, and Pinal counties.
• Ensure effective food flow, inventory control, and a nutrient-dense product mix in partnership with the Chief Financial Officer and inventory leadership.
• Oversee warehouse and fleet operations through the Director of Transportation & Logistics, including routing, DOT and FMCSA compliance, inventory accuracy, cold-chain management, and food safety under USDA, AIB, and Feeding America standards.
• Champion a zero-incident safety culture across warehouse and transportation operations, with full OSHA and DOT compliance.
• Serve as primary operational lead during emergencies such as wildfires, floods, benefit disruptions, and pandemics, coordinating with partner food banks, the state association, and emergency providers.

Partner Network & Community Distribution

• Lead the team that supports roughly 250 agency partners, including churches, schools, pantries, dining rooms, and shelters, moving the network from food drops to genuine capacity building.
• Ensure equitable distribution of resources across the service area and identify and address service gaps.
• Oversee partner monitoring for food safety and for treating neighbors with the dignity United Food Bank's values require.
• Serve as United Food Bank's point person for Waste Not, Inc., its affiliated food rescue organization, guiding and holding accountable its Executive Director and coordinating shared routes, receiving, and poundage tracking.

Food for Tomorrow: Programs & Impact

• Oversee direct services to neighbors, including Neighbor's Pantry and SNAP application assistance, and develop new services that build long-term stability.
• Lead pilots that test new approaches to advancing long-term food and economic stability.
• Build a network of onsite and referral partners that connect neighbors to resources such as housing, workforce development, mental health, and legal aid.
• Implement systems and metrics to measure long-term stability outcomes.

Performance & Financial Stewardship

• Model and run EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) with operations teams, including rocks, L10 meetings, scorecards, and the accountability chart in Bloom Growth.
• Build out the Operations scorecard, including inventory accuracy, route efficiency, agency network measures, food-in by source, and SNAP approval rate, and use the distribution forecasting model to plan.
• Hold P&L responsibility for all Operations departments, supporting revenue-generating programs while optimizing operating and capital spending.
• Partner with the Chief Philanthropy & Communications Officer on funding for operations, program expansion, partner capacity, and capital needs such as fleet.
• Lead Operations' response to the Feeding America Network Standards Review and required network reporting.

Team Leadership & Frontline Culture

• Own turnover and engagement results across Operations teams, with measurable progress against organizational goals as a core measure of the role.
• Lead visibly through rotating campus huddles, following issues raised through to resolution and responding to every "red" check-in the same day.
• Build a culture where staff raise problems early, candor is rewarded, and the experience on the floor matches the experience in the office.
• Design communication and recognition that reach a workforce spread across early-morning, weekday, weekend, and on-the-road shifts, including drivers who rarely use company email.
• Develop managers through timely performance reviews, annual work plans, and coaching; apply the 90-day probationary standard decisively; and build a succession bench.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Demonstrated passion for United Food Bank's mission and strong alignment with its values of being Uniters, Cultivators, and Optimists.
• Bachelor's degree in business, nonprofit management, operations, or supply chain management, or an equivalent combination of education and experience; MBA or master's degree a plus.
• 10+ years of progressive leadership experience, including at least five years at the Director or C-level overseeing operations or supply chain, with responsibility for complex teams, budgets, and logistics.
• Track record of improving retention, engagement, or safety in a frontline or hourly workforce, with measurable results.
• Experience leading an operation through significant change, such as a new facility, a new distribution model, or a leadership transition.
• Deep operational expertise in supply chain, warehousing, fleet logistics, and inventory control, including at least two years of warehouse supervisory and safety program experience and experience with ERP systems and route optimization tools.
• Experience managing operations across large and geographically diverse service areas; experience with Arizona's rural and tribal communities is a strong plus.
• Understanding of food insecurity as a symptom of broader economic instability; experience with social service programs or benefits enrollment is preferred.
• Experience working with a board or board committee and building partnerships with a diverse network of external stakeholders.
• Knowledge of regulatory compliance and operational standards, with food safety experience preferred; ServSafe certification required within six months of hire.
• Experience with EOS or a comparable operating system is preferred.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work effectively with people from diverse backgrounds and circumstances.
• Sound judgment, maturity, and tact, with a hands-on leadership style when needed.
• Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, including Word, Outlook, and Excel.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:

This full-time, on-site executive role offers a meaningful opportunity to lead critical operations and community impact efforts at one of Arizona's most respected hunger-relief organizations. The position offers a competitive salary range of $135,000-$165,000 (DOE) along with a comprehensive benefits package that includes medical, dental, and vision coverage with employer contributions, access to both traditional and HSA medical plans with employer HSA funding and matching opportunities, employer-paid life and AD&D insurance, access to 401k retirement plan with employer matching contributions, and to voluntary disability and supplemental insurance options.

APPLICATIONS AND NOMINATIONS:

United Food Bank has retained the services of Scion Executive Search, a national executive search firm specializing in recruiting for mission-driven organizations, to assist in conducting this important search. For immediate consideration, please apply with your resume and cover letter, formatted in Microsoft Word, via: https://scionexecutivesearch.com/job/15713

Please address applications to:

Ellen Johnson, Executive Recruiter

Scion Executive Search

Review of applications, nominations, and expressions of interest will begin immediately and continue on a confidential basis until an appointment is made.

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