Director of Partnerships - #1410541

Description

Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin is the leading local hunger-relief organization in the state with locations in Milwaukee and Appleton. Founded in 1982 by the Rotary Club of Milwaukee, Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin is a local and independent member of the Feeding America network. Driven by our mission to solve hunger, we are bringing more people together around the table to collaboratively address the root causes of hunger. Together with our network partners, we serve nearly half a million food-insecure people across 35 counties in eastern Wisconsin each year.

Job Purpose

The Director of Partnerships leads the development and continuous improvement of Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin’s partner engagement and compliance efforts, with a focus on innovation, equity, and compliance. This position guides and leads the Partnerships Team in building strong, collaborative relationships with pantry and retail partners and in creating scalable, forward-thinking systems that enhance partner capacity and community impact. Working cross-functionally, the Director also supports distribution functions by offering strategic input that ensures partner needs are met through efficient, responsive service. As a key member of the Leadership Team, this role helps shape organizational strategy and champions creative solutions that improve outcomes for Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin’s network and the communities we serve.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES And RESPONSIBILITIES

Partnerships

• Lead the Partnerships team to deliver responsive and proactive support to all pantry and retail partners across our service area.
• Ensure partner-facing teams deliver high-quality, consistent and equitable customer service.
• Oversee partner onboarding, training and ongoing support to align with Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin and Feeding America the National Organization (FANO) standards, USDA requirements, and organizational policies.
• Implement tools, systems and feedback loops to improve the partner experience at scale.
• Serve as the organizational point of contact for escalated partner concerns and strategic partner engagement.
• Provide leadership and oversight of the Direct Connect program, ensuring program success, expansion, and continuous improvement.
• Hold and cultivate a portfolio of the largest retail donors, including routine site visits, donor stewardship, and strategic relationship management.
• Manage a small portfolio of high-impact partners, including RDOs and large pantry sites.
• Travel within our footprint for site visits, stewardship activities, and compliance monitoring approximately 25% of the time.
• Increase network partnership engagement with Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin by creating opportunities to assist partners with capacity-building and development activities.
  
  

Compliance Oversight

• Maintain up-to-date agreements and trainings for network partners, retail partners, and programs in compliance with FANO’s requirements.
• Lead the interpretation and implementation of compliance guidelines; delivers oversight and training to promote adherence across internal teams and partner organizations.
• Ensure timely and accurate network partner and retail partner monitoring visits and documentation.
• Work cross-functionally with Finance, Food Systems, and Operations to uphold regulatory and funding requirements.
• Utilize Primarius2 and related technical platforms to analyze data, maintain records, and support compliance and reporting functions.
• Establish and track key performance metrics related to compliance completion and program effectiveness.
• Analyze data and incorporate cross-functional input to inform strategic decisions, drive continuous improvement, and support program innovation.
  
  

Distribution

• Collaborate with the Operations Team to enhance the effectiveness of food distribution systems in alignment with partner needs.
• Provide strategic input to improve routing strategies, scheduling, and service equity through partner feedback.
• Act as a connector between Partnerships and Operations Teams, ensuring cross-functional alignment and shared problem-solving.
  
  

Leadership

• Act as a key member of the leadership team, contributing to strategic planning and operational improvement efforts across the organization.
• Manage department budgets and staffing plans to ensure cost-effective service delivery and team sustainability.
• Support professional development and performance management for team members across multiple sites.
• Represent Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin to external audiences at forums, coalition meetings, conferences, and similar events and educate stakeholders, other organizations, and the public about Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin’s network, the problem of hunger, issues impacting hunger, and solutions.
• Other duties as assigned.
  
  

An individual in this position must be able to successfully perform the essential duties and responsibilities listed above. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this position.

Minimum Qualifications

• Commitment to understand and support Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin’s mission, vision, and effective actions to end food insecurity and its causes
• Respect for the people Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin serves and committment to learn the causes of their food insecurity and need
• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university and/or a minimum of five years of experience managing and engaging staff to achieve goals and drive success (preferred).
• Experience and interest in internal and external communications
• Strong organizational skills reflecting ability to perform and prioritize multiple tasks with attention to detail
• Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to build relationships with stakeholders, including staff, board members, external partners, and donors
• Strong knowledge of food distribution and transportation logistics experience.
• Expert-level written and verbal communication skills
• Demonstrated proactive approaches to problem-solving with strong decision-making capability
• Ability to cultivate relationships and effectively collaborate with diverse groups of partners
• Highly resourceful team player and ability to work independently
• Able to handle confidential information with discretion
• Demonstrated ability to achieve high-performance goals and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment
• Forward-looking thinker, who actively seeks opportunities and proposes solutions
• Ability to exercise good judgment and professionalism in a variety of situations
• A positive, team-oriented mindset with a "can-do" approach to supporting the organization, demonstrating cross-functional collaboration and a focus on developing solutions.
• Must have a valid driver’s license, automobile insurance that meets Feeding America’s liability requirements, and transportation to travel to work sites
• Ability to work evenings and weekends as needed
  
  

Physical And Mental Demands

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to sit, talk and/or hear, and/or use hands to finger, handle, or touch objects, tools, or controls. The employee is occasionally required to stand, and/or walk. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 10 pounds while moving files or small to large packages. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and the ability to adjust focus. The mental and physical requirements described here are representative of those that must be met by an individual to successfully perform the essential functions of this position.

Protective Clothing Required: None

Working Environment

Work is performed in an office environment and off-site locations. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate. The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an individual encounters while performing the essential functions of this position.

Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. FAEW prohibits discrimination against any applicant or employee on the basis of age, race, color, creed, religion, disability, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, arrest or conviction record, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.