Chief Program Officer at Share Our Strength – Washington, District of Columbia

Since its founding in 1984, Share Our Strength has been dedicated to ending childhood hunger in America and advancing an equitable future where all children and families can thrive. Through its national No Kid Hungry campaign, the organization works to expand access to nutrition benefits and advance economic mobility so families can achieve long-term stability. With strong national brand recognition, and the only national campaign solely focused on ending child hunger—Share Our Strength holds a unique leadership position in the field.

Please contact the Executive Search Team directly to apply:

• Gautam Raghavan, Partner (202) 641-1273 Gautam.Raghavan@truesearch.com
• Alice Gibbs, Partner (484) 904-8076 Alice.gibbs@truesearch.com
• Brittnee Rock, Senior Associate (917)-496-6210 brittnee.rock@truesearch.com
• Patty Whitlock, Engagement Coordinator (816) 726-1910 patty.whitlock@truesearch.com

Following a period of significant growth, the organization is now evolving into a more strategically aligned enterprise focused on scaling its influence, driving systems change, and deepening long-term impact by addressing the root causes of hunger and strengthening pathways to economic opportunity.

This work is guided by a set of core practices that shape how the organization operates and advances its mission. These include strong collaboration and accountability, clear decision-making structures, community-informed program design, mission-centered fundraising, and a deep commitment to embedding equity across all strategies and initiatives.

Strategic Goals

Share Our Strength’s strategy is organized around four interconnected priorities:

• Nutrition Programs: Increase federal and state resources and maximize participation in nutrition programs to ensure families facing food insecurity can access the support they need.
• Root Causes: Address structural barriers to reduce food insecurity and strengthen economic mobility by advancing policy solutions and innovative program models.
• Movement Building: Mobilize a diverse coalition of partners, advocates, and the public to build momentum and collective action around food security and economic opportunity.
• Collective Strength: Foster an inclusive, equitable, and high-performing workplace that prioritizes diverse leadership and a strong, mission-driven culture.

Core Values

At Share Our Strength, core values shape how teams work together and support the communities they serve. The Chief Program Officer will champion these values:

• Be Bold and Drive Innovation: We are creative, open to new ideas, and 100% dedicated to our mission. We take calculated risks to accelerate our impact.
• Center Equity: We place equity at the heart of our decision-making, ensuring our programs and internal processes address systemic barriers.
• Promote Diversity and Foster Inclusion: We believe our strength comes from our differences. We actively build a culture where everyone feels they belong and can contribute their best work.
• Share Strengths: We believe in the power of collaboration, mobilizing the unique talents of individuals and businesses to end childhood hunger.
• Inspire Fun: We tackle serious challenges with a spirit of joy and camaraderie, recognizing that a positive culture fuels our collective resilience.

Opportunity for Impact

Share Our Strength seeks a forward-thinking, experienced, and agile Chief Program Officer (CPO) to lead its largest division at a pivotal moment focused on strengthening programmatic alignment and optimizing for impact. As the organization confronts a shifting political landscape and growing threats to federal feeding and income supporting programs, the CPO will play a central role in leading through moments of change, while shaping and advancing a unified, forward-looking programmatic strategy.

Reporting directly to the CEO and as a member of the Core Leadership Team, the Chief Program Officer will serve as the critical bridge between strategy and execution—developing a bold programmatic vision for the organization and translating it into a focused, results-driven program agenda. The CPO will inspire and align teams, reinforce strategic priorities, and drive implementation and sustained execution across all programs.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Vision & Execution Partnership: A strategic thought partner to the CEO and Core Leadership Team in shaping an innovative vision for impact and driving execution and accountability across teams.
• Programmatic Strategy & Evaluation: Shape and lead the organization’s programmatic strategy, ensuring the core pillars (nutrition programs, root causes, movement building, and collective strength) operate as an integrated system to drive mission impact. Continuously assess outcomes and refine strategy to ensure the organization is maximizing results. Advance the organization’s data and evaluation capabilities by strengthening measurement frameworks, leveraging emerging data sources, and embedding a culture of evidence-driven strategy and learning.
• Team Leadership: Lead and unify a program division of 100+ team members toward high performance through clear expectations, shared outcomes, and consistent accountability. Establish operating rhythms that clarify how teams collaborate. Serve as a strong culture leader who can normalize change, create psychological safety, inspire innovative and expansive thinking, and foster a mindset of continuous learning and growth.
• External Representation: Act as a visible leader in national and regional coalitions, serving as a key spokesperson who advances the organization’s programmatic vision with partners, policymakers, and stakeholders to drive collective impact

QUALIFICATIONS:

• 15+ years of progressive senior leadership experience leading large strategic program functions within a national and/or high-growth organization, with demonstrated scale and impact.
• Proven people leader with experience guiding large, multi-disciplinary teams fostering clarity, engagement, and a high-performance culture.
• Demonstrated ability to set and translate enterprise-wide strategy into measurable outcomes (KPIs) while creating alignment and accountability across teams.
• Must have a practical grasp of driving implementation and sustained execution amidst ever-changing conditions; undeterred by ambiguity and resourceful in seeking out new/innovative ways to drive impact and measure outcomes.
• Knowledge of food insecurity and family economic mobility ecosystems, with the ability to deepen domain expertise and effectively connect, integrate, and align programmatic pillars.
• Familiarity with the domestic policy and advocacy landscape.
• Experience leveraging technology to improve the delivery of programs and/or benefits.
• Experience supporting national campaign strategy and serving as a visible spokesperson with funders and partners.

COMPREHENSIVE BENEFIT PLAN:

We offer a comprehensive benefits plan which currently includes, but is not limited to, health insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance, retirement, wellness benefits, and paid time off (vacation leave, sick leave, personal leave, holiday, parental leave, bereavement leave, military leave, and jury duty leave).

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY STATEMENT:

Share Our Strength is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, disability, medical condition, pregnancy or pregnancy-related condition, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender expression, military status, age, or any other classification protected by law.