Chief Policy Officer

Project Bread•East Boston, MA

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

Project Bread connects people and communities in Massachusetts to reliable sources of food while advocating for policies that make food more accessible—so that no one goes hungry. This is a critical moment in time for Project Bread’s policy leadership. Food insecurity continues to rise across our nation and state, due to record inflation, rising costs including food, and rollbacks to federal aid. The scale of this crisis demands attention and action, and the policy solutions that Project Bread has led on have proven to be the most impactful strategies in the fight against hunger. We must continue to be bold in pursuit of permanent policy solutions and build the political support necessary for meaningful change. Through the efforts of Project Bread and its partners, every child in Massachusetts receives free school meals. Through our collaboration with the health care system, we're demonstrating how to integrate food and nutrition support into health care, recognizing that food security is critical to improving health and thus reducing health care expenditures. We operate the Food Source Hotline, accessible in 180 languages to connect families to foo resources, engage individuals with lived experience, and develop policy based on sound research – using each element to achieve and permanent end to hunger in Massachusetts. Project Bread’s work, team, and budget have grown to achieve both immediate and lasting impact. As part of this evolution, Project Bread has nearly tripled in size since 2019 while building robust new programs, expanding our research and policy work, and deepening our community engagement. In turn, the Policy Team has grown to include seven professionals collaborating to create and evaluate policies and to mobilize and activate a base of cross sector and community partners, people with lived experience, and individuals to advance the most impactful anti-hunger solutions. We’re proud to be named a Best Place to Work in 2025 by the Boston Globe for the second year in a row and strive to continue to operate an inclusive, collaborative, and effective organization. We’re currently undergoing a three-year strategic planning process, and seeking a Chief Policy Officer who is deeply committed to our mission, agile enough to lead through a changing landscape. Project Bread is seeking a dynamic and driven Chief Policy Officer to lead the strategy and execution of Project Bread’s Policy and Advocacy work. Reporting to the President/CEO and serving on the Executive Leadership Team, the CPO will set and oversee the strategy, alignment, and day-to-day operations of the Policy and Advocacy team and the Make Hunger History coalition. The CPO will also serve as a key external voice for Project Bread with state and federal policymakers, partners, Board members, donors, and other stakeholders. A successful candidate will bring experience as a senior policy and nonprofit leader with a proven track record of successful policy campaigns and the ability to translate strategic vision into measurable outcomes. They will understand the full range of pathways to securing permanent policy solutions and will leverage all of Project Bread’s internal assets, from policy and research analysis to grassroots organization to coalition management, to achieve bold outcomes.

Requirements

Brings a policy and advocacy lens to organizational strategy, to support the CEO, Board, and Executive Team in navigating short term opportunities or challenges and implementing longer-term plans.
Motivates teams and partners toward shared goals, inspiring change through collaborative relationships.
Builds consensus and mobilize diverse stakeholders, including community leaders, elected officials, coalitions, and grassroots organizing, to contribute to organizational impact.
Crafts compelling messages across a variety of mediums and audiences, including external partners, Board members, legislators, and staff.
Leads effectively in an evolving political landscape; is comfortable with ambiguity and remains flexible amid shifting priorities.
A deep commitment to Project Bread's mission and values, including inclusion, collaboration, and authentic recognition of lived experience, and to ongoing improvement in equity and justice practices.
10+ years of relevant experience, including at least 5+ in senior policy leadership role within a nonprofit, with a track record of developing and executing comprehensive policy strategy at the executive level.
Demonstrated success in leading policy campaigns and complex initiatives and working with diverse coalitions, with a deep knowledge of Massachusetts's policy landscape.
Proven track record of supervising, mentoring, and leading effective teams both internally and externally.
A willingness to receive and give feedback, engage in difficult conversations, coach, follow, and regroup with humor.
Strong operational and project management skills, with a proven ability to manage multiple stakeholders and partners.

Nice To Haves

Experience working on issues related to hunger or food insecurity is strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

Serve as a full member of the Senior Leadership Team, contributing cross-departmental strategic thinking and partnering with the CEO to set long-term direction and translate it into achievable annual goals within a sustainable budget.
Help lead the organization to work towards the most bold, impactful and ambitious strategies, while ensuring our most important asset – our team – is supported to achieve their goals.
Collaborate closely with senior leadership across all departments – programs, development, operations, communications – to advance the organizational mission and ensure all teams are communicating, collaborating, and aligned.
Engage Project Bread’s Board of Directors on policy and advocacy strategy, attend Board meetings, and keeping them informed of state and federal policy developments.
Develop and implement Project Bread’s policy and advocacy strategy towards the goal of permanently ending hunger in Massachusetts, demonstrating measurable progress on key goals and outcomes.
Lead on key strategies including policy analysis, government affairs, grassroots organizing of both individuals and organizations, and coalition management, particularly with the Make Hunger History coalition.
Facilitate effective engagement of people with lived experience in both informing priorities and leading advocacy work.
Lead policy communications, in collaboration with the Chief Advancement Officer, to advance Project Bread’s agenda.
Collaborate with colleagues in the programs and research teams to understand the barriers and opportunities being faced by people and communities experiencing food insecurity, to inform the policy agenda.
Support the development team on stewarding donors with an interest in policy, including presenting at donor forums and attending donor meetings.
Effectively lead a team of policy and advocacy professionals, ensuring strong communication, collaboration, and shared ownership in execution of department strategies.
Support the team’s ongoing professional development, demonstrating effective workplan and decision-making strategies, and help them grow their impact as individuals while collaborating effectively.
Model core organizational values and inclusive leadership, setting high professional standards.
Oversee the development and management of the policy team budget.
Serve as an ambassador for Project Bread’s policy work, communicating clearly to various audiences through media interviews, white paper, and other platforms.
Establish strong, close relationships with Massachusetts’ federal delegation, key state level officials, and community stakeholders to advance anti-hunger policy priorities.
Build and sustain strong relationships with all members of the Make Hunger History Coalition’s Advisory Council as well as policy leaders of other partner organizations both in Massachusetts and nationally.
Expand cross-sector participation by identifying and recruiting new stakeholders to the Make Hunger History coalition.
Support Project Bread’s annual Walk for Hunger, including working as event staff the weekend of the Walk (first weekend in May) and attending pre-Walk events as assigned.
Participate in Executive Team, Senior Leadership Team, and organization-wide events and meetings.
Act to promote, sustain, and grow Project Bread’s positive, productive, and inclusive working environment.