The Position: Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”)
Reports to: Board of Trustees
Location: Watsonville, California
“We inspire and support Santa Cruz County to provide nourishment for all community members.”
A Compelling Leadership Opportunity of a Premier Community Safety Net Organization
The Board of Trustees of Second Harvest Food Bank Santa Cruz County (“SHSCC”) is seeking an experienced senior executive to lead this high profile, beloved nonprofit organization addressing food insecurity, community nutrition education, as well as providing community and nonprofit sector leadership.
SHSCC has an exemplary track record of performance and impact in Santa Cruz County since 1972. The organization is coming up on its 50th anniversary of helping those who are in need of nutritious food with an emphasis on fresh produce. It is the first food bank in California and the second oldest in the U.S. It has been led and inspired by Willy Elliott-McCrea for the past 33 years. SHSCC has grown substantially during his executive tenure. As a Legacy Leader in the Santa Cruz County community and beyond, he leaves a track record as a tireless advocate to end food insecurity in his county and beyond.
At present SHSCC has an annual operating budget of approximately $21 million and 58 staff members who are operations, distribution, program, administrative, communications, and management professionals. SHSCC’s financial picture is strong, with diversified revenue from government grants and philanthropic revenue, including community, business, foundation giving as well as special events. Development goals for fiscal year 2022 are almost $7 million.
SHSCC is supported by a 15-member Board of Trustees, each of whom are asked to serve two consecutive three-year terms. The Board of Trustees brings experience and perspective from education, philanthropy, advocacy, finance, management, business operations, and other areas critical to its oversight role. There is also an Advisory Board of past Chairs and Community Influencers, as well as an Emeritus Board. There is an opportunity to further diversify the Board of Trustees to include those with “lived experiences” with food insecurity, poverty, and community advocacy.
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly increased the need for food sourcing, distribution services for County residents, as well as listening to and understanding the experiences of the newly food insecure. During the pandemic, Second Harvest Food Bank Santa Cruz County has seen a 100% increase in demand and has risen to the challenge.
This is an exciting executive leadership opportunity for a marquee community safety net organization positively impacting more than 85,000 local residents each month. In Santa Cruz County, one in five people face hunger; for children, it is one in four. SHSCC reaches people in need through its vast network of partner agencies and nonprofits as well as directly through food distribution and nutrition education at dozens of program sites. The successful executive candidate will have the opportunity to take this financially strong, operationally solid organization to the next level of performance and scale.
THE POSITION
Working with the Board of Trustees, the CEO works to enhance the visibility of the organization in the public, corporate, government, and philanthropic communities of Santa Cruz County, the state of California, and the nation. The CEO must maintain a highly visible, positive professional profile. The CEO will be a thought leader in the food insecurity, nutrition education, and food banking fields. He/She must be attuned to social issues that impact the systemic issues behind and root causes of food insecurity. The CEO must be a strategic relationship builder and influencer with local, state, and national policy makers, major donors, institutional funders including foundations and corporations, community partner organizations, and Feeding America.
The CEO provides the strategic vision, overall leadership, and direction for the organization, its programs, and its outreach. This is accomplished by working closely with the Board of Trustees, executing on the strategic plan and being assisted and supported by an Executive Team and staff. The CEO will manage and oversee the organization’s activities, programs, fundraising, infrastructure, staff, finances, and community partner engagement work. The CEO must have the ability to be both visionary and grassroots-oriented, bringing a community-minded sensibility to leading and managing in a hands-on fashion that does not venture into micromanaging.
The CEO’s primary responsibilities will be to establish long-range goals and strategies in accordance with the mission, vision and values of the Food Bank. The CEO will listen deeply and leverage internal and external relationships, wisdom, perspectives, and data to become and stay informed about the social, economic, and systemic issues that impact food insecurity in Santa Cruz County.
The CEO ensures that SHSCC is fiscally and administratively meeting planned targets and that programs continue to be of the highest quality – representative of data-based best practices, while meeting the changing needs of the community and the internal staff. The CEO will ideally have a track record of effectively implementing Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) actions or initiatives. The CEO will embrace contemporary practices of today’s workforce, including technology, benefits/pay equity, DEIB filter, mentoring, professional development, etc. The CEO will be a talent leader in building and retaining an effective team at the Board and staff levels. The Board of Trustees will reflect the community served within the County as well as community leaders and professionals with skills needed to advise the CEO.
The CEO is the chief advocate and fundraiser for SHSCC’s programs and operations and is expected to be an effective communicator, storyteller and collaborator who speaks passionately about SHSCC and the people served by the organization. The CEO works with the Development and Marketing Officer to produce and implement a fundraising plan and metrics that result in increased individual, foundation, business, government, and community partner support for SHSCC. The CEO should be able to access and develop financial resources in the community from public and private sectors.
The CEO works closely with the Board of Directors to build upon the financial and operational strength of the organization. This includes possessing strong business acumen, operational scaling experience, and the ability to set priorities and have a results- and data-driven orientation.
A keen strategic sense, sound operational and financial management, business savvy, as well as exceptional interpersonal and relationship building skills are all important to the CEO’s success. An executive who is bilingual, reflecting the significant number of Spanish-speaking community members in the County and State, or who has lived experiences reflecting SHSCC’s mission and programs, is strongly encouraged to consider this exciting executive leadership opportunity.
Professional Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership and Vision
- Understand the needs of the residents of Santa Cruz County, both broadly as well as specialized communities and specific geographic locations; listen and be responsive to the concerns of community partners and those whom SHSCC serves; continue the process of building a team that focuses on providing exceptional educational and operational services when it comes to mitigating food insecurity, nutritional education, and community leadership.
- In partnership with the Board of Directors, provide the strategic planning for the organization, ensuring the concerns of staff, Board, and the community served are considered; with the Executive Team, develop and implement operational plans that align programs, operations, fundraising, finance, and other areas in service to the strategic plan.
- Promote understanding internally of SHSCC’s philosophy of making its values of Belonging, Equity, Creating Community, Serving with Integrity, and Innovative Solutions come to life as the organization makes a measurable difference in the lives of Santa Cruz County residents; ensure DEIB is a constant lens through which the collective work of SHSCC occurs; ensure that the organization retains its focus and mission as it adheres to its budget and works through financial and operational issues should they arise.
Board Relations
- Establish credibility throughout the organization and with the Board as an effective developer of solutions to business and organizational challenges.
- Provide leadership to development of strategic plans, programs, and long-range goals as a strategic partner.
- Evaluate and advise on the impact of long-range planning, introduction of new programs and strategies, and regulatory action.
- Serve as the primary staff to the Board, providing board members with advice and information regarding policy decisions.
- Lead and manage the organization on behalf of the Board of Trustees who delegate all management responsibilities to the CEO, including providing leadership and work direction to all direct reports with the purpose of developing 2H executive team and departments as high-functioning teams.
Programs and Operations
- Oversee the development and evaluation of operations and services by Chief Operations Officer (COO) to meet community needs including:
- Warehouse services
- Facilities management
- Supply chain and logistics management
- Safety measures
- Oversee the development and evaluation of programs and services by Chief Programs Officer (CPO) to meet community needs including:
- Agency network services
- Community outreach
- Nutrition programs and community engagement
- Ensure the work of the nutrition program as well as other programs, along with operations, meet Feeding America and USDA operational standards.
- Oversee the development of strategic partnerships and collaborations to support food-insecure families move towards self-sufficiency and wellness.
Development, Marketing and Communications
- Advocate and provide visibility for SHSCC by serving as a credible, articulate, and effective spokesperson, both in person and in writing; build positive understanding of and reputation for SHSCC’s work; explore marketing and communication strategies that extend awareness and fundraising success working in partnership with the Development and Marketing Officer.
- Take a leadership role in the organization’s development program through development solicitation calls; lead staff and Board development activities; maintain strong professional and personal relationships with the funding community including key donors, foundations and corporations.
- Ensure development of marketing and public relations programs to achieve income goals and develop ways to enhance Second Harvest’s visibility and reputation in the local and national community.
- Serve as the organization’s chief spokesperson, representing it to its many constituencies, both internal and external, locally and nationally.
- Oversee the planning and implementation of a comprehensive fundraising and marketing program by the Development and Marketing Officer (DMO).
Organizational and Financial Management and Administration
- Ensure, by effective leadership, management, and appropriate oversight, that day-to-day operations and programs are professionally and effectively organized and administered.
- Provide strategic financial input, leadership, and decision making on business issues affecting the organization.
- Oversee preparation of the operating budget by the Chief Financial Officer, including capital needs, as well as the monitoring of the financial and human resources functions of SHSCC.
- Ensure development, implementation, and enforcement of policies and procedures of SHSCC by way of systems that improve the overall operation and effectiveness of the organization.
- Oversee recruiting, coaching, morale, training and evaluation of staff, in collaboration with the Director of Human Resources and all leaders in the organization; ensure Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) is a constant lens through which all policies, practices and the staffing mix is viewed and acted upon; encourage staff development efforts to enrich the competencies and experience levels of SHSCC staff.
- Ensure succession planning is actively being engaged at all levels within the organization.
- Develop long- and short-term goals for SHSCC and work in partnership with the Human Resources Director to ensure the implementation and monitoring of action plans and evaluation of results.
- Oversee SHSCC meeting all appropriate legal requirements regarding the organization’s operations including public accountability at the state and federal levels, as well as all compliance activities pertaining to the conflict of interest policy, as well as consistent application of policies and guidelines.
The successful candidate will be:
- Mission driven with a belief in and commitment to SHSCC’s mission
- Strategic (“big picture”) thinker and planner and experienced implementer, able to take in information from multiple disparate sources and coherently organize and analyze it into a sound plan; sensitive to and adept at organizational change management
- Collegial, respectful, resourceful, supportive, and empowering of SHSCC’s staff while holding to standards of excellence and accountability, knowing when to lean in and when to delegate, a team builder first and foremost with a leadership and management style premised on trust and transparency; experienced at motivating and working through others as appropriate
- Results-oriented, adept at planning, prioritizing, organizing and follow through
- An exceptional relationship builder, skilled in artfully managing external relations with donors, funders, supporters, community partner organizations and stakeholder groups; is politically savvy in external relations; brings a community orientation to role
- Adept at succession planning, team building, talent recruitment and retention
- A transparent and generous communicator, keeping board members and staff well and appropriately informed
- Culturally competent, with a commitment to and comfort level with working with a wide array of diverse individuals; an advocate for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging
- Able to use data to inform decisions and to make difficult decisions and articulate the decision rationale when appropriate
- Able to engender credibility, trust, and confidence of the Board and staff at all levels; is able to deal with conflict in a fair, consistent, and timely manner
- Flexible and collaborative, patient and persistent, straightforward, sensitive and discreet
- A “do-er” with a willingness to be hands-on in developing and executing a variety of activities ranging from day-to-day operations to the highly creative, visible external relations
- Supportive and endorsing of technological systems and resources that enable SHSCC’s work
- A keen, respectful, and empathic listener
- Authentic and humble
The successful candidate will have:
- A mission service mindset that infuses their leadership style
- A sustainability lens through which all work gets viewed, as appropriate; this includes a track record of fundraising savvy and success
- A track record of successful and transformative change management skills
- Demonstrated accessibility and approachability, internally to staff and colleagues as well as externally to donors, funders, and community members
- Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to lead effectively in a team environment, high emotional intelligence (EQ)
- Exceptional skills as a storyteller and marketer; this includes experience with multiple forms of media
- Understanding of and insights into the subtleties of motivating and directing a diverse team of personalities with different workstyles
- A strong and energetic work ethic
- Unquestionable professional integrity
- A sense of humor, a seasoned perspective, and a containable ego
THE ORGANIZATION
Vision: Our vision is to have a thriving community where everyone has access to nutritious food to support their health and well-being.
Mission: We inspire and support Santa Cruz County to provide nourishment for all community members.
History:
Second Harvest Food Bank Santa Cruz County is California’s first food bank, and the second in the nation. It is a founding member of both Feeding America and the California Association of Food Banks.
SHSCC grew from the Breakfast for Kids programs started by the Black Panthers in the 1960s and began to distribute local excess food to participating families. Realizing the need outpaced the organization’s ability to distribute, SHSCC started partnering with well-established nonprofits, supplying them with the food their clients needed, removing the burden of food sourcing. SHSCC partners with 100 local nonprofits and operates over 60 of its own food and nutrition distribution sites each month. Combined, the organization provides food to over 75,000 individuals in Santa Cruz County monthly.
Overview
SHSCC uses a collaborative and coordinated approach to source food for other nonprofits so they can maximize their impact and serve more people. The 60+ nutrition distribution sites ensure that no one in the county has to travel far to access the healthy food they need to thrive.
- Community donations come from local individuals, businesses, governments, and local and national foundations. Ninety-five percent of contributions to into hunger relief activities.
- Food is sourced from local farmers, USDA, grocery rescue, FEMA and purchased from nation-wide vendors. This included recently sourcing more than 5.5 million pounds of fresh produce.
- Food is sorted for quality and packed by volunteers, distributed through 160 nonprofit partners and programs. SHSCC distributes four healthy meals for every $1 donated.
- Food reaches people in need including over 75,000 people in Santa Cruz County, including families, children, veterans, seniors, and more. This represents over nine million meals.
According to UC Santa Cruz’s Blum Center, 35% of the county struggles with food insecurity, meaning more than 93,000 people either do not know where their next meal is coming from or lack the resources to consistently purchase and consume the healthy, nutritious food they need for daily activities.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the need and request for food doubled. SHSCC has been distributing over 1 million pounds of food throughout the county each month. It is anticipated the economic recovery will be long in duration, most likely years. SHSCC is committed to persisting with strong organizational and community leadership roles to continue meeting the needs of the individuals and families most impacted by COVID and the ongoing economic recession.
For additional information on Second Harvest Food Bank Santa Cruz County, please see www.thefoodbank.org.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Second Harvest Food Bank Santa Cruz County is an equal opportunity employer with an organizational focus on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging; it encourages the candidacy of professionals with diverse lived experiences and backgrounds.
For additional information regarding this opportunity, and to apply, please contact:
- Sally Carlson, Managing Partner
415.203.5259 mobile
917.922.6113 mobile
sally@carlsonbeck.com
- Heidi Holzhauer, Partner
707.963.1250 direct
heidi@carlsonbeck.com
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