Food Systems Director

Socket.dev; Maplewood (MN); On-site; USD 98,000 - 108,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical and dental insurance

401(k) retirement plan

Paid time off & holidays

Disability & life insurance

Minnesota Paid Leave

Job summary

Open Cupboard, a major Twin Cities food rescue and access organization, seeks a Director of Food Systems to grow food rescue, sourcing, and hub networks.

You will manage inventory, fleet, and staff while expanding partnerships with retailers, farmers, and institutions. The role emphasizes data-driven decision making and collaboration with leadership to advance program impact.

Qualifications

• 8+ years in food rescue, food recovery, or related food systems/supply chain field.
• Strong knowledge of food waste, recovery systems, donor relations, and perishable logistics.
• Experience managing programs and supervising staff, including hiring and performance management.
• Strong relationship-building and communication skills to represent the org to donors, partners, and funders.
• Comfort using data to track performance and report outcomes.

Responsibilities

• Lead strategy and execution to increase total pounds of food entering Open Cupboard.
• Grow and manage hub-and-spoke distribution networks and partner agencies.
• Oversee inventory, cold-chain, and food flow across sites and fleets.
• Hire, train, supervise, and develop staff for food rescue operations.
• Lead grant-funded initiatives with timelines, budgets, and reporting.

Skills

Food systems experience

Stakeholder relations

People management

Data-driven decision making

Travel readiness

Food rescue knowledge

Job description

POSITION SUMMARY

Open Cupboard is one of the largest food rescue and food access organizations in the Twin Cities, operating our innovative Today's Harvest free fresh market model across two locations and distributing more than seven million pounds of food a year. The Director of Food Systems is a new senior leadership role responsible for growing and strengthening the systems that get food into Open Cupboard and move it efficiently once it's here.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Food Rescue & Sourcing

• Lead strategy and execution to increase the total volume of food coming into Open Cupboard through food rescue, food sourcing, and donor development.
• Deepen relationships with existing retail, grocery, distributor, and wholesale donor partners to unlock additional available-but-uncollected pounds.
• Identify, cultivate, and onboard new food rescue and sourcing partners, including retailers, distributors, food service operators, and institutional sources.
• Grow and manage agricultural food rescue partnerships, including relationships with farmers markets, individual growers, and value-added processing/compensation partnerships.
• Steward all donor relationships through named relationship management, regular impact reporting, and consistent check-ins to retain and grow volume over time.

Mini-Hub / Hub-and-Spoke Program

• Own and grow and scale Open Cupboard's regional hub-and-spoke distribution network
• Build and maintain the communications, onboarding, and logistics infrastructure that allows partner agencies to request, receive, and (over time) contribute food efficiently and reliably.
• Identify and onboard new spoke/mini-hub agencies
• Oversee order management and food distribution to spoke/mini-hub partners, ensuring donated food reaches partner agencies before it spoils.
• Guide the network's evolution toward a bidirectional, mutually reinforcing exchange model in which high-capacity partners both receive and contribute food.

Inventory, Operations & Internal Food Flow

• Oversee inventory operations across Open Cupboard sites, including intake, sorting, storage, and cold-chain management of rescued and donated food.
• Oversee the food rescue fleet, including route planning, driver coordination, and a structured preventive maintenance program to ensure vehicle availability and routing efficiency.
• Oversee systems for tracking incoming food to support accurate reporting.
• Support decision-making on facility repairs and upgrades to ensure smooth operational flow

Staff & Program Management

• Hire, train, supervise, and develop food rescue drivers, inventory staff, and other food hub/operations staff.
• Build team capacity to support growing collection volume, an expanding donor base, and a scaling hub-and-spoke network.
• Set clear goals, provide regular feedback and coaching, and foster a culture of accountability, safety, and continuous improvement.
• Partner with the Executive Director and other program directors to align food systems work with organization-wide strategy and capacity.
• Alongside the Executive Director, create and monitor program budget and create optimization plans for equipment and staffing expenses.

Grant Management, Data & Reporting

• Serve as the operational lead for grant-funded food rescue and hub-and-spoke initiatives, ensuring work plans, timelines, and budgets stay on track.
• Track and report on pounds rescued, pounds distributed through the hub-and-spoke network, and other program metrics using Open Cupboard's data systems.
• Monitor progress against objectives and make mid-course adjustments to collections, staffing, or partnerships as needed to hit targets.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required

• 8+ years of progressively responsible experience in food rescue, food recovery, food banking, or a related food systems/supply chain field.
• Strong working knowledge of food waste and food recovery systems, including donor relationship management, perishable food logistics, and cold-chain handling.
• Demonstrated experience managing programs and supervising staff, including hiring, coaching, and performance management.
• Strong relationship-building and communication skills, with the ability to represent the organization to donors, partner agencies, and funders.
• Comfort working with data to track performance, identify trends, and report outcomes to leadership and funders.
• Valid driver's license and ability to travel regularly between Open Cupboard sites and partner locations across the East Metro.

Preferred

• Experience managing state or federal grant-funded programs, including work plans, budgets, and reporting requirements.
• Familiarity with fleet management and preventive maintenance programs.
• Experience working with or serving Environmental Justice communities.

WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE

• Growth in total pounds of food rescued year over year through retail, agricultural, wholesale, and food bank channels.
• A growing, well-run network of mini-hub/spoke partner agencies
• Smooth, fast internal food flow that minimizes spoilage and gets perishable food to Open Cupboard's own programs quickly.
• A capable, well-supported food sourcing, rescue, and operations team.
• Strong, well-stewarded donor relationships that retain and grow volume over time.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

This is a full-time, exempt position with an annual salary of $98,000-$108,000, based on experience, plus a comprehensive benefits package that includes:

• Medical and dental insurance
• 401(k) retirement plan, available after six months of employment, with a company match of up to 3% of salary.
• Paid time off and 8 paid holidays per year, plus two floating holidays.
• Long-term disability insurance, life insurance, and an Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
• Minnesota Paid Leave, providing pay and job protection for qualifying family or medical needs.

Open Cupboard is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

We believe our work is strongest when our team reflects the communities we serve, and we encourage people from all backgrounds - including those historically underrepresented in the nonprofit and food access sectors - to apply.