Vice President of Impact

livingHR•Chicago, IL

7d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Vice President of Impact provides strategic and operational leadership for the nonprofit organization's Agencies, Programs, and Build Healthy Communities functions. Reporting to the Chief Operations Officer, this role is responsible for advancing the organization’s mission by strengthening community partnerships, supporting a high-capacity agency network, improving program effectiveness, and driving measurable community impact across the organization's 13-county service area. The Vice President translates organizational priorities into community-focused strategies and operational plans that improve food access, expand program effectiveness, build partner capacity, and address the root causes and conditions that contribute to food insecurity. This position ensures that agency partnerships, program investments, and community impact initiatives are aligned with organizational goals, community needs, and measurable outcomes. As a member of the Vice President Leadership Team, the Vice President of Impact collaborates closely with Operations, Philanthropy, Transformation, Finance, Marketing & Communications, and other leaders to ensure organizational resources are leveraged effectively to support neighbors, strengthen communities, and advance long-term food security outcomes. This role leads through directors and managers while fostering collaboration, accountability, community partnership, innovation, and continuous improvement.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree required; master's degree preferred, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Minimum of ten (10) years of progressive leadership experience in nonprofit management, community programs, public health, human services, social services, network engagement, program leadership, or a related field.
Minimum of five (5) years leading managers, directors, or multiple functions.
Demonstrated experience building community partnerships, leading programmatic strategies, and advancing measurable community impact.
Experience strengthening partner networks, managing complex initiatives, and collaborating across diverse stakeholder groups.
Experience developing and using performance measurement systems, evaluation practices, outcome reporting, and data-informed decision-making.
Strong strategic thinking, relationship-building, facilitation, communication, change leadership, and people leadership skills.
Demonstrated commitment to equity, community partnership, dignity, accessibility, inclusion, and mission-driven work.
Ability to lead through influence, manage complexity, and balance strategic priorities with operational realities.
Ability to represent the organization with professionalism, integrity, credibility, and a commitment to mission impact.

Responsibilities

Provide strategic leadership for agency partnerships, network engagement, and member agency support activities.
Strengthen the capacity, effectiveness, sustainability, and experience of the organization's member agency network.
Develop and implement strategies that improve agency engagement, compliance, service delivery, communication, and partnership outcomes.
Foster strong relationships with food pantries, meal programs, community-based organizations, and other network partners throughout the service area.
Partner with agencies to identify emerging community needs, address access barriers, improve service models, and expand equitable food access.
Oversee the development, implementation, evaluation, and continuous improvement of hunger-relief programs.
Ensure program strategies align with organizational priorities, community needs, operational capabilities, and measurable impact goals.
Monitor program effectiveness, participation, outcomes, compliance, resource utilization, and service quality.
Use data, partner feedback, community insight, and evaluation findings to improve program design, delivery, and impact.
Ensure all programs operate effectively, ethically, safely, and in compliance with organizational standards, grant requirements, and applicable regulations.
Provide leadership for Build Healthy Communities initiatives that address food insecurity, nutrition, health, community well-being, and related social determinants of health.
Establish and maintain strategic partnerships with healthcare providers, community organizations, municipalities, schools, coalitions, and other stakeholders.
Advance community-based strategies that promote long-term health, nutrition, food security, and equitable access to resources.
Identify opportunities to expand partnerships, programs, and collaborative solutions that improve community outcomes.
Represent the organization in community coalitions, partnerships, public forums, and collaborative initiatives as assigned.
Develop and oversee systems for measuring program effectiveness, network performance, community impact, and progress toward organizational goals.
Utilize qualitative and quantitative data to guide strategic decisions, program design, partnership priorities, and resource allocation.
Monitor trends in hunger, food access, nutrition, community health, agency capacity, and partner needs.
Develop reporting frameworks that demonstrate outcomes, learning, impact, and opportunities for improvement.
Ensure organizational decisions are informed by community insights, partner feedback, data, and mission impact considerations.
Serve as a member of the Vice President Leadership Team and contribute to organizational planning, budgeting, resource allocation, and operational decision-making.
Collaborate with internal leaders to align impact strategies with operational capabilities, fundraising priorities, communications, and financial stewardship.
Support grant development, funder engagement, outcome reporting, and storytelling related to agency, program, and community impact initiatives.
Represent the organization with professionalism, credibility, integrity, and a commitment to community partnership and mission excellence.
Oversee departmental budgeting, forecasting, resource allocation, and financial performance to ensure responsible stewardship of organizational resources and maximum mission impact.
Partner with fellow Vice Presidents to identify and address organizational opportunities, risks, capacity needs, and long-term strategic priorities.
Perform other related duties, responsibilities, and special projects as assigned or required.
Lead, coach, and develop the Director of Agencies, Director of Programs, and Director of Community Nutrition Programs.
Lead with an organizational mindset, making decisions based on organizational impact rather than functional optimization alone.
Lead through other leaders by setting direction, empowering decision-making, and developing leadership capability across the organization.
Translate organizational priorities into clear strategies, measurable goals, resource plans, and consistent execution.
Foster collaboration across departments and functions, helping teams align around shared outcomes and organizational priorities.
Build and sustain high-performing community partnerships grounded in trust, accountability, responsiveness, and shared mission.
Balance strategic leadership with accountability for measurable results, operational excellence, and mission impact.
Use data, community insight, agency feedback, and learning to guide decision-making and continuous improvement.
Develop future leaders and strengthen organizational capacity through coaching, feedback, succession planning, and talent development.
Champion equity, accessibility, dignity, inclusion, and community-centered approaches to service delivery.
Build and sustain a values-driven, high-performing culture where team members thrive while advancing organizational mission and values.