Manager, Food Waste Warrior Program

Company Description

Founded in 1961, WWF works to help people and nature thrive. As a global conservation organization, WWF operates in more than 100 countries, partnering with communities, companies, and governments to protect wildlife, conserve vital habitats, and advance sustainable solutions. Grounded in science and driven by collaboration, WWF works to help nature by conserving biodiversity, supporting resilient communities, and addressing climate change. Nearly 1 million people in the United States and more than 5 million globally are WWF members.

Job Description

Major Function

World Wildlife Fund (WWF), one of the world’s leading conservation organizations, seeks a manager to lead the Food Waste Warrior (FWW) unit, which advances the reduction of food loss and waste in K-12 schools nationwide through classroom toolkits, food waste audits, research, and community partnerships. The Manager serves as a strategic program and people leader, driving results through collaboration, mentorship, stakeholder engagement and operational excellence while remaining actively engaged in program implementation, partnership management, and team development. Responsible for ensuring compliance with institutional standards and policies, this position provides leadership for WWF’s strategy on food waste education and school-based food loss and waste reduction within the WWF Markets and Food team.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary lead for the Food Waste Warrior program across school district, funder, and community partner projects. Oversee program implementation, build and maintain strategic partnerships, and directly support or co-lead key initiatives to ensure successful delivery of program goals and commitments.
• Lead, coach, mentor, and develop Food Waste Warrior Program Officers/Specialists and interns while serving as the day-to-day leader of the program. Set clear program priorities, annual goals, work plans, and performance expectations, ensuring staff have the direction, resources, autonomy, and support needed to achieve program objectives. Foster an inclusive, collaborative, and high-performing team culture that promotes accountability, open communication, creativity, and continuous learning.
• Oversee operational designs and mechanisms to assess program impact, constraints, and risks related to funder and school district partner operations; the development of FWW’s national food waste audit data; and staying on top of developments in food waste reduction across the US and globally to grow the relevance and adoption of FWW nationally in the US.
• Provide oversight and quality assurance for school Food Waste Warrior projects on the ground. This will include direct programmatic, operational, financial, and partnership support to medium risk and complex partner relationships; develop mitigation strategies and facilitate timely resolution of challenges before they impact program outcomes, advising WWF’s senior management and staff on responses to program, funder, and partnership issues.
• Responsible for maintaining cross-collaborative partnerships with other WWF program teams — including the Wild Classroom, Communications, Legal, and Development, among others — and with school districts and community partners nationally, including coordination with relevant US government agencies on school food waste policy.
• Leads and closely collaborates with the team on the Food Waste Warriors team’s fundraising strategy and funder relationships for the program — approving and vetting proposals and progress reports and setting budgets and scopes of work for external partner contracts alongside the FLW team’s Senior Director and VP — to ensure compliance with donor requirements.
• Maintain regular communication with program staff, providing timely updates, transparent decision-making, and opportunities for staff to input into program strategy and operations.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Key Competencies

• Strategic thinking — establishes a clear vision and roadmap for success by setting program direction and priorities that connect day-to-day school and community partnership work to WWF’s broader food loss and waste strategy. Build actionable plans, measurable goals, realistic timelines, and accountable implementation.
• Collaborative Leadership by example – builds trust, collaboration, and a sense of shared ownership by seeking diverse perspectives, encouraging open communication, and balancing decision-making with the full team.
• People Development and Coaching — demonstrates a strong commitment to mentorship, coaching, and talent development by helping team members strengthen skills, expand capacity, and navigate challenges. This manager will lead check-ins, delegate implementation of work while remaining active in supporting and joining the work where needed and staying accountable for the program’s quality and impact.
• Partnership and relationship management — builds and sustains funders, school districts, and cross-team relationships.
• Program and financial management — oversees budgets, donor compliance, and work plans across multiple concurrent projects.
• Communication and Facilitation — communicates clearly, transparently, and professionally while facilitating productive conversations and the Food Waste Warrior program among internal and external stakeholders including leadership, funders, and community partners.

Qualifications

Skills and Abilities

• A Bachelor’s degree with 8+ years of experience in program management and community-based engagement. Direct experience of supervising, coaching, and developing staff is essential. Advanced degree preferred.
• Candidates with experience working in or with K-12 school systems are strongly preferred.
• Excellent relationship management and facilitation skills, with experience engaging school district leaders, food and nutrition service professionals, educators, funders, community-based organizations, and other stakeholders.
• Knowledge of school food systems, food and nutrition services operations, school procurement processes, and relevant stakeholder networks is strongly preferred.
• Experience in sustainability, food systems, education, public administration, environmental management, or related fields preferred.
• Demonstrated success managing multi-year projects, budgets, funding streams, deliverables, risks, and cross-functional priorities.
• Excellent organizational skills, with the ability to prioritize competing demands, manage multiple deadlines, adapt to changing priorities, and deliver high-quality work in a fast-paced environment.
• Excellent written, verbal, and public speaking skills, with the ability to communicate complex information effectively to diverse audiences.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and project management and similar collaboration tools.
• Committed to building and strengthening a culture of inclusion within and across teams.
• Identifies and aligns with WWF’s core values:
  • COURAGE – We demonstrate courage through our actions, we work for change where it’s needed, and we inspire people and institutions to tackle the greatest threats to nature and the future of the planet, which is our home.
  • INTEGRITY – We live on the principles we call on others to meet. We act with integrity, accountability, and transparency, and we rely on facts and science to guide us and to ensure that we learn and evolve.
  • RESPECT – We honor the voices and knowledge of people and communities that we serve, and we work to secure their rights to a sustainable future.
  • COLLABORATION – We deliver impact on the scale of the challenges we face through the power of collective action and innovation.

Additional Information

Please note: Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the U.S. This position is not eligible for employment visa sponsorship. In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire.

Relocation is not provided for this position.

World Wildlife Fund (WWF) promotes equal employment opportunities for all qualified individuals regardless of age, race, color, sex, religion, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected under applicable law.