ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, HEALTHY CORNERS

ADP; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 85,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, vision, and dental insurance

Flexible Spending Accounts

Paid Time Off

11 Company Paid Holidays

Bonding Leave

Commuter Benefits

Matching 401(k)

Life insurance

Wellness Reimbursement

Job summary

DC Central Kitchen is seeking an Associate Director, Healthy Corners, to lead a nationally recognized program partnering with urban corner stores to increase access to healthy foods. You will manage a team, coordinate with federal programs like SNAP and WIC, and collaborate with multiple internal departments to ensure program quality and impact.

The role requires 5–7 years of leadership in produce/food access, a Bachelor’s degree, and a strong commitment to equity and community service.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree with 5–7 years of relevant experience; leadership in related fields.
• Direct experience with produce merchandising and sales, and with federal nutrition programs (SNAP, WIC).
• Demonstrated intercultural competence and exceptional customer service skills.

Responsibilities

• Provide leadership and ensure mission fidelity, programmatic progress, operational excellence, and compliance.
• Oversee store owner recruitment, training, and relationship management; budget and program evaluation.
• Supervise program team members and Store Navigators.
• Collaborate with Nutrition team on nutrition engagements and outreach.
• Collaborate with Directors and departments to manage ordering, sourcing, production, and delivery.
• Solve operational bottlenecks and cross‑departmental hurdles for program success.
• Host Culinary Job Training Students on Tracks for on‑the‑job training.
• Manage day‑to‑day relationships with key partners (DC Health, WIC, USDA, evaluators).
• Support donor stewardship, grant implementation, and sustainability efforts.

Skills

Intercultural competence

Customer service

Team leadership

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Equivalent education/experience

Tools

Microsoft Office

Excel

Outlook

Publisher

Adobe Acrobat

DCCK database software

Job description

Salary Range: $85,000.00 To $95,000.00 Annually

ABOUT DC CENTRAL KITCHEN:

DC Central Kitchen (DCCK) is an iconic nonprofit and social enterprise that combats hunger and poverty through job training and job creation. Our approach provides hands‑on culinary job training while creating living‑wage jobs and bringing nutritious, dignified food where it is most needed in our city. We serve scratch‑cooked farm‑to‑school meals in DC schools; deliver fresh, affordable produce to corner stores in neighborhoods without supermarkets; provide delicious catering; and operate fast‑casual cafes. Above all else, we are committed to creating a more just, equitable, and inclusive community, both outside our doors and right here on our team. We strive to offer a safe environment to learn, discover and develop individual strengths, and pursue meaningful career pathways. As an Equal Opportunity Employer, we recognize and work to address the lasting effects of historic injustices and systemic racism, and we strongly encourage people of color, women, LGBTQ people, returning citizens, and people who have experienced poverty or homelessness to apply to join our team.

DEPARTMENT DESCRIPTION:

Our Healthy Corners program is the country's preeminent model for bringing healthful foods to small corner stores in communities with limited access to supermarkets and other robust retail food options. First launched in 2011, Healthy Corners now delivers affordable fruits and vegetables to 50 small corner stores, provides technical and infrastructure assistance to small business owners seeking to expand their healthy food sales, and operates a SNAP Match nutrition incentive program that empowers low‑income shoppers to make healthy choices on limited budgets.

Healthy Corners is part of the Food Access and Nutrition Department, which seeks to increase access to healthy food through innovative programs and job-creating social enterprises, strategic partnerships and business development, and community-based solutions. As DCCK expands its engagement in the Food is Medicine field, the department also serves as the organization's in‑house source of expertise and technical assistance in that area, helping to define and implement relevant standards of performance and measurement, cultivate partnerships, and support the development of nutrition-informed programming across the organization.

POSITION DESCRIPTION:

The Associate Director, Healthy Corners will lead the development, management, and oversight of the Healthy Corners program as a nationally acclaimed model for partnering with urban corner stores to offer sustainable solutions to disparities in food access. By managing a team of dedicated professionals and working collaboratively with DCCK staff, vendors, and peer organizations, the Associate Director will support more than 50 small business partners in becoming even more robust and reliable access points for fresh and healthful foods.

The Associate Director will also guide Healthy Corners’ engagement with federal benefit programs such as SNAP and WIC, public sector partners such as DC Health and the WIC State Agency, and national best practice peers in the healthy food retail sector. Through this work, the Associate Director will help identify and advance opportunities that connect more residents with healthy foods and supportive programs while strengthening DCCK's role as a leader in innovative nutrition and food access solutions.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Provide ongoing leadership and direction for the Healthy Corners program, ensuring mission fidelity, programmatic progress, operational excellence, and compliance across all program areas and established requirements.
• Oversee store owner recruitment, training, and relationship management; programmatic quality controls and budget management; program evaluation and reporting; customer engagement; annual grant workplan implementation; and SNAP nutrition incentive program administration.
• Supervise, manage, and mentor program team members and Store Navigators
• Collaborate closely with the Nutrition team on the development, marketing and implementation of nutrition engagements and outreach.
• Collaborate closely with the Director, Food Access and Nutrition and relevant DCCK operations departments to manage and track product ordering, sourcing, production, and delivery.
• Collaborate closely with Culinary Operations, Procurement, and Transportation departments to monitor product quality and consistency, and to manage and track ordering, sourcing, production, and delivery.
• Partner with colleagues to problem-solve operational bottlenecks and cross-departmental hurdles to ensure successful program administration.
• Host Culinary Job Training Students on Tracks, providing them with on-the-job training and experience in program facilitation and management.
• Serve as the day‑to‑day relationship manager for key program partners, including DC Health, the DC WIC State Agency, the USDA Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program, external evaluation partners, and national networks relating to healthy retail food programming.
• Under the guidance of the Director, work closely with the Development & Communications team to support relevant donor and agency stewardship efforts, grant implementation, and marketing and communications efforts that support programmatic and organizational goals, including long‑term sustainability for Healthy Corners produce incentives.
• Provide leadership support as required to maintain quality relationships with customers, respond to emerging organizational needs, and perform duties necessary to advance the vision, mission, and values of DC Central Kitchen.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree and at least 5 – 7 years of relevant experience OR an equivalent combination of education, training, and experience; 3 years of leadership or management experience in produce merchandising and sales, public health, nutrition, social entrepreneurship, or a related field
• Direct and extensive experience with produce and healthy food merchandising and sales, food access/Food is Medicine programs, federal nutrition programs (e.g. SNAP, WIC), or related community‑based efforts is required
• Demonstrated intercultural competence and exceptional customer service skills
• Experience managing diverse teams, motivating staff, and developing individual team members over time
• Evident commitment to the mission, models, and values of DC Central Kitchen, including a commitment to improving the health, wellness, and economic security of people residing in communities without sufficient access to nutritious food and the social determinants of health
• Demonstrated proficiency using Microsoft Office Applications, Excel, Outlook, Publisher, Adobe Acrobat, as well as DCCK database management software.
• A pre‑employment background check and drug screening are required.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

• Capable of independent local travel and, as needed, limited travel outside the DC region for essential meetings and conferences.
• Ability to work limited nights and weekends in order to participate in community meetings, trainings and workshops, and public presentations.
• May occasionally move Audio/Visual and other office equipment or lightweight items weighing up to 25 pounds for various meeting and event needs. Some functions of this position may require moderate physical activity, including installing, transporting, positioning, or removing produce, produce‑related, kitchen, or office equipment items, such as printers, computers, phones, and so on.
• Must be able to perform general physical activities that require considerable use of arms, legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling of materials
• Must be able to bend, lean, reach and stoop without hindrance, possess fine motor skills, the ability to stand or walk for extended periods, and remain in a stationary position for at least 50% of the time.
• Must be able to work in an environment where exposure to unusual elements such as extreme temperatures, fumes, dirt, smoke, loud noise, and a variety of odors is common.

This job description is subject to change at any time.

BENEFITS:

• Medical, vision, and dental insurance (DCCK pays 100% of employee premiums for individual coverage)
• Flexible Spending Accounts (Healthcare, Dependent Care, and Parking)
• Paid Time Off (vacation, sick, and personal leave)
• 11 Company Paid Holidays
• Bonding Leave for new parents
• Commuter Benefits plan
• Matching 401(k) program
• Basic Life & Supplemental Life
• Wellness Reimbursement program

NOTE:

This document is an outline of the primary tasks assigned and may be changed at the discretion of management, formally or informally, either verbally or in writing. All team members are expected to assist DC Central Kitchen in achieving its goals even if such tasks are beyond the scope of this outline. The job description does not constitute an employment contract, implied or otherwise, other than an “at will” relationship and is subject to change by the employer as the needs of the employer and requirements of the job change.

DC Central Kitchen is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer and a Strengths‑based organization.