Manager, Operational Projects and Services

theottawafoodbank; Ottawa; On-site; CAD 81,000 - 101,000; Full time

Job summary

The Ottawa Food Bank is seeking a Manager, Operational Projects and Services to lead strategic initiatives across Operations. You will align program planning, volunteer engagement, and partner agencies to improve service delivery and operational efficiency.

This hands-on leadership role requires strong project management, problem-solving, and cross-functional coordination to ensure timely delivery of improvements that support community impact.

Qualifications

• Post-secondary education in Operations, Business Administration, Management, Supply Chain, Logistics, or Project Management.
• At least 4 years of progressive experience in operations, logistics, order support, project coordination, or related roles.
• Ability to independently manage operational issues, relationships, workflows, or projects through resolution or implementation.
• Strong communication, relationship-management, facilitation and conflict-resolution skills.
• Knowledge of warehouse operations, logistics, food distribution, volunteer integration is an asset.

Responsibilities

• Lead approved operational improvement initiatives that strengthen service delivery, increase organizational capacity, simplify workflows, and improve operational effectiveness.
• Own delivery of assigned initiatives such as Clean Zone, bulk-buying initiatives, order-support improvements, agency-onboarding workflows, process redesign, and system-enhancement projects.
• Develop project plans, timelines, measures, risk and action tracking, and implementation controls appropriate to project complexity.
• Identify operational gaps, recurring issues, root causes, administrative burden, and service barriers, and lead practical, scalable solutions with operational leads.
• Lead approved procurement, distribution, communication, change-management, and implementation activities within the assigned project mandate.
• Monitor project outcomes, adoption, barriers, risks, and benefits, and take or recommend corrective action when delivery is off track.
• Lead day-to-day triage and resolution of operational issues affecting multiple teams, agencies, or service-delivery processes.
• Coordinate the appropriate response across Operations, Programs & Planning, Volunteer Engagement, agencies, IT, Finance, Facilities, vendors, and other teams as required.
• Maintain issue tracking and follow-up controls that provide visibility and accountability through closure.
• Oversee order-support workflows and agency-facing operational service.
• Ensure volunteer roles align with operational priorities, safety requirements, SOPs, training expectations, and service needs.

Skills

Operations management

Project leadership

Analytical skills

Communication

Problem solving

Root-cause analysis

Education

Operations

Business Administration

Management

Supply Chain

Logistics

Project Management

Tools

Primarius

Inventory systems

Warehouse management systems

Job description

Job Posting: Manager, Operational Projects and Services

Department: Operations

Reports to: Director, Operations

Job Level: Level 4

Hiring Range: $80,931 – $101,164

Posting Date: September 29, 2026

Application Deadline: October 20, 2026

Background

The Manager, Operational Projects and Services is a key operational leader responsible for strengthening service delivery, operational effectiveness and organizational capacity across the Operations portfolio. The role acts as a central point of integration between Operations, Programs & Planning, Volunteer Engagement, partner agencies and internal teams, ensuring that operational priorities, agency needs, service issues, volunteer resources, and improvement initiatives are coordinated and executed effectively.

This position leads agency-facing operational support, cross-functional issue resolution, volunteer-operations coordination and approved operational projects and process improvements. The Manager is accountable for timely resolution of operational challenges, clear ownership and communication pathways, improved workflows, and consistent service for partner agencies and internal teams.

This is a hands-on leadership role for a proactive, solutions-focused professional who can bring diverse teams together, navigate a complex operational environment, exercise sound judgment, and drive meaningful improvements that support organizational goals and community impact.

ABOUT US

The Ottawa Food Bank is the leading emergency food provider in the National Capital Region, supporting a network of nearly 100 community food programs. Each year, we respond to more than 556,000 visits, of which 37% are children, reflecting the ongoing and urgent need across our community.

Through the generosity of our donors, partners, and volunteers, we distribute approximately 8.3 million pounds of food annually, ensuring equitable access to nutritious food for individuals and families facing food insecurity throughout Ottawa.

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES

Operational Projects & Continuous Improvement

• Lead approved operational improvement initiatives that strengthen service delivery, increase organizational capacity, simplify workflows, and improve operational effectiveness.
• Own delivery of assigned initiatives such as Clean Zone, bulk-buying initiatives, order-support improvements, agency-onboarding workflows, process redesign, and system-enhancement projects.
• Develop project plans, timelines, measures, risk and action tracking, and implementation controls appropriate to project complexity.
• Identify operational gaps, recurring issues, root causes, administrative burden, and service barriers, and lead practical, scalable solutions with operational leads.
• Lead approved procurement, distribution, communication, change-management, and implementation activities within the assigned project mandate.
• Monitor project outcomes, adoption, barriers, risks, and benefits, and take or recommend corrective action when delivery is off track.

Order Support & Agency Coordination

• Lead and continuously improve order-support workflows and agency-facing operational service.
• Oversee order-support processes, including weather-related communications, reminder and missing-order follow-up, late submissions, delivery coordination, and order-related Primarius updates.
• Resolve routine order issues and guide agencies through system navigation, ordering requirements, product-availability questions, SOP-related questions, and delivery exceptions.
• Lead the operational component of new-agency onboarding, including ordering and delivery expectations and effective handoffs with Programs & Planning and Operations.
• Direct clear, timely, and consistent operational communications to agencies regarding new products, seasonal items, service disruptions, ordering changes, and delivery impacts.
• Monitor order-support effectiveness, response times, recurring exceptions, and service gaps, and implement or recommend improvements.

Cross-Functional Issue Resolution & Service Continuity

• Lead day-to-day triage and resolution of operational issues affecting multiple teams, agencies, or service-delivery processes.
• Assess, prioritize, and track issues through clear ownership, response pathways, decisions, and next steps.
• Coordinate the appropriate response across Operations, Programs & Planning, Volunteer Engagement, agencies, IT, Finance, Facilities, vendors, and other teams as required.
• Maintain issue tracking and follow-up controls that provide visibility and accountability through closure.
• Monitor response and resolution times, identify stalled items, and influence timely action by the appropriate owners.
• Analyze recurring operational issues, identify root causes, and recommend practical improvements that reduce recurrence and administrative burden.

Warehouse, Inventory & Operational Risk

• Maintain a visible warehouse presence focused on operational integration, risk triage, communication, and time-sensitive follow-through.
• Coordinate real-time warehouse issues involving orders, agencies, volunteers, products, service delivery, or projects.
• Direct time-sensitive coordination for large, urgent, or exceptional product movements in consultation with Operations and Inventory Control.
• Evaluate operational risks, communication gaps, safety concerns, and service impacts, and initiate action or escalation within defined authority.
• Monitor and follow up on assigned FEFO, short-dated product, fridge/freezer, quality-control, and audit-related actions in partnership with the Inventory Control Manager and relevant operational leads.
• Ensure assigned quality-control, SOP, and audit follow-up actions are communicated, tracked, and completed by the appropriate owners.
• Promptly document and elevate inventory discrepancies, product-condition concerns, food-safety issues, or system risks.

Volunteer-Operations Coordination

• Lead the operational relationship between Operations and Volunteer Engagement to ensure volunteer capacity is safely and effectively integrated into approved operational work.
• Provide day-to-day operational direction and coordination to volunteers supporting warehouse activities, including assigning and prioritizing work, communicating expectations, monitoring activities, and addressing operational issues.
• Ensure volunteer roles align with operational priorities, safety requirements, SOPs, training expectations, and service needs.
• Oversee the operational integration of volunteers into sorting, Clean Zone, special projects, and other approved activities.
• Evaluate volunteer-workflow effectiveness and elevate safety, conduct, capacity, or workflow concerns to the appropriate leaders.
• Gather and use feedback from staff and volunteers to improve volunteer deployment, role clarity, and operational support.

What Success Looks Like

• Order-support workflows are consistent, responsive, and continuously improving.
• Operational issues have clear ownership, appropriate response pathways, consistent communication, and timely closure.
• Partner agencies experience fewer avoidable delays, communication gaps, recurring exceptions, and unresolved follow-up.
• Cross-functional teams have stronger coordination and clearer handoffs across Operations, Programs & Planning, Volunteer Engagement, and enabling functions.
• Recurring operational issues and administrative burden are reduced through root-cause analysis and practical process improvement.
• Volunteer capacity is integrated into operational needs safely, clearly, and effectively.
• Assigned operational projects are delivered to agreed scope, timelines, outcomes, and organizational objectives.

What You Bring

• Post-secondary education in Operations, Business Administration, Management, Supply Chain, Logistics, Project Management, or a related field; an equivalent combination of education, training, and directly relevant experience will be considered.
• At least 4 years of progressive experience in operations, logistics, order support, project coordination, service coordination, or a related role.
• Demonstrated experience independently managing operational issues, relationships, workflows, or projects through resolution or implementation.
• Strong operational management, service coordination, and project leadership skills.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, including root-cause analysis, process mapping, workflow simplification, and continuous improvement.
• Ability to prioritize operational issues, make sound decisions within established authority, and escalates appropriately.
• Strong communication, relationship-management, facilitation, and conflict-resolution skills, with the ability to lead through influence.
• Knowledge of warehouse operations, logistics, food distribution, food safety, volunteer integration, or community-based service delivery.
• Understanding of the nonprofit and/or social services sector and experience working in a community-based or service-oriented environment is an asset.
• Experience with order support, agency service, inventory systems, warehouse-management systems, or Primarius is an asset.
• Experience with community organizations, agencies, warehouse/distribution, food bank, food service, logistics, or inventory environments is an asset.
• Project-management or continuous-improvement certification or training, such as PMP, CAPM, Lean, Six Sigma, or equivalent, is an asset.
• Experience in a unionized environment is an asset.

Why This Role Matters

This role sits at the intersection of people, processes, and operational priorities. By connecting teams, resolving issues, improving workflows, and strengthening service coordination, the Manager helps create a responsive and efficient operation capable of meeting evolving service demands and supporting the Ottawa Food Bank's community impact.

Working Environment

• The role works across office and warehouse environments, with regular warehouse presence required.
• The position is not designed as routine physical warehouse labour or day-to-day supervision of warehouse employees.
• The work environment may include moderate noise, changing priorities, walking through warehouse areas, and use of PPE where required.
• Regular hours are Monday to Friday, typically 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., with occasional flexibility for urgent operational issues, project milestones, agency needs, or service disruptions.
• Some off-site work may be required for agency visits, vendor meetings, partner engagement, or project coordination.
• A valid driver's licence is preferred, and access to a vehicle may be beneficial for off-site responsibilities.

Language

Excellent English-language communication skills, verbal and written, are required. French-language skills, verbal and/or written, are an asset.

Compensation

The hiring range for this Level 4 position is $80,931 to $101,164. Placement within the range will be determined based on experience, qualifications, and in accordance with the Ottawa Food Bank's compensation policy.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Interested applicants should submit a resume and cover letter. Shortlisted candidates will be contacted for screening and interviews.

The Ottawa Food Bank is committed to fostering diversity and inclusivity in our workforce. We actively encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds, including those with disabilities, and members of the 2SLGBTQI+ and BIPOC communities.

In our commitment to accessibility, the Ottawa Food Bank provides accommodations for persons with disabilities throughout the entire recruitment process. If you require accommodation, please inform your recruiter, and we will ensure that your needs are met.

Ready to apply? Submit your application by the deadline to join a collaborative and mission-driven organization making an impact in the community.