Chief Program Officer

About Community Food Centres Canada

At Community Food Centres Canada we work relentlessly to make the right to food a reality for all. With more than 450 partners across the country, we create respectful spaces where people can access healthy food, build skills, find community and advocate for more just public policy. Together, we’re building a movement of responsive and effective community food organizations that understand that food is never just food: it’s about dignity, well-being, community and justice.

We believe strongly that investing in the community food security sector is essential to achieving the right to food in Canada. Frontline organizations are not only responding to an escalating crisis but also leading innovative, community-rooted solutions grounded in respect, equity, and lived experience. These organizations deserve sustained investment, support, and recognition for the critical role they play in shaping and amplifying transformative programs and contributing to policy tools that directly tackle poverty and food insecurity. Without their leadership and insight, change rooted in equity and justice will remain out of reach.

Our Commitment to Equity and Reconciliation

CFCC recognizes that due to structural racism and ongoing impacts of colonization, certain demographics face disproportionate rates of food insecurity, in particular Indigenous and Black communities. As a result, CFCC is committed to embedding our Equity, Inclusion, Reconciliation, Anti-oppression/Access (EIRA) and Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) frameworks in all that we do. This work is tied into our annual strategic priorities and departmental workplans. We collectively work to bring our EIRA and RAP commitments into our internal work as a team and externally with our community food organization partners, donors and supporters.

Role Summary

Reporting to the CEO, The Chief Program Officer (CPO) is a key member of CFCC’s Senior Leadership Team (SLT). The CPO is responsible for leading the strategy and the implementation of high-quality programs that are community centered and aligned with our core values, strategic priorities, fundraising goals, and Equity, Inclusion, Reconciliation and Anti-Oppression/Access framework. The CPO supports the strengths of community food organizations through their funding, training, evaluation, knowledge exchange, best practices, and capacity-building initiatives. The CPO also supports advocacy and policy initiatives, lending a credible, influencing voice to a wide range of audiences.

The CPO leads the largest team at CFCC with 20 employees and 5 direct reports.

Strategic Leadership

As a member of a 4-person Executive team, the Chief Program Officer will:

• Partner with the CEO and senior leadership to provide organizational leadership, decision-making, and strategic guidance on program-related matters.
• Lead strategic visioning, long-range planning, and collaborative decision-making for programs that advance the community food movement.
• Oversee the planning, organization, staffing, and operation of Programs Department initiatives, ensuring alignment with organizational strategy, funding, vision, and values.
• Work closely with the Chief Operating Officer (COO) and other senior leaders on the organizational people strategy.
• Ensure the delivery of high-quality programs, and oversee their design, implementation, and evaluation, including funding, mentorship, engagement, and resource development.
• Identify, promote, and influence policies that strengthen the community food movement; contribute to organizational policy development, advocacy, budget management, and risk mitigation.
• Manage program budgets, approvals, and funding allocation in collaboration with the Development Team to secure, steward, and report on program funding.
• Partner with the Communications Team to integrate program content, stories, and key messages into external communications to showcase community impact, sector leadership, and partner voices.
• Champion a culture of inclusion and belonging, and represent the CFCC brand nationally as a leader in the community food movement while also effectively engaging donors, community members, volunteers, staff, and key stakeholders.
• Work closely with the CEO and Chief Development & Communication Officer (CDCO) on a strong organizational funding strategy.

Program Leadership & Strategic Oversight

• Provide strategic leadership in the design, implementation, and evaluation of CFCC’s national programs to ensure they are responsive, inclusive, and impactful.
• Oversee the planning and budgeting of new and existing programs with a focus on equity, innovation, and community engagement.
• Lead and support Program Directors in setting and achieving annual departmental goals aligned with CFCC’s mission and values.
• Ensure a culture of continuous improvement through the development and application of strategies, policies, and metrics that enhance program effectiveness and reach.
• Collaborate with all departments to align program design, evaluation, reporting, and resourcing with organizational goals and funding priorities.
• Cultivate and maintain strategic relationships with community partners, funders, donors, government agencies, and sector leaders to advance CFCC’s mission and scale impact.
• Oversee systems and processes that support strong financial management, operational efficiency, and effective use of program resources.

Leadership, Change Management, Coaching & People Development

• Serve as a key member of CFCC’s Senior Leadership Team, contributing to organizational strategy and representing the Program department both internally and externally.
• Champion CFCC’s mission, values, and Equity, Inclusion, Reconciliation, and Access (EIRA) initiatives across all areas of leadership and decision-making.
• Promote an inclusive and values-driven culture, ensuring programs, content, and team practices reflect CFCC’s commitment to equity, reconciliation, cultural humility, and social justice.
• Lead and support a high-performing team of Program Directors and staff, overseeing recruitment, retention, performance management, and professional growth.
• Foster a cohesive, collaborative, and accountable Program department by building cross-team relationships and driving a culture of shared learning and mutual support.
• Mentor and coach program leadership, enabling strong people management, organizational change navigation, and continuous development of staff.
• Partner with the COO and other leaders to effectively manage change, employee relations, and performance issues with a high degree of integrity, skill, and care.
• Consistently role-model CFCC’s values, motivating staff and teams to align their work with shared goals and organizational priorities.

You are an ambitious and creative leader who brings a wealth of experience building, managing and scaling programs in the community sector. You are a proven people leader with a track record of managing high performing teams, nurturing talent, and modelling core organizational values in how you show up each and every day. Your leadership style is empathetic, kind, hopeful, consistent and values based. You thrive in an organization that is growing, collegial and collaborative. You are an ideas person and have the skills to influence others and bring people along. You are a strategic and systems thinker, with a deep ability to listen and engage meaningfully. The Chief Program Officer must be solutionary, enthusiastic and positive through these challenging times. With a strong learning disposition, and equity focused lens, you bring experience in program evaluation and strong communication skills. You are confident engaging with a wide range of audiences and bring marketing savvy as well as a passion for story-telling. You bring a deep understanding of the imperative of a rights-based approach to food insecurity and are eager to help lead the change, rolling up your sleeves along the way.

Qualifications

Education & Experience

• Minimum of 5 to 7 years in a Chief Program Officer or similar leadership role, with at least 5 years as part of a senior or executive leadership team. (or progressive experience in senior leadership roles).
• A bachelor’s degree in public administration, social work, or related field strongly preferred (or equivalent experience).
• A demonstrated commitment to social justice issues.
• Demonstrated experience overseeing programs and people that successfully engage diverse communities with a strong understanding of best practices related to cultural competence and humility.

Skills & Knowledge

• Comfortable as an external representative and content expert with a variety of audiences, from partners, the media, donors, and other stakeholders.
• A track record in supporting revenue generation and a comfort working with major donors.
• Excellent analytical skills with the ability to innovate and the capacity to create or seize opportunities to improve program effectiveness and organizational outcomes.
• Excellent interpersonal, cross cultural competency and relationship management skills.
• Ability to navigate through contentious issues and adept at identifying and implementing risk management and communications strategies.
• Ability to plan and manage at both strategic and operational levels.
• Strategic thinker who demonstrates critical thinking, creative problem solving, sound judgement and a high degree of political acuity.
• Exceptional track record of developing and implementing strategies that have consistently met or exceeded planned objectives, providing personal leadership through example.
• Demonstrated ability to lead a team in managing multiple and often simultaneous tasks, and to create a work environment with a high level of organization, timeliness, cost-effectiveness, accuracy, and results.
• Ability to adapt and provide leadership in the face of conflict, crisis, or changing priorities.Ability to work collaboratively with colleagues and staff at all levels of the organization to create a results-driven, team-oriented environment.
• Passionate about working in an organization that values and promotes diversity, equity, inclusion and that strives to work from an anti-racism and anti-oppression framework;
• Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and reconciliation through continuous development, modeling inclusive behaviors, and proactively managing bias.

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