Vice President of Operations

livingHR•Chicago, IL

6d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Vice President of Operations provides strategic and operational leadership for the nonprofit organization's distribution network, warehouse operations, center operations, production activities, transportation, inventory management, safety, logistics, facilities readiness, and operational performance. Reporting to the Chief Operations Officer, this role ensures the safe, efficient, compliant, and effective movement of food throughout the organization's multi-site network in support of agency, program, and community needs. As a member of the Vice President Leadership Team, the Vice President leads through operational directors, managers, and functional leaders to translate organizational priorities into coordinated operational plans, performance expectations, capacity strategies, and continuous improvement initiatives. This position is responsible for strengthening day-to-day operational execution while building the systems, talent, processes, and infrastructure needed to support long-term growth and mission impact. The Vice President of Operations partners closely with the Chief Operations Officer, VP of Food Sourcing, VP of Impact, Procurement, Finance, Philanthropy, Transformation, and other leaders to align food flow, inventory availability, transportation capacity, production capabilities, safety practices, and facilities resources with organizational priorities. This role directly oversees the Director of Warehouse & Inventory, Director of Centers & Production, Director of Transportation, and Safety Manager.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Operations Management, Business Administration, Food Systems, or a related field required; master's degree preferred, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Minimum of ten (10) to fifteen (15) years of progressive leadership experience in operations, logistics, warehousing, inventory management, production, transportation, distribution, supply chain, food distribution, manufacturing, or a related environment.
Minimum of five (5) years leading managers, directors, or multiple operational functions across a complex or multi-site environment.
Demonstrated experience overseeing warehouse operations, inventory management, transportation, facilities, food safety, workplace safety, production, distribution, or logistics functions.
Strong knowledge of operational performance management, inventory controls, food safety, workplace safety, DOT requirements, OSHA expectations, audit readiness, and regulatory compliance.
Experience leading multi-shift or multi-site operations and managing complex product flow, capacity planning, labor planning, equipment, facilities, and logistics decisions.
Demonstrated ability to analyze operational data, develop performance metrics, manage budgets, allocate resources, evaluate capital investments, and drive continuous improvement.
Knowledge of Lean, Six Sigma, process optimization, warehouse automation, transportation optimization, operational technology, ERP, WMS, or related systems preferred.
Strong leadership, communication, problem-solving, change management, project management, and relationship-building skills.
Experience building high-performing teams and developing leaders through coaching, performance management, succession planning, and professional development.
Commitment to fostering a culture of safety, accountability, collaboration, continuous improvement, operational excellence, and mission impact.
Ability to represent the organization with professionalism, credibility, integrity, and a strong commitment to service and mission.

Nice To Haves

master's degree preferred

Responsibilities

Develop and execute multi-year operational strategies that support organizational goals, distribution effectiveness, service responsiveness, safety, compliance, and mission impact.
Provide senior leadership for the organization's warehouse, inventory, center, production, transportation, logistics, safety, and operational readiness functions.
Ensure operational strategy, workflows, staffing models, equipment, facilities, technology, and resource allocation support organizational growth and service needs.
Balance operational capacity, food flow, product availability, transportation resources, production needs, agency demand, and program priorities across the network.
Identify opportunities to improve operational effectiveness, throughput, quality, service levels, productivity, financial stewardship, and cross-functional coordination.
Provide oversight for warehouse operations, inventory management, receiving, storage, order fulfillment, staging, redistribution, and product movement across the organization's operating network.
Ensure inventory standards, controls, reconciliation practices, reporting, data integrity, and inventory accuracy are consistently maintained across locations.
Partner with Food Sourcing, Impact, Programs, Finance, and site leaders to support forecasting, product flow, allocation decisions, inventory visibility, and operational planning.
Optimize warehouse capacity, space utilization, labor deployment, cross-shift coordination, inventory utilization, and product availability.
Support operational strategies that maximize product movement, minimize waste, maintain food safety, and support agency and program needs.
Provide oversight for center operations, production activities, food processing, and facility-based operations across multiple locations.
Partner with Volunteer Services leadership to align volunteer capacity with operational needs across warehouse, production, repack, and distribution activities.
Ensure production, processing, inventory utilization, and distribution activities are aligned with product volume, urgency, shelf life, facility capability, labor resources, and service needs.
Support safe, compliant, and efficient protein processing and other production activities, including inspection readiness and adherence to applicable standards.
Partner with site leaders to strengthen operational consistency, facility readiness, equipment planning, maintenance coordination, and infrastructure improvements.
Build a coordinated, system-wide approach to food distribution, production, inventory management, and service delivery across the operating network.
Provide strategic oversight for transportation operations, logistics planning, routing, fleet utilization, driver safety, and distribution effectiveness.
Develop transportation and logistics strategies that improve service, route efficiency, reliability, cost management, safety, and responsiveness across the service area.
Partner with Warehouse, Centers, Food Sourcing, Agencies, Programs, and external partners to ensure timely, coordinated, and effective movement of food.
Use operational and logistics data to optimize routes, capacity, scheduling, fleet planning, and distribution network performance.
Support emergency response, seasonal operations, disaster recovery, and business continuity efforts by mobilizing transportation and logistics resources effectively.
Lead and strengthen the organization's operational safety culture in partnership with the Safety Manager, operational leaders, and cross-functional partners.
Ensure compliance with OSHA, DOT, USDA, food safety, workplace safety, training, audit, inspection, and regulatory requirements.
Oversee operational readiness across facilities, equipment, maintenance planning, documentation practices, emergency preparedness, and infrastructure needs.
Lead continuous improvement efforts that reduce risk, improve safety performance, strengthen compliance, and support safe operating environments for staff, volunteers, partners, and visitors.
Support organization-wide business continuity, disaster recovery, emergency response, and operational risk management efforts.
Develop and manage operational performance metrics and reporting to guide decision-making, resource allocation, capacity planning, and continuous improvement.
Ensure operational service levels meet agency, partner, and program expectations through reliable distribution, product availability, communication, responsiveness, and continuous improvement.
Analyze operational data, trends, costs, capacity, quality, productivity, service levels, safety performance, and compliance indicators to identify opportunities and risks.
Lead process improvement, technology enhancement, automation, standardization, and operational best practice initiatives that improve safety, accuracy, productivity, consistency, and service.
Evaluate capital investments, equipment purchases, facility needs, technology tools, and operational improvements through business case development and return-on-investment analysis.
Partner with Transformation and other leaders on major initiatives that require project management, change management, process redesign, or cross-functional implementation.
Develop and manage budgets for assigned operational functions, including warehouse operations, inventory, centers, production, transportation, safety, equipment, maintenance, and capital projects.
Promote financial discipline, resource stewardship, productivity, and cost-effective service delivery across operational teams.
Identify opportunities to improve resource utilization, labor planning, facility capacity, fleet effectiveness, and operational return on investment.
Collaborate with Finance and operational leaders to support forecasting, budget planning, variance analysis, and long-term operational planning.
Provide strategic oversight of facilities operations across all locations.
Develop facility maintenance, replacement, and capital improvement strategies.
Lead infrastructure planning to support organizational growth and operational effectiveness.
Ensure facilities meet safety, regulatory, food safety, and operational requirements.
Partner on expansion, renovation, and major capital projects.
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.
Build and maintain succession plans, leadership development strategies, and workforce capability plans that ensure continuity of operations and organizational readiness.
Support grant development, funder engagement, outcome reporting, and storytelling related to operations.
Represent the organization with professionalism, credibility, integrity, and a commitment to community partnership and mission excellence.
Perform other related duties, responsibilities, and special projects as assigned or required.
Lead, coach, and develop the Director of Warehouse & Inventory, Director of Centers & Production, Director of Transportation, Safety Manager, and Director of the Northwest Center.
Represent Operations in organizational initiatives, cross-functional planning, emergency response, and special projects as assigned or required.