Chief Executive Officer - Right to Food

Apra Canada; Toronto; Remote; CAD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Job summary

Right To Food in Canada is seeking a transformative Chief Executive Officer to guide national impact in food security and poverty reduction. You will lead strategic execution with the Board, drive major gifts fundraising, and strengthen governance while championing equity and inclusion across communities.

You will build durable partnerships with foundations, government, and community networks, ensuring sustainable growth, credible policy influence, and measurable outcomes aligned with the

Qualifications

• Proven track record in senior nonprofit leadership and governance.
• Experience shaping strategy, programs and fundraising at scale.
• Strong storytelling to engage diverse donor and partner audiences.
• Familiarity with Canada’s nonprofit funding landscape and policy environment.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute the long-term strategic direction with the Board.
• Lead fundraising and major gifts program with key donors and foundations.
• Ensure financial sustainability and strong operational governance.
• Partner with the Board to craft multi-year strategic plans and ensure impact.
• Drive program excellence, learning, and evidence-informed advocacy.
• Act as the organization’s public voice on food security and poverty issues.

Skills

Leadership

Fundraising

Strategic thinking

Stakeholder relations

Public speaking

Policy advocacy

Equity & inclusion

Job description

Canada is facing an unprecedented food insecurity crisis.

Almost 1 in 4 Canadians live in food insecure households, and the pressures of inflation, housing instability, and rising inequality continue to push more families into poverty. Food insecurity is no longer a marginal issue–it is one of the defining social challenges of our time. Right To Food exists to change this reality.

Formerly known as Community Food Centres Canada (CFCC), Right To Food is a national organization dedicated to advancing the right to food for all people in Canada. Through innovative community food programming, national partnerships, and policy advocacy, the organization has helped reshape how Canada approaches hunger and food access.

Founded by Nick Saul and Kathryn Scharf, the organization has grown into one of Canada’s most influential voices in the food justice movement. Under Nick Saul’s leadership, Right To Food has built a vibrant national network of Community Food Centres and partner organizations, pioneered programs that combine food access with dignity and community-building, and mobilized policy change aimed at tackling the root causes of poverty and food insecurity.

After 14 years of visionary leadership, Nick will retire from the CEO role in 2027, marking a significant moment in the organization’s history. The Board of Directors is seeking a new Chief Executive Officer who can build upon Nick’s legacy while guiding the organization into its next chapter.

The next CEO will inherit an organization with:

• A respected national brand and strong sector credibility
• A strong, collaborative and mission-driven team of approximately 60 staff
• A national network of 18 Community Food Centres and more than 450 partner organizations
• A newly established hub at 340 Gerrard Street East, providing a vibrant space for the community
• Innovative programming models that are recognized across the sector
• A strong policy voice advocating for systemic change
• An annual operating budget of over $14 million

This leadership transition represents an extraordinary opportunity for a leader with a track record of impact. The next CEO will guide the organization through a pivotal period, with a focus on stabilizing, connecting, and building the institution; strengthening internal systems, aligning priorities, and expanding Right To Food’s impact.

The next CEO must be both an inspirational public-facing leader and an internally grounded collaborator–someone who can embody the abundance mindset and commitment to structural change that animates Right To Food today while guiding it into its next era. For a leader who believes deeply in equity, community, and systemic change, this is a rare opportunity to shape the future of food and social justice in Canada.

The Role

The Chief Executive Officer is responsible for providing overall leadership and direction for Right To Food, ensuring the organization advances its mission, achieves meaningful programmatic and systems-level impact, and operates with strong governance, financial stewardship, organizational effectiveness, and long-term sustainability.

Working closely with the Board of Directors and Senior Leadership Team, the CEO will guide Right To Food through an important leadership transition while positioning the organization for its next phase of impact, sustainability, and national influence.

The role requires a leader who is:

• Highly relational and emotionally intelligent
• A compelling storyteller and public-facing advocate
• Experienced in major gift fundraising
• Able to transition donor relationships while maintaining trust and revenue
• A strong operator and movement builder, with the ability to bring greater rigor to strategy, performance metrics, and execution
• Brings a strong understanding of poverty, food insecurity, health, and related social and economic issues, and can apply that understanding to organizational strategy, advocacy, partnerships, and public leadership
• Innovative with an entrepreneurial mindset

The CEO will work closely with the Board to develop Right To Food’s next multi-year strategic plan and ensure financial sustainability in a shifting philanthropic and policy environment.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Vision and Execution

Lead the development and execution of Right To Food’s long-term strategic direction in collaboration with the Board, Senior Leadership Team, staff, and community partners. Translate the organization’s mission, vision, values and theory of change into clear organizational priorities, measurable outcomes, and accountabilities. Identify and pursue opportunities that deepen Right To Food’s impact, strengthen its sustainability, and expand its reach, partnerships, and national influence.

Fundraising and Stakeholder Relations

Work closely with the Chief Development and Communications Officer to shape and advance Right To Food’s fundraising, communications, and stakeholder engagement strategies, and serve as a leading ambassador and fundraiser with key donors and funders. Cultivate and steward relationships with major donors, foundations, corporate partners, and institutional funders, and support the transition of key donor relationships from founder-led stewardship to a broader institutional model.

Organizational Sustainability and Operational Leadership

Work closely with the Chief Operating Officer to ensure Right To Food has the financial, operational, technology, governance, risk-management, and organizational infrastructure required to deliver on its mission and strategic priorities. Provide overall executive oversight of Right To Food’s financial sustainability and champion continuous improvement and organizational effectiveness.

Governance and Board Partnership

Build and maintain a strong, transparent, and trust-based partnership with the Board of Directors, enabling effective governance and strategic decision-making. Partner with the Board to shape long-term organizational strategy and steward the mission, values, and reputation of Right To Food.

Programmatic Leadership and Impact

Work with the Chief Program Officer to ensure Right To Food’s programmatic work advances the organization’s mission, strategic priorities, and desired impact. Connect program learning, community experience, research, and evidence to advocacy, fundraising, communications, and organizational strategy, and champion a culture of learning, evaluation, innovation, and continuous improvement.

Advocacy and Public Leadership

Serve as Right To Food’s leading public voice and advocate on issues related to food insecurity, poverty, and the right to food in Canada. Build and steward relationships with policymakers, government leaders, sector leaders, and community partners to influence policy and advance systemic change, and bring together diverse networks, partners, and community organizations around shared opportunities for action and systems change.

Education and Experience

The successful candidate will bring:

• Direct involvement in developing programming and advancing policy or systemic reforms related to poverty, food security, public health, or social justice in Canada.
• 10+ years of progressive leadership experience, including presenting to and working with boards.
• Significant senior leadership experience within a not-for-profit or mission-driven organization of comparable scale and complexity.
• Experience leading fundraising efforts, including building and cultivating donor relationships and securing major gifts and grants through strategic engagement, compelling storytelling and stewardship.
• Proven experience guiding organizations through founder-led or complex leadership transitions, with the ability to build trust, stabilize critical relationships and advance strategic priorities while strengthening internal systems.
• Experience building large networks of grassroots communities, nonprofit partners, and frontline organizations through connection around shared social issues.
• Proven experience navigating the Canadian nonprofit landscape, with a deep understanding of its funding structures, partnerships, and influential actors across sectors.
• Experience leading multi-disciplinary teams within a national or multi-site environment.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

The successful candidate will bring exceptional interpersonal and relational intelligence and be authentic, warm, and able to connect across diverse audiences–from cabinet ministers to community members. They will be an exceptional communicator and public spokesperson, with the ability to think strategically with a systems mindset and translate vision into impact.

They will bring an innovative, entrepreneurial mindset–comfortable with ambiguity, willing to challenge the status quo, and able to turn bold ideas into practical, mission-aligned solutions. They will be able to balance external leadership with internal institution-building, strengthening systems, shared leadership, and long-term organizational resilience.

Above all, they will embody RTF’s values through a leadership style that is both principled and relatable and be a true believer in the mission, whose authenticity builds trust and drives community impact–someone who is also deeply concerned by inequality and channels that urgency into meaningful change.

Equity, Inclusion, Reconciliation, Anti-Oppression, and Accessibility

Right To Food is strongly committed to equity and inclusion within the community. They welcome applications from Indigenous people, racialized people, people with disabilities, 2SLGBTQIA+ people, and others with the skills and knowledge to productively engage with diverse communities.

They are committed to creating a supportive and inclusive work environment, and welcome candidates to speak about how their experience has demonstrated a commitment to equity, inclusion, reconciliation, anti-oppression, anti-racism, and accessibility. Please let us know if you require any special accommodations in order to apply and/or interview for this position.

For further information or questions about the application process, please contact Saman Morani at [e-mail] .