About Giving Kitchen

Twelve years ago, one fight for one life became a movement.

When chef Ryan Hidinger was diagnosed with stage-four cancer in 2012, Atlanta’s restaurant community did what this industry does best. They showed up. The fundraisers, the meals, the fierce and tender generosity of people who feed everyone else first, all of it poured toward one of their own. That outpouring sparked a belief that still drives us today: people need people, and no one in food service should face crisis alone.

Today, Giving Kitchen stands with food service workers when crisis hits. The servers, line cooks, bartenders, dishwashers, and hosts who make our celebrations possible are there for the holiday gatherings, the late-night comfort meals, and the coffee that starts the day. When illness, injury, or disaster knocks a life sideways, we are there for them, with emergency financial assistance and a Stability Network of resources that helps them find their footing again.

We have served more than 40,000 food service workers and awarded over $17 million in assistance, and we are only getting started. Our work has earned the James Beard Foundation’s Humanitarian of the Year Award, a place on Fast Company’s Brands That Matter, and a perfect 100 of 100 from Charity Navigator. We are building a national movement, and there is room at our table for everyone who wants to be part of it.

Come be part of something bigger than all of us.

Who We Are

Four values shape everything we do, and every one of them ends the same way: with gratitude. Because we are grateful to do this work.

We are Welcoming. We invite everyone to our table with kindness and hospitality. We center mutual trust, the pursuit of dignity, and the courage to ask for help— with gratitude.

We are Audacious. We are hungry to support our industry and boldly pursue impact with curiosity, creativity, and with gratitude.

We are Reliable. You can trust us to do the right thing. We say what we do and do what we say with gratitude.

We are Warm. We are present as we serve with humility and optimism, steeped in joy. We embrace the revelry and resilience rooted in our origin with gratitude.

If you read those four values and felt something, keep reading.

Job Title: Chief Operating Officer

Reports To:  Chief Executive Officer

FTE:  Full Time, Exempt

Location:  Atlanta headquarters (onsite four days per week)

Why This Job Matters

As our movement grows, we are looking for a leader who can build the financial discipline, sustainable systems, and operational excellence that carry a mission this big, without ever losing the heart that makes it work.

As Chief Operating Officer, you will be a strategic partner to our CEO and a core member of our Executive Leadership Team. You will own the finance, technology, programs, and operations that let us serve food service workers with speed, compassion, and impact. You will lead our Finance, HR, IT, and Client Services teams. You will build the systems and governance that let us scale–without losing our culture and the soul of who we are. And you will grow leaders across the organization who understand that operations is never efficiency for its own sake. It is how we keep our promise to the people who count on us.

This is a seat for someone energized by complexity, who sees strategy as a means to mission delivery, and who knows that great operations are built on trust and transparency. You will work alongside a passionate, values-driven team. You will have the resources and the autonomy to think big about how we grow. And you will know, every single day, that your work reaches thousands of food service workers facing the hardest moments of their lives.

This is not just a job. For the right person, it is the opportunity of a lifetime: doing deeply impactful work in a joyful environment.

What You’ll Do

Drive Strategy & Execution

• Partner with the CEO and leadership team to develop strategic imperatives and execute Giving Kitchen’s growth strategy
• Develop long-term resource allocation plans that align investments with strategic priorities and organizational growth
• Translate strategic vision into clear goals, objectives, and metrics that drive measurable impact
• Lead organizational change and growth across our expanding national footprint

Strengthen Our Operating Model & Effectiveness

• Design scalable systems and processes that balance efficiency with growth
• Oversee IT, finance, and operations to ensure strong performance and accountability
• Establish structured project governance and tracking frameworks that enable cross-functional collaboration and move complex initiatives forward with clarity and accountability
• Champion innovative operating models that invest wisely across people, operations, and technology

Lead Financial Stewardship & Compliance

• Lead annual budgeting, forecasting, and long-term financial planning in partnership with the Controller, aligning resources with strategic priorities and organizational growth
• Ensure timely, accurate financial reporting and dashboards to leadership and the Board, translating results into clear insights
• Direct the annual audit and IRS Form 990 process, ensuring GAAP compliance and proper classification of restricted and unrestricted net assets
• Establish and maintain strong internal controls, financial policies, and systems, and oversee cash flow, reserves, and banking relationships as the organization scales
• Ensure grant and contract financial compliance, and partner with the CEO and Board on enterprise risk management, insurance, and regulatory and tax compliance across all states

Champion People Operations & Culture

• Oversee payroll, benefits, compensation, and performance management systems rooted in our values, creating a workplace where our team can thrive
• Build HR infrastructure and policies that scale with growth while maintaining compliance across every state where we operate
• Support staff wellness, professional development, and career pathways that help our team thrive in a mission-driven culture

Support Board Governance & Stakeholder Engagement

• Serve as the primary staff partner to the Board’s Finance Committee, supporting the Treasurer and Board in their fiduciary oversight
• Ensure effective board meetings and governance by providing clear, decision-ready materials and financial insights
• Help orient new board members and provide context on our operations, finances, and systems as we scale
• Support strong governance practices and ensure board action items are completed on schedule

Drive Growth & National Expansion

• Strengthen the economic vitality of the organization by working with others to grow demand and our capacity to deliver quality programs and services
• Oversee the continued development of a national footprint of services and programs that complement existing programming
• Identify innovations and efficiencies that support sustainable growth and impact across our expanding regions

Lead & Develop Your Team

• Lead and develop the Finance, HR, Business Operations, Client Services, and Technology leaders who drive excellence and accountability across the organization
• Build management capability and strong people leadership across your direct reports and their teams, balancing rigorous standards with genuine investment in staff growth
• Model a positive, aligned, inclusive, and accountable culture that supports staff development and career pathways

Your Background

• 10+ years of leadership experience driving finance and operations in growing organizations, with a track record of scaling impact
• Proven success navigating growth and transformation, building systems that enable mission, refining business models, and thriving in complexity
• Demonstrated nonprofit financial management experience, including budgeting, audit oversight, Form 990, and restricted and unrestricted fund tracking
• Experience with financial management systems (QuickBooks, NetSuite, or similar) and Salesforce
• Success implementing or scaling project management practices and governance structures that improve cross-functional coordination in complex organizations

Your Skills & Strengths

• A strategic financial leader with deep business acumen, who uses budgeting, forecasting, and analysis to turn mission into sustainable strategy, always with clarity and transparency
• A systems builder who designs and scales infrastructure that enables impact, creating order and clarity so teams can focus on the mission
• An executive communicator and change leader, able to influence, build consensus, navigate transitions, and resolve complex issues with diverse internal and external stakeholders
• An experienced people leader and developer, skilled at attracting, building, and retaining high-performing teams and coaching individuals through growth

Who You Are

• You have spent a career becoming very good at something hard, and you are ready to point all of it at work that matters. The mission moves you, and meeting crisis with compassion and care is exactly the kind of purpose you have been looking for.
• You are a steady hand in complexity. You bring calm, clear thinking to hard problems, and you never forget that operational excellence exists to serve the mission, not the other way around.
• You lead with warmth and honesty. You say what you will do and you do it, and people trust you because you have earned it.
• You are genuinely curious about people. You listen well, you invest in lifting others, and you keep learning, because you know the work is never finished teaching you.

What We Offer

We invest in our people the way we invest in our mission. Fully, and on purpose.

This role offers a competitive salary range of $150,000 to $170,000, commensurate with experience, plus comprehensive health insurance, a 401(k) with employer match, very generous paid time off and holidays, parental leave, hybrid flexibility, and real budget for professional development and coaching.

And then there is everything a benefits list can never capture. The staff playlists. The thoughtful, handwritten notes. The very cool industry that we serve and the way we celebrate each other. The genuine, unmistakable gladness that you are here and encourage you to show up as your whole self. That is the Giving Kitchen you would be joining, and the one you would help protect as we grow.

You would spend your days building the systems that let a movement reach further, at a fast-growing, nationally recognized nonprofit where your work reaches thousands of food service workers in crisis every single day.

Now is the time, and we are the ones. We would be grateful to build the next chapter with you.

At Giving Kitchen, we believe that a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace makes us a more relevant, more competitive, and more resilient organization, and strengthens our decision-making. We encourage people from all backgrounds, ages, abilities, and experiences to apply. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ancestry, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital or family status, disability, gender, gender identity or expression, pregnancy or caregiver status, veteran status, or any other legally protected status.

Questions? Contact our HR team at hr@givingkitchen.org   “We help food service workers”