Chief Executive Officer - Lowcountry Food Bank

Armstrong Mc Guire • Charleston, SC

3d • Onsite

About The Position

Lowcountry Food Bank seeks a visionary, community-engaged leader to serve as its next Chief Executive Officer. Following the planned retirement of longtime President & CEO Nick Osborne in January 2027, the ideal candidate will build on a foundation of trust, transparency, innovation, and operational discipline while guiding the organization through its recently refreshed Strategy, sustaining strong donor and community relationships, and continuing to position Lowcountry Food Bank as the premier hunger-relief organization across the 10 coastal counties of South Carolina. The mission is to unite our community in pursuit of equitable, dignified, and consistent access to food throughout the 10 coastal counties of South Carolina. The CEO reports to a Board of Directors and leads a Senior Leadership Team of 6 direct reports. The organization has approximately 78 staff members and an annual budget of $50 - $80 million. Lowcountry Food Bank was founded in 1983 and serves the 10 coastal counties of South Carolina. Headquartered in Charleston, with Regional Food Centers in Early Branch and Myrtle Beach, the Food Bank works with approximately 240 partner agencies to distribute nearly 46 million pounds of food each year, including more than 17 million pounds of fresh produce, reaching more than 200,000 neighbors annually. As a member of the Feeding America network, Lowcountry Food Bank also leads programs addressing child and senior hunger, nutrition education, and community health, guided by its principles: Feed. Advocate. Empower.

Requirements

• Visionary and Strategic — A track record of guiding organizations through periods of transition and change, with the ability to set and communicate clear direction.
• Demonstrates competency for learning about emerging tools, the application of data-driven approaches, and bringing innovation and efficiency to the organization’s work.
• Effective Fundraiser and Communicator — Comfortable and experienced with public speaking, donor cultivation, and media engagement; a genuine, visible presence in the community.
• Financially Experienced — Understands nonprofit finance, budgeting, and reserves; comfortable partnering with the CFO on investment strategy, long-term financial planning, and ensuring compliance obligations.
• Able to navigate a shifting funding landscape and make sound decisions when that funding changes.
• Collaborative and Trust-Building — Builds trust with a high-performing team; takes time to learn before acting, while being capable of making difficult organizational decisions when needed.
• Operationally Grounded — Understands the complexities of logistics, warehousing, and food distribution. Comfortable partnering with the COO on supply chain and facilities decisions.
• Policy-Aware — Pays close attention to state and federal issues affecting hunger relief and government funding.
• Alignment to the mission, vision, and core values is essential.
• Bachelor's degree required.
• Significant senior leadership experience is required, ideally including experience within a comparable complex nonprofit, food bank, the Feeding America network, or a comparable public-sector organization.

Nice To Haves

• Advanced degree preferred.

Responsibilities

• Build on the legacy of trust, transparency, and steady leadership, ensuring a thoughtful and well-managed transition, and on-going alignment with the organization’s Strategic Framework.
• Lead with humility and flexibility, empowering the Senior Leadership Team to make strong decisions for their respective areas and the collective benefit of the organization.
• Take the time to learn about the organization's culture, people, and systems before introducing significant change.
• Foster open communication, engagement, and collaboration across a 78-person staff, including regular Executive Team huddles and all-staff meetings.
• Partner with the People & Culture team to strengthen HR practices and support staff through organizational change, including succession planning that builds the organization's strong staff retention.
• Promote and encourage new ideas, innovation, and collaborative ways of working in line with the Strategic Framework.
• Lead and manage through uncertainty and adapt to a changing and unpredictable operational environment.
• Stay closely attuned to state and federal policy developments affecting food security and government funding, adjusting strategy as needed.
• Serve as a visible, engaged public face of the Food Bank, building relationships with donors, elected officials, business leaders, and media across the 10-county service area.
• Partner closely with the Chief Development Officer and Development team to sustain strong donor retention, grow major and planned gifts, and support signature fundraising events such as Chefs' Feast and the Walk to Fight Hunger.
• Bring experience and enthusiasm to donor cultivation, public fundraising, and communication, complementing the Development team's efforts.
• Continue to build coalitions and advocacy partnerships at the local, regional, and state level.
• Maintain and grow key corporate and community partnerships across the region.
• Provide strong fiscal oversight in partnership with the Chief Financial Officer, including attention to reserves, investment strategy, and long-term data-driven financial planning.
• Oversee logistics, warehousing, and food sourcing in partnership with the Chief Operating Officer, sustaining the organization's disciplined operational culture that continuously drives towards operational efficiency and effectiveness.
• Provide thoughtful oversight of real estate and facility decisions, including the organization's long-term footprint across its three regional food centers.
• Deepen engagement and develop the Food Bank's network of approximately 240 partner agencies, in partnership with the VP of Agency Relations & Regional Food Centers.
• Represent Lowcountry Food Bank within the Feeding America network and regional and state hunger-relief coalitions.
• Champion the Food Bank's community programs, including Community Health & Nutrition, Food for Health, the Zucker Family Production Kitchen, and school food programming, ensuring alignment with community needs that underscore the importance and value of neighbor and community engagement.
• Build authentic, ongoing relationships with the neighbors and communities the Food Bank serves, particularly in underserved and food-insecure areas.

Benefits

• medical, dental, and vision insurance
• company-paid Basic Life and AD&D insurance, Short-Term Disability, and an Employee Assistance Program
• voluntary Long-Term Disability, additional Life and AD&D, Accident, and Critical Illness coverage
• 401(k)-retirement plan with both traditional pre-tax and Roth options, automatic enrollment at 3%, and a company match of up to 5% after one year of service
• Paid Time Off
• 11 paid holidays
• one floating holiday

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Executive