Assc Dir, Network Relations

ABOUT CITY HARVEST:

City Harvest is New York’s first and largest food rescue organization and a fast-paced, high-performing nonprofit dedicated to helping feed millions of New Yorkers who struggle to put meals on their tables. During our more than 40 years serving New Yorkers in need, we have rescued more than one billion pounds of fresh, nutritious food and delivered it free of charge to hundreds of food pantries, soup kitchens, community partners, and our own Mobile Markets across the five boroughs. This year, we will rescue and distribute more than 77 million pounds of nutritious food to our neighbors in need. City Harvest works alongside our community partners to boost community capacity, expand nutrition education, and strengthen local food systems. Since our founding in 1982, City Harvest has always been there to feed our city one day, one meal, and one New Yorker at a time while fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, accountability, and excellence to maximize our impact across New York City.

Job Overview

The Associate Director, Network Relations provides strategic, operational, and people leadership for City Harvest’s Network Relations function. This role oversees a team of four Network Relations Managers responsible for managing agency relationships across the emergency food network. The Associate Director is accountable for the consistency, effectiveness, and scalability of how City Harvest partners with agencies to distribute food in ways that are equitable, efficient, compliant, and responsive to community need.

This position possesses advanced professional expertise in network engagement, operational coordination, and stakeholder management. The Associate Director leads programs, initiatives, and operational plans of significant scope and complexity and regularly makes decisions under conditions of uncertainty. While managers focus on agency-level execution, this role focuses on department-wide performance, strategy, systems, and continuous improvement.

Roles and Responsibilities

1. Departmental Leadership & Strategic Impact

• Establish annual and mid-year priorities, goals, and operational plans for the Network Relations department in alignment with organizational strategy.
• Lead the development of network engagement policies and service standards governing agency relationships.
• Translate organizational objectives into clear departmental direction, performance expectations, and measurable outcomes.

2. People Leadership & Team Oversight

• Directly manage and coach four Network Relations Managers, holding them accountable for portfolio performance, agency service quality, and compliance outcomes.
• Ensure consistent application of standards, processes, and decision-making frameworks across managers and portfolios.
• Build manager capability through coaching, feedback, and performance management; support talent development and succession planning.
• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous learning across the Network Relations team.
• Manage a portfolio of agency partners, understanding the needs of the agencies and strategically working with other colleagues and departments to ensure agencies are in compliance and receiving the food they want in the manner that is fitting for their operations

3. Operational Governance & Process Ownership

• Oversee and continuously improve department-wide processes related to agency onboarding, service delivery, issue escalation, compliance monitoring, and feedback loops.
• Ensure all agency partners are in compliance with organizational requirements and standards.
• Recommend and implement changes to procedures and operating models that affect how agencies are served and supported.
• Assess and forecast departmental workloads, coverage models, and staffing needs to ensure sustained service quality and operational resilience.
• Ensure consistency and quality in how agency data, trends, and insights are captured and shared across the organization.
• Support the execution of distribution planning activities, including allocation coordination, inventory flow monitoring, and cross-departmental communication.

4. Cross-Functional Leadership & External Influence

• Serve as a senior liaison between Network Relations, Distribution Planning, Supply Chain, Programs, and Data teams.
• Represent Network Relations in cross-functional forums, planning discussions, and organizational initiatives.
• May overs…