Introduction
The Ottawa Food Bank is a leading Canadian registered charity and non-profit organization dedicated to providing healthy, accessible, and sustainable food for all. Established in 1984, the organization has grown to become a critical support system for the Nationās Capital, working through a Network of Community Agencies to respond to food insecurity across Ottawa. As the Ottawa Food Bank sees firsthand how hunger affects the community and how it can become a barrier to success, it has become a strong advocate for a healthier, more food-secure city.
In recent years, the Ottawa Food Bank has broadened its focus beyond the supply of emergency food. Recognizing that food security is about addressing root causes, the organization is working to increase access to nutritious and culturally appropriate food while tackling systemic poverty. In addition to supporting access to adequate and nutritious food for all, the Ottawa Food Bank also advocates for policies to increase the availability of affordable housing, provide adequate income support, and increase funding for mental health services.
Today, the Ottawa Food Bank continues to evolve alongside the community it serves. As the organization works with its network to reimagine what food banks can look like in Ottawa, it is focused on responding to the diverse needs of the community and strengthening the system of support available to those experiencing food insecurity. The key to its ability to deliver on this mandate is its staff of 50 and team of volunteers, who offer over 21, 000 hours of their time annually. In addition, the Ottawa Food Bank is supported by the generosity of individuals and corporations in the communities it serves.
Summary of the Role
The Director, Programs and Planning is a key leadership role within the Ottawa Food Bank, reporting directly to the Chief Executive Officer and serving as a member of the Executive Leadership Team. In this capacity, you will lead a multidisciplinary team responsible for the initiatives, partnerships, and programs that strengthen the organizationās network and advance its response to food insecurity and broader community needs. At the heart of the role is providing guidance, support and strategic direction for how the Ottawa Food Bank works with its member agencies, ensuring these partnerships support both the effective distribution of food and broader efforts to improve outcomes for people experiencing food insecurity.
Working closely with the CEO and your peers on the Executive Leadership Team, you will translate organizational direction into action through operational planning, oversight of key initiatives, and thoughtful decision-making about where the department focuses its efforts. With full accountability for the departmentās budget, you will ensure resources are managed effectively in support of its priorities. You will also work closely with Operations and Finance, participating in regular operational discussions to align food distribution modelling, inventory trends, and program budgets.
Now in the second year of its three-year strategic plan, the Ottawa Food Bank is moving from planning into implementation and testing. Using client intake data, community insight, and the perspectives of people with lived experience, you will assess progress and help determine where adjustments may be needed to key frameworks and initiatives, including agency catchment models, granting programs, and the Wraparound Supports Initiative. You will also help strengthen the systems and tools that support how the department manages information, tracks its work, and makes decisions, including leading the implementation of a new departmental CRM.
Internally, you will lead a department that is continuing to take shape, establishing clear accountabilities, supporting team development, and fostering cross-functional collaboration following a period of transition and staffing gaps. Externally, you will maintain and strengthen relationships with the network and key partners, including Ottawa Public Health, Ottawa Community Housing, and the City of Ottawa. As a key presence in strategic conversations involving partnership, risk, and future network direction, you will ensure organizational decisions reflect the realities of the communities being served.
Is This For You?
You are an experienced leader who brings a combination of strategic thinking, strong people management, and the ability to translate direction into action. You approach change thoughtfully, taking the time to understand the environment, assess needs, and build on what is already working well. As a collaborative leader with a high degree of emotional intelligence, you are able to understand differing perspectives and build trust with the people around you. You bring stability during periods of change and can work through ambiguity with sound judgement, staying focused on what matters most and maintaining momentum on key priorities without needing a rigid playbook.
Clear communication and the ability to work effectively across different teams and stakeholder groups will be important in this role. You listen actively, communicate with respect and integrity, and build strong relationships with the people around you. You value direct and transparent communication and are comfortable both offering your perspective and being challenged by others. You value collaboration across functions and are equally able to work with peers and senior leadership as you are with community and network partners. Building these connections will help ensure the departmentās work is well connected to broader priorities and that teams work together effectively.
You bring experience developing and advancing strategic plans, with a demonstrated ability to turn broader goals into actionable priorities. You are able to provide oversight across a range of initiatives, use data to inform decisions, and balance longer-term direction with the practical realities of implementation. Your experience strengthening systems and processes will be valuable as the organization introduces new tools and technologies to improve how information is managed and used. Direct experience working with vulnerable populations and diverse community partners will be essential, ideally within a non-profit, social services, community development, or related environment.
What Success Looks Like at the End of Your First Year
By the end of your first year, you will have developed a strong understanding of the Ottawa Food Bank, the community it serves, and the role its network plays in supporting people experiencing food insecurity. You will have taken the time to understand how different parts of the organization work together and how Programs and Planning contributes to the Ottawa Food Bankās broader mission. This understanding will provide a strong foundation for making thoughtful decisions about the departmentās direction and how its work can best support the organization and the community it serves.
The departmentās expanded team structure will be in place, with new management roles established and accountabilities defined across the department. This will create stronger collaboration within the Programs and Planning team and with other functions, while updated systems and tools will support better tracking of progress and more informed decisions about priorities and next steps. The departmentās budget and resources will be well managed, with effective relationships across the organization supporting sound planning and coordination.
You will have strengthened relationships and dialogue with member agencies and community partners, ensuring the experiences and perspectives of the network continue to inform the direction ahead. The department will be well positioned to continue advancing the strategic plan and supporting the organization as it considers the next stage of its work. The insights, relationships, and foundations built through this work will help shape how the Ottawa Food Bank continues to reimagine food banking in Ottawa.
