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Chief Strategy Officer (CSPAV)
SF-Marin Food Bank
San Francisco
Salary Range: $210,000. – $220,000.
SF-Marin Food Bank Executive Chief Strategic Partnerships, Advocacy, and Voice Officer

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CHIEF STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS, ADVOCACY, AND VOICE OFFICER (CSPAV)

Organization: San Francisco-Marin Food Bank

Reports To: Executive Director 

Location: San Francisco, CA (Hybrid)

WHY JOIN US?

The San Francisco-Marin Food Bank is at a pivotal moment. With 1 in 3 households in San Francisco and 1 in 4 in Marin not earning enough to meet their basic needs, we are moving beyond the traditional model of food distribution to become an engine for systemic change. As a visionary collaborative leader and the Chief of Strategic Partnerships, Advocacy, and Voice, you will not just manage a department; you will facilitate the co-creation of our next chapter, fostering deep synergies between our teams and community partners to work collectively toward a better world. We offer you the platform to challenge the status quo, build a bold agenda, and directly impact the lives of neighbors in our community. If you are a visionary who believes that hunger is a policy choice—and that we have the power to change that choice—we want to build that future with you.

Executive Partnership & Governance

You will partner closely with our Executive Director—a visionary leader and dedicated advocate for systemic change—to co-design the future of the Food Bank’s mission. The organization is governed by a mission-driven and committed Board of Directors. You will have a seat at the table where the most critical strategic decisions are made, with the mandate to shape the Food Bank’s advocacy agenda from the ground up.

Our leadership team is committed to the long-term sustainability of the SPAV department; you will have the full backing of the Executive Director, Senior Leadership Team and Board to navigate the current funding landscape, with clear expectations for collaborative resource development and a mandate to build a sustainable, future-proof department. 

POSITION SUMMARY

We are seeking a transformational leader to serve as the Chief Strategic Partnerships, Advocacy, and Voice Officer (CSPAV). As a key member of the Senior Leadership Team, you will design and execute a long-term policy roadmap to eradicate hunger in San Francisco and Marin counties, translating our ‘Seeding Change’ agenda into measurable community outcomes. You will bridge grassroots Peer Navigator and CalFresh Ambassador programs with high-level policy change, ensuring strategic growth is balanced with diligent financial stewardship and centering participant feedback in all advocacy goals.

The CSPAV reports to the Executive Director and oversees 3 direct reports (Director of Community Building, Associate Director of Public Policy & Advocacy, and Senior Associate Director of Programs Outreach) and 6 indirect reports.

 

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategic Program Alignment & Impact

As the strategic integrator for the Department, the CSPAV ensures that advocacy, public policy, and community voice are embedded into our program design and service delivery. While the Department operationalizes our services, the CSPAV is accountable for ensuring these programs serve as powerful engines for systemic change and community power-building. You will partner with the Chief Programs Officer and other senior leaders to align our program performance metrics with our overarching advocacy goals.

  • Peer Navigators: Design the long-term growth plan for the Peer Navigator program to ensure it targets the areas with the highest food insecurity.
  • CalFresh Outreach: This branch is responsible for providing application assistance to ~4000 households annually, including growing a network of partners equipped to provide application assistance. The Chief SPAV oversees the CalFresh Outreach Program through a combination of high-level government lobbying, regional health agency collaboration, data-driven scaling, and integration with the Peer Navigator program.
  • Program Strategy and Innovation: Act as a strategic partner to mission impact Departments in the Food Bank to center community voice in the continued transformation of the Food Bank, including the development of program and service pilots for innovation, responding to partner needs, and delivering community impact.

Strategic Advocacy & Policy Architecture

  • Commitment to Equity: Center all policy and advocacy work on an unwavering commitment to anti-poverty and anti-racism equity, ensuring initiatives directly address the root causes of systemic disparities.
  • Legislative Strategy: Lead the long-term policy roadmap, connecting state and federal advocacy toward bill efforts with local defensive funding campaigns.
  • Local Government Liaison: Serve as the primary advocate and strategist for San Francisco and Marin local government issues—a critical growth area for the organization.
  • Community-Led Policy: Ensure policy strategy is informed by the lived experience of our participants.

Cultural Leadership & Team Transformation

  • Equity & Diversity: As part of the efforts of the Senior Leadership Team, champion the organization’s commitment to JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion); actively foster a diverse, inclusive, and high-performing team; challenge existing norms, mentor staff, and build a culture where diverse perspectives are prioritized in decision-making.
  • Cohesion: Partner closely with the Executive Director and Senior Leadership Team to align department goals with the broader organizational strategy, ensuring the “pace of play” moves toward impact while maintaining organizational health.
  • Cross-Departmental Integration: Actively partner with Programs and Supply Chain teams to ensure advocacy strategies are grounded in the operational realities of food distribution.
  • Empowerment & Mentorship: You are expected to be a hands-on mentor who fosters professional growth and provides the active support our staff needs to thrive, ensuring they feel empowered to lead within their areas of expertise.
  • Values-Driven Leadership:  We are a deeply values-driven organization that respects our long-standing institutional history while simultaneously embracing a bias toward action. You will be expected to navigate internal and external stakeholders with high emotional intelligence, balancing the need for consensus-building with the imperative to drive aggressive, systemic change.

Strategic Partnerships & Coalitions

  • Alliance Building: Mobilize and sustain diverse alliances across regional food banks, public health agencies, and community groups.
  • Co-Leadership: Move beyond transactional partnerships to true co-leadership and joint problem-solving with community stakeholders.
  • Communication: Act as a bridge between the Food Bank’s mission and external partners, using exceptional political acumen to build bridges across diverse philosophies and cultures.
  • Narrative & Systems Leadership: Serve as the key driver of the organization’s public voice—the Chief of Philanthropy and Community Engagement is accountable for brand/message, in partnership with the organization’s MarCom function. Define and drive the strategy to shift public discourse from a “charity-based” model to a “rights-based” systemic solutions model, ensuring all messaging centers on the dignity, voice, and power of the communities we serve while establishing the Food Bank as the leading authority on poverty solutions in the Bay Area.

QUALIFICATIONS

  • Experience: 8+ years of executive or senior leadership experience in public policy, community organizing, public health, or nonprofit administration.
  • System Knowledge: Deep expertise with California public benefits systems, specifically CalFresh/SNAP outreach guidelines and local county human service networks.
  • Political Acumen: Native-level understanding of the San Francisco/Bay Area political landscape and legislative networks.
  • Change Management: Proven track record of successfully leading teams through periods of strategic transition.
  • Leadership & Soft Skills: Exceptional diplomacy, systems thinking, and emotional intelligence to drive ambitious change while maintaining organizational health.
  • Policy Advocacy: Proven experience in state, federal, and local policy advocacy, with a strong emphasis on established connections to San Francisco and Marin city officials.
  • Patient Agility: Ability to drive systemic change while effectively navigating a process-oriented, values-driven organizational culture.
  • Communication: Exceptional writing and public speaking skills; able to translate complex data into compelling public messaging that centers on community dignity.

 

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE

A Snapshot of the Ideal Leader:

You are a Diplomatic Change-Agent who is equally comfortable in City Hall, community meetings, and boardrooms. You don’t just “talk policy”; you build the coalitions and partnerships needed to turn ideas into action. You recognize that how work gets done matters as much as the outcome, and you balance strategic thinking, data-driven decision-making, and authentic relationship-building to move complex initiatives forward. You lead with an “accelerate, don’t replace” mindset, honoring the “Seeding Change” roadmap already in progress while bringing your unique strategic lens to amplify our collective impact.

We are seeking a policy leader and culture builder who thrives in complexity, dares to challenge systems, and possesses the patience and emotional intelligence to create lasting change. You are energized by the mission of breaking cycles of poverty and racism and are committed to fostering a diverse, inclusive, and collaborative workplace.

As a servant leader, you empower others to lead from their areas of expertise while providing strategic direction, political acumen, and organizational support. You build trust across sectors and constituencies, helping teams navigate complexity while advancing a shared vision for impact.

KEY SUCCESS METRICS 

  • Strategic Alignment: Define and launch the next phase of the “Seeding Change” advocacy roadmap, with clear KPIs established for policy wins and community-led initiatives.
  • Organizational Integration: Successfully transitioned the SPAV division to a cross-functional partner, evidenced by high-impact collaborations with Programs and Supply Chain on at least two major organizational initiatives.
  • External Thought Leadership: Establish the Food Bank as the “go-to” voice on systemic hunger solutions in SF and Marin, demonstrated by a measurable increase in legislative engagement and earned media presence.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

The salary range is $210,000 – $220,000 and is based on experience. 

Benefits:

  • Health & Wellness: Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance. Coverage is typically via Kaiser or Sutter, covering approximately 95% of premiums.
  • Disability & Life: Life and Long-term disability insurance are included.
  • Retirement: Sponsored retirement savings plans with employer contributions.
  • Time Off: Generous allocation of paid holidays, sick leave, and vacation time; we prioritize the well-being of our leadership team and are happy to discuss our comprehensive time-off philosophy during the interview process.