Manager, Operational Projects and Services

Job Posting : Manager, Operational Projects and Services Department: Operations Reports to: Director, Operations Job Level: Level 4 Hiring Range: $80,931 – $101,164 Posting Date : September 29, 2026 Application Deadline : October 20, 2026 Background The Manager, Operational Projects and Services is a key operational leader responsible for strengthening service delivery, operational effectiveness and organizational capacity across the Operations portfolio. The role acts as a central point of integration between Operations, Programs & Planning, Volunteer Engagement, partner agencies and internal teams, ensuring that operational priorities, agency needs, service issues, volunteer resources, and improvement initiatives are coordinated and executed effectively. This position leads agency-facing operational support, cross-functional issue resolution, volunteer-operations coordination and approved operational projects and process improvements. The Manager is accountable for timely resolution of operational challenges, clear ownership and communication pathways, improved workflows, and consistent service for partner agencies and internal teams. This is a hands-on leadership role for a proactive, solutions-focused professional who can bring diverse teams together, navigate a complex operational environment, exercise sound judgment, and drive meaningful improvements that support organizational goals and community impact.

About US

The Ottawa Food Bank is the leading emergency food provider in the National Capital Region, supporting a network of nearly 100 community food programs. Each year, we respond to more than 556,000 visits, of which 37% are children, reflecting the ongoing and urgent need across our community. Through the generosity of our donors, partners, and volunteers, we distribute approximately 8.3 million pounds of food annually, ensuring equitable access to nutritious food for individuals and families facing food insecurity throughout Ottawa.

Major Responsibilities

Operational Projects & Continuous Improvement

• Lead approved operational improvement initiatives that strengthen service delivery, increase organizational capacity, simplify workflows, and improve operational effectiveness.
• Own delivery of assigned initiatives such as Clean Zone, bulk-buying initiatives, order-support improvements, agency-onboarding workflows, process redesign, and system-enhancement projects.
• Develop project plans, timelines, measures, risk and action tracking, and implementation controls appropriate to project complexity.
• Identify operational gaps, recurring issues, root causes, administrative burden, and service barriers, and lead practical, scalable solutions with operational leads.
• Lead approved procurement, distribution, communication, change-management, and implementation activities within the assigned project mandate.
• Monitor project outcomes, adoption, barriers, risks, and benefits, and take or recommend corrective action when delivery is off track. Order Support & Agency Coordination
• Lead and continuously improve order-support workflows and agency-facing operational service.
• Oversee order-support processes, including weather-related communications, reminder and missing-order follow-up, late submissions, delivery coordination, and order-related Primarius updates.
• Resolve routine order issues and guide agencies through system navigation, ordering requirements, product-availability questions, SOP-related questions, and delivery exceptions.
• Lead the operational component of new-agency onboarding, including ordering and delivery expectations and effective handoffs with Programs & Planning and Operations.
• Direct clear, timely, and consistent operational communications to agencies regarding new products, seasonal items, service disruptions, ordering changes, and delivery impacts.
• Monitor order-support effectiveness, response times, recurring exceptions, and service gaps, and implement or recommend improvements. Cross-Functional Issue Resolution & Service Continuity
• Lead day-to-day triage and resolution of operational issues affecting multiple teams, agencies, or service-delivery processes.
• Assess, prioritize, and track issues through clear ownership, response pathways, decisions, and next steps.
• Coordinate the appropriate response across Operations, Programs & Planning, Volunteer Engagement, agencies, IT, Finance, Facilities, vendors, and other teams as required.
• Maintain issue tracking and follow-up controls that provide visibility and accountability through closure.
• Monitor response and resolution times, identify stalled items, and influence timely action by the appropriate owners.
• Analyze recurring operational issues, identify root causes, and recommend practical improvements that reduce recurrence and administrative burden. Warehouse, Inventory & Operational Risk
• Maintain a visible warehouse presence focused on operational integration, risk triage, communication, and time-sensitive follow-through.
• Coordinate real-time warehouse issues involving orders, agencies, volunteers, products, service delivery, or projects.
• Direct time-sensitive coordination for large, urgent, or exceptional product movements in consultation with Operations and Inventory Control.
• Evaluate operational risks, communication gaps, safety concerns, and service impacts, and initiate action or escalation within defined authority.
• Monitor and follow up on assigned FEFO, short-dated product, fridge/freezer, quality-control, and audit-related actions in partnership with the Inventory Control Manager and relevant operational leads.
• Ensure assigned quality-control, SOP, and audit follow-up actions are communicated, tracked, and completed by the appropriate owners.
• Promptly document and escalate inventory discrepancies, product-condition concerns, food-safety issues, or system risks. Volunteer-Operations Coordination
• Lead the operational relationship between Operations and Volunteer Engagement to ensure volunteer capacity is safely and effectively integrated into approved operational work.
• Provide day-to-day operational direction and coordination to volunteers supporting warehouse activities, including assigning and prioritizing work, communicating expectations, monitoring activities, and addressing operational issues.
• Ensure volunteer roles align with operational priorities, safety requirements, SOPs, training expectations, and service needs.
• Oversee the operational integration of volunteers into sorting, Clean Zone, special projects, and other approved activities.
• Evaluate volunteer-workflow effectiveness and escalate safety, conduct, capacity, or workflow concerns to the appropriate leaders.
• Gather and use feedback from staff and volunteers to improve volunteer deployment, role clarity, and operational support. What Success Looks Like
• Order-support workflows are consistent, responsive, and continuously improving.
• Operational issues have clear ownership, appropriate response pathways, consistent communication, and timely closure.
• Partner agencies experience fewer avoidable delays, communication gaps, recurring exceptions, and unresolved follow-up.
• Cross-functional teams have stronger coordination and clearer handoffs across Operations, Programs & Planning, Volunteer Engagement, and enabling functions.
• Recurring operational issues and administrative burden are reduced through root-cause analysis and practical process improvement.
• Volunteer capacity is integrated into operational needs safely, clearly, and effectively.
• Assigned operational projects are delivered to agreed scope, timelines, outcomes, and organizational objectives. What You Bring
• Post-secondary education in Operations, Business Administration, Management, Supply Chain, Logistics, Project Management, or a related field; an equivalent combination of education, training, and directly relevant experience