About the Job
Chief Operating Officer (COO) — Contract Position
Location: Hybrid (Hudson County / Newark, NJ)
Reports to: CEO & Founder, Dr. Leeja Carter
Status: Part-time, Contract (approx. 25 hours/week)
Schedule: Weekday, includes nights and weekends as needed
Compensation: $45,000 – $55,000 annually (contract rate), with opportunity to transition to full-time salaried position
Application Deadline: November 14th, 2025 - 11:59PM ET
The Chief Operating Officer (COO) is CFHE’s second-in-command and operational heartbeat; a strategic partner to the CEO who keeps the mission moving with precision, accountability, and community wisdom. This role combines strategic leadership, fundraising expertise, and hands-on management of food systems. The COO will oversee finance, development, program operations, and logistics to ensure our fridges are stocked, our programs are funded, and our impact continues to expand.
Chief Operating Officer (Contract Position)
Your Instructor
Roles and Responsibilities
Key Responsibilities
Organizational Leadership & Strategy
Partner with the CEO to translate CFHE’s strategic vision into actionable plans, timelines, and systems.
Oversee daily operations, staff workflows, and organizational growth initiatives.
Support board engagement and governance, including planning and reporting.
Food Systems & Program Operations
Lead and optimize CFHE's logistics infrastructure to ensure the smooth movement of food, products, and supplies from partner producers to community sites.
Establish operational linkages between partners, suppliers, and programs to optimize efficiency, minimize waste, and enhance impact.
Support the expansion of the Ujamaa Café, Fresh by Ujamaa Café, and Pals & Produce models through streamlined delivery, inventory, and data tracking.
Collaborate with site partners, vendors, and staff to ensure compliance, safety, and alignment with CFHE’s food equity mission.
Youth Programming: Sankofa & STEM for Good
Oversee operational and logistical coordination for CFHE’s Sankofa and STEM for Good youth programs.
Collaborate with the CEO and program leads to design systems that align youth programming with CFHE’s broader food and equity goals.
Ensure program materials, schedules, and partnerships are in place for smooth implementation of youth workshops, mentoring sessions, and special events.
Manage relationships with school districts, partner sites, and mentors to strengthen youth engagement and retention.
Support reporting and storytelling to demonstrate impact to funders and community stakeholders.
Finance & Administration
Manage financial operations, including budgeting, forecasting, and grant reporting, in partnership with the CEO and fiscal consultant.
Develop internal controls, reporting tools, and accountability systems that support sustainable growth and drive operational efficiency.
Oversee HR administration, onboarding, and staff development.
Team Leadership & Culture
Supervise program and operations staff, nurturing a culture of excellence, empathy, and equity.
Build internal capacity for leadership, delegation, and sustainable workload balance.
Model CFHE’s values of love, rest, accountability, and community care.
Who You Are
You’re the kind of leader who can read a balance sheet at 9 a.m. and coordinate a produce distribution at 3 p.m. You understand that food justice requires both strategy and sweat equity — and you’re fluent in both.
Experienced Operator: 7–10 years of leadership experience in nonprofit, social enterprise, or mission-driven settings.
Food Systems Expert: Deep understanding of food access, hunger relief, or supply chain logistics — ideally with hands-on experience moving food or coordinating multi-site distribution.
Development-Minded: Demonstrated success in fundraising, grant management, and partnership cultivation.
Equity-Centered Leader: Grounded in racial, health, and economic justice with lived or community-based experience.
Builder + Integrator: Skilled in bringing order to creative vision, designing efficient systems, and connecting teams.
Financially Fluent: Strong fiscal management skills for organizations with budgets between $500K–$2M.
Tech-Forward: Proficient in project management, CRM, payroll, and donor tracking systems (Bloomerang, Windfall, Instrumentl, Gusto, or similar).
What You Bring
A passion for food justice, community healing, and systems change.
The ability to operate with both empathy and urgency.
Outstanding communication and problem-solving skills.
A deep sense of humor, humility, and hope.
Skills and Qualifications
Schedule & Compensation
Status: Part-time, Contract (approx. 25 hours/week)
Schedule: Weekday, includes nights and weekends as needed
Equal Opportunity Employer
The Coalition for Food and Health Equity is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunities regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements.
How To Apply
- Please send your résumé and a cover letter explaining what draws you to CFHE and how your leadership experience aligns with the position and our mission to the search committee at reimagine@coalitionequity.org Subject line: “COO Application”.