About This Opportunity:
Crossroads Community Services is seeking a dynamic, mission-driven Senior Director of Programs & Research to lead the delivery and continuous improvement of its direct service programs across three locations — while simultaneously advancing a growing body of research that is reshaping how Southern Dallas thinks about food access, health, and community stability.
This is a rare opportunity to lead at the intersection of direct service and applied research within an organization that has spent more than a decade building credible research partnerships with institutions like UT Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Parkland Health, and North Texas Food Bank (NTFB). Crossroads’ programs are not just service delivery — they are proving grounds for innovations in food access, nutrition equity, and community health that have attracted national attention and federal funding.
The Senior Director of Programs & Research reports to the Chief Development & Strategy Officer (CDSO) and is a key contributor to Crossroads’ five-year strategic plan, Access 2031: Catalyst for Change. This leader manages program operations across all service sites, leads research initiatives, and stewards the strategic relationships with medical, academic, and grant-funded partners that give Crossroads its evidence base and its edge.
This leader is accountable for three core areas:
- Program Operations & Quality — market services delivery, site management, client experience, and cross-site consistency across three Crossroads locations
- Research & Data — research project design and management, data collection and analysis, and evidence-based program improvement
- Strategic Partner Relations — alignment and coordination with medical partners, academic institutions, and grant-funded program collaborators
Duties and Responsibilities:
Program Operations & Site Leadership
- Provide senior oversight of direct service programming across all three Crossroads community market locations, ensuring consistent quality, dignity-centered service delivery, and mission alignment
- Supervise and develop program site managers, establishing clear performance expectations and fostering a culture of accountability and continuous improvement
- Ensure programs meet all compliance requirements for USDA, grant funders, and agency partners, including NTFB
- Lead cross-site coordination to standardize best practices, share learning, and maximize collective impact
- Monitor program performance metrics, client outcomes, and service volume data — using findings to drive operational improvements and inform strategic decisions
- Oversee client experience standards, ensuring every interaction reflects Crossroads’ commitment to dignity, respect, and community
- Collaborate with the Director of Partner Relations to ensure agency compliance standards are integrated into program operations
Research & Applied Learning
- Lead the design, implementation, and management of Crossroads’ research initiatives including Food as Medicine studies, nutrition access research, and community health impact projects
- Manage relationships with research partners including UTSW, Parkland Health, Dallas County Health and Human Services, and other academic and medical institutions
- Oversee data collection protocols, IRB compliance (where applicable), and research reporting obligations
- Translate research findings into actionable program improvements, compelling grant narratives, and external communications that advance Crossroads’ thought leadership
- Support the NIH/NIDDK grant and other federally funded research initiatives, including direct supervision of the Culinary Director, ensuring programmatic compliance and timely deliverable completion
- Build and maintain a research infrastructure that supports Crossroads’ growing role as a national model for community-based food and health intervention
Strategic Partner Alignment
- Serve as the senior relationship manager for Crossroads’ medical, academic, and grant-funded program partners
- Ensure strategic alignment between partner programming expectations and Crossroads’ service delivery capacity and mission priorities
- Collaborate with the CDSO and Grant Writer to develop program narratives, logic models, and budgets for grant applications tied to research and program innovation
- Represent Crossroads in external partner convenings, research collaboratives, and community health coalitions
- Identify emerging partnership opportunities that advance Access 2031 goals and position Crossroads for national thought leadership in food access and nutrition equity
Innovation & Strategic Program Development
- Lead development of new program models that expand Crossroads’ impact, attract new funding, and respond to evolving community needs
- Support the RedBird Nutrition Pharmacy and other Food as Medicine innovations, working across internal and external stakeholders to ensure sustainable, scalable implementation
- Contribute to organizational strategy by bringing program and research insight to executive and board-level planning conversations
- Partner with the Marketing & Communications Manager to translate program and research outcomes into compelling stories that engage donors, partners, and the community
Team Leadership & Organizational Contribution
- Build and lead a high-performing programs and research team, providing clear direction, regular coaching, and meaningful professional development opportunities
- Participate in EOS/L10 leadership rhythms including scorecards, quarterly rocks, and weekly team meetings
- Collaborate across the Executive Leadership Team — particularly with the COOI on logistics coordination and the CFO on grant financial management
- Model Crossroads’ People First culture in every dimension of team leadership
What Success Looks Like in Year One
- All three program sites are operating consistently, with clear standards, strong staff, and measurable client outcomes
- Research partnerships are active, well-managed, and producing findings that strengthen Crossroads’ grant applications and public presence
- The NIH/NIDDK grant and other active research commitments are on track and compliant
- A program innovation pipeline is emerging that supports Access 2031 goals
- The CDSO has a senior programs partner who brings both operational rigor and strategic vision to the work
- Crossroads’ identity as a research-informed, evidence-driven organization is strengthened
Qualifications & Experience
- Bachelor’s degree required in public health, social work, nonprofit management, nutrition, or a related field; Master’s degree strongly preferred
- Minimum of five (5) to seven (7) years of progressive program leadership experience in a nonprofit, community health, or social services organization
- Demonstrated experience managing multi-site or multi-program operations with accountability for quality, compliance, and outcomes
- Background in applied research, program evaluation, or community-based participatory research strongly preferred
- Experience managing relationships with medical, academic, or government partners
- Familiarity with USDA food program compliance, federal grant management, or public health program regulations a plus
- Strong data literacy — comfortable working with program metrics, research data, and outcome reporting
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including experience translating research or program data for non-technical audiences
- Collaborative, mission-driven leadership style with the ability to manage up, across, and down effectively
- Experience with EOS/Traction or similar accountability frameworks (training available)
- Deep alignment with Crossroads’ mission, values, and commitment to dignity-centered service — this is non-negotiable
About Crossroads Community Services
Crossroads Community Services’ mission is to nourish our community’s low-income families by providing nutritious food and supportive education. With over a decade of research partnerships and a growing portfolio of Food as Medicine innovations, Crossroads is evolving from a food pantry into a systems-change organization. In 2025, Crossroads distributed over 16 million pounds of food — more than 13 million meals — to families across Southern Dallas. Under Access 2031: Catalyst for Change, Crossroads is building nutrition-stable communities where food access advances health and stability across generations.
WORKING CONDITIONS
Employee may be required to assist market team operations which may impact normal work hours for this role. Work involves moving boxes, and employee must lift, bend, stoop, pick up and move objects up to 50 pounds. Work involves using manual pallet jacks and therefore requires an ability to push and pull pallets over 2,000 pounds. Some travel is required to attend meetings and manage site distributions locally. Regular workday and workweek are established with some planned early morning or evening hours, and Saturday shifts.
MENTAL DEMANDS
The employee in this position needs to adapt well in the face of workplace stressors such as volunteer or Market shopper complaints, concerns from corporate sponsors or community partners, compliance offenses, and competing priorities of reasonable or high significance to the successful function of the department. The employee must be able to effectively interpret data and make critical decisions that may significantly impact the team and organization.
TO APPLY
Please submit your cover letter, resume, and salary requirements to: [email protected]
Pay: $65,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- Dental insurance
- Health insurance
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Vision insurance
Application Question(s):
- Have you managed multiple program sites or multiple programs with responsibility for staff leadership, operational quality, compliance, and performance outcomes?
- Have you directly supervised managers or professional staff and been responsible for coaching, performance management, and team development?
- Do you have professional experience leading or overseeing program evaluation, applied research, performance measurement, or data-driven program improvement?
- This position is 100% on-site and requires regular travel between Crossroads' three program locations and meetings with community, healthcare, and academic partners. Are you able to meet these requirements?
- Crossroads is evolving into a research-informed organization that integrates food access, community health, and applied research. What interests you most about leading this work, and how has your experience prepared you to build programs, lead teams, and strengthen community partnerships? (Maximum 300 words.)
Education:
Experience:
- progressive program leadership : 5 years (Required)
Ability to Commute:
- Dallas, TX 75236 (Required)
Work Location: In person
