Senior Manager of Community Outreach & CalFresh Strategy

About Second Harvest of Silicon Valley

Founded in 1974, Second Harvest of Silicon Valley is one of the largest food banks in the nation and a trusted nonprofit leader in ending local hunger. The organization distributes nutritious groceries through a network of nearly 400 partners at drive-thru and walk-up sites across Santa Clara and San Mateo counties. Due to the prohibitively expensive cost of living in Silicon Valley, the economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the rise in inflation, Second Harvest is now serving an average of about 500,000 people every month. Second Harvest also connects people to federal nutrition programs and other food resources, and advocates for anti-hunger policies on the local, state and national levels. To learn more about how Second Harvest is responding to the incredible amount of need in Silicon Valley, visit shfb.org.

About the Position

The Senior Manager of Community Outreach & CalFresh Strategy leads Second Harvest’s efforts to expand access to CalFresh (SNAP) and increase participation in food assistance programs across Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties. This role is responsible for driving strategic outreach initiatives, cultivating high-impact community partnerships, and strengthening coordination with County agencies to reduce barriers to food access.

The Senior Manager provides vision and leadership across outreach planning, partner engagement, and CalFresh-related outreach efforts. A key responsibility of this role is to strengthen the outreach team’s overall effectiveness and impact. By aligning outreach strategies with policy changes, data insights, and community needs, this position plays a critical role in advancing the Food Bank’s mission to ensure equitable access to nutrition resources for all.

This job might be for you if:

• You are passionate about ending hunger.
• You have proven experience in community services support.
• You have strong client-facing and communication skills in customer service setting.

Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Planning

• Develop and implement comprehensive outreach strategies to increase awareness and participation in CalFresh and Food Bank programs.
• Use data insights, community feedback, and policy developments to guide decision-making and improve program effectiveness.
• Collaborate with internal teams to align outreach initiatives with organizational goals and messaging.

Outreach Partnership Development & Management

• Build and manage partnerships with community-based organizations, healthcare providers, educational institutions, and local coalitions to expand outreach capacity and reach underserved populations.
• Develop outreach plans and initiatives with partners to meet community-specific needs and ensure cultural and linguistic relevance.
• Provide tools, guidance, and technical assistance to partners delivering CalFresh application support.

Outreach Team Leadership & Capacity Building

• Lead, supervise, and support outreach staff, volunteers, and placements across multiple sites.
• Conduct coaching, performance feedback, and professional development to build a high-performing, community-focused outreach team.
• A key responsibility of this role is to strengthen the outreach team’s overall effectiveness and impact.

CalFresh Strategy & County Engagement

• Serve as the primary liaison with County Social Services agencies to improve coordination on CalFresh application processes and case resolution.
• Track policy updates and program changes; ensure timely communication and training for internal teams and partners.
• Advocate for system-level improvements in SNAP access and efficiency through collaboration with County leaders and peer organizations.

Training, Advocacy & Community Impact

• Design and deliver CalFresh training to internal staff and external partners to ensure consistent, high-quality support to applicants.
• Partner with the advocacy team to inform and support advocacy initiatives based on field experience.
• Represent the Food Bank in local and statewide coalitions focused on food access, CalFresh, and equity.

Program Operations, Data & Technology

• Oversee outreach data tracking and reporting in partnership with administrative staff; use metrics to evaluate and adjust outreach strategies.
• Coordinate with IT and external partners to support effective use of outreach technology (e.g., salesforce, tablets, application platforms).
• Support budget development and participate in grant reporting for outreach-related initiatives.

The ideal candidate will possess the following professional qualifications: 

• Five to eight years of applicable work experience or education preferably as a leader within an outreach or sales team, including two or more years of people-management experience.
• Demonstrated ability with project management and ability to organize, plan and lead a team to carry out activities to meet specific objectives.
• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills. 
• Ability to work and interact constructively with individuals from a variety of socioeconomic backgrounds (clients, Food Bank and Partner organization staff at all levels of the organizations, and volunteers) in a culturally diverse work environment. Sensitivity to, and empathy with, the needs of economically and educationally under-resourced individuals.
• Demonstrated ability to apply education, experience and data analysis to improve and or implement new processes/projects/programs and solve problems.  Experience with research, data analysis, and program evaluation.
• Bi-lingual in English and Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese or Russian (preferred but not required).
• Experience administering or working with public benefits programs (preferred but not required).

EOE

Second Harvest is committed to being an equal opportunity employer which values diversity.  Under-represented groups are encouraged to apply for all positions.   ­