Description

HDM Delivery Logistics Manager

Department: Nutrition
Reports To: Director of Nutrition and Community Programs
FLSA Status: Exempt
Union Status: Non-Union

Position Summary

The HDM Delivery Logistics Manager manages the day-to-day delivery logistics operations that support Home-Delivered Meals (HDM) and congregate meal programs. This manager-level role is accountable for safe, accurate, timely, and reliable meal delivery; effective driver supervision of delivery staff; efficient route coordination; planning staffing coverage; operational performance; and high-quality service to older adults and individuals with disabilities.

The Manager leads delivery, scheduling, daily dispatch coordination, route, staff performance practices, service recovery, and continuous improvement. The role uses data, performance indicators, and sound operational judgment to improve efficiency, manage costs, identify capacity needs, and strengthen service reliability.

The HDM Delivery Logistics Manager serves as the primary operational point of contact for delivery logistics matters and partners closely with the Nutrition Operations Manager, HDM Team Leader, Registered Dietician, Housing Programs Manager, and other organizational partners to ensure coordinated daily operations.

Essential Responsibilities

Delivery Logistics and Service Reliability

• Manage daily delivery logistics for home-delivered and congregate meals, including dispatch coordination, route assignments, loading, departures, returns, and service recovery.
• Ensure meals are delivered safely, accurately, and within established delivery windows.
• Monitor daily operating conditions and proactively resolve disruptions related to staffing, weather, traffic, client changes, route challenges, or meal production timing.
• Develop, implement, and maintain standardized delivery logistics procedures, workflows, operating protocols, and contingency plans.
• Ensure delivery operations are appropriately staffed, prepared, and coordinated with Food Service and program leadership each operating day.

Route Coordination, Capacity, and Optimization

• Develop, maintain, and continuously improve efficient delivery routes based on mileage, drive time, stops, delivery windows, geography, meal volume, and delivery staff productivity.
• Evaluate route capacity and adjust routes based on client volume, geographic changes, congregate site schedules, and service requirements.
• Identify opportunities to reduce unnecessary mileage, overtime, idle time, and inefficient routing.
• Establish and monitor appropriate productivity expectations for delivery staff and routes.
• Use operational data to recommend route changes, staffing adjustments, capacity planning, and service improvements.

People, Leadership and Workforce Management

• Recruit, train, onboard, schedule, supervise, coach, and evaluate delivery staff in partnership with Human Resources.
• Set clear expectations and hold staff accountable for attendance, punctuality, safety, customer service, productivity, and operating standards.
• Develop delivery staff schedules and coverage plans that align staffing with daily meal volume, route requirements, and operational needs.
• Monitor attendance, overtime, productivity, staffing gaps, and coverage needs; proactively resolve issues to minimize service disruption.
• Provide timely coaching, feedback, recognition, and corrective action when appropriate.
• Build a professional, respectful, reliable, accountable, and service-oriented team culture.
• Ensure delivery staff receive consistent onboarding and ongoing training in safe driving practices, client interaction, confidentiality, emergency procedures, food handling expectations, and organizational policies.

Delivery Resources and Vendor Coordination

• Coordinate the resources required for reliable daily meal delivery.
• Monitor delivery resource needs and identify capacity, equipment, staffing, or operational gaps.
• Coordinate with internal staff and external vendors to resolve delivery logistics issues that may affect service delivery.
• Support organizational planning for future delivery capacity as meal volume and program needs evolve.

Safety, Compliance, and Risk Management

• Maintain a strong culture of safety, risk prevention, compliance, and accountability in daily delivery operations.
• Ensure compliance with applicable organizational, contractual, regulatory, and program requirements.
• Monitor delivery staff safety practices and promptly address unsafe practices.
• Ensure required licenses, training, background checks, driving records, and related documentation are current in coordination with Human Resources, where applicable.
• Investigate delivery-related incidents, complaints, and near misses and ensure appropriate documentation, reporting, follow-up, and corrective action.
• Develop and maintain emergency and business-continuity procedures for meal delivery operations.
• Partner with organizational leadership on risk mitigation, safety, and quality improvement initiatives.

Client Service and Cross-Functional Coordination

• Ensure delivery staff understand their role as a key point of contact between the organization and the people it serves.
• Promote respectful, person-centered, and service-focused interactions with clients.
• Establish procedures for reporting client concerns, changes in condition, missed deliveries, safety concerns, and other issues observed during delivery.
• Ensure service issues are escalated promptly and appropriately.
• Monitor trends in client complaints, missed deliveries, late deliveries, and other service issues and implement corrective actions.
• Partner with Program/Client Services, Food Service, congregate site leadership, Human Resources, Quality/Compliance, and other functions to support seamless meal delivery operations.

Congregate Meal Logistics

• Coordinate delivery logistics supporting congregate meal sites, including delivery of meals, supplies, equipment, and required materials.
• Align delivery schedules with site operating schedules, meal production, volume changes, and operational requirements.
• Work with congregate site leadership to resolve recurring logistical challenges.
• Identify opportunities to improve the efficiency, reliability, and consistency of congregate meal delivery logistics.

Data, Performance, and Continuous Improvement

The HDM Delivery Logistics Manager is expected to manage meal delivery operations using data, measurable performance indicators, and continuous improvement practices.

Track, analyze, and report on key delivery performance indicators, including meals delivered, meals per route, stops per route, driver hours, meals per staff hour, route mileage, overtime, missed or late deliveries, staff attendance, delivery capacity, resource availability, safety incidents, client complaints, route efficiency, and delivery reliability..

Use operational data to identify trends, recommend staffing changes, adjust routes, improve productivity, manage costs, support annual and long-range delivery planning, and strengthen service quality.

Develop and maintain regular delivery logistics reports and dashboards in collaboration with the Director of Meals & Nutrition and other organizational partners.

Department Leadership and Planning

• Participate as a member of the Nutrition leadership team.
• Contribute to department strategic planning, budgeting, process improvement, workforce planning, and organizational initiatives.
• Bring forward recommendations to improve operational efficiency, service quality, staffing models, delivery capacity, and cost effectiveness.
• Represent meal delivery logistics in cross-functional planning and problem-solving discussions.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business, operations, logistics, public administration, human services, or a related field; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Minimum of 3–5 years of progressively responsible experience in delivery logistics, operations, food delivery, human services, nutrition programs, or a related operational environment.
• Demonstrated experience supervising, coaching, evaluating, and developing staff.
• Experience managing schedules, routes, staffing coverage, daily operational workflows, and service recovery.
• Demonstrated ability to use data and performance metrics to monitor operations, improve efficiency, and support management decisions.
• Strong organizational, analytical, problem-solving, decision-making, communication, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced environment with frequent operational changes and competing priorities.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and ability to learn scheduling, routing, reporting, and organizational technology systems.
• Valid driver’s license and acceptable driving record, if required for the position.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience managing delivery logistics within a nonprofit, human services, healthcare, aging services, food delivery, or community-based organization.
• Experience with home-delivered meals, congregate meal programs, senior services, or other community-based delivery programs.
• Experience with route coordination, dispatch coordination, scheduling, or logistics software.
• Experience developing operational dashboards and performance metrics.
• Experience managing union and/or non-union workforces.
• Knowledge of safety, risk management, and compliance requirements applicable to meal delivery operations.

Core Competencies

Operational Leadership – Ability to manage daily meal delivery logistics while maintaining service reliability, safety, and efficiency.

People Leadership – Ability to establish expectations, coach employees, address performance issues, and build an accountable and service-oriented team.

Analytical & Data-Driven Decision Making – Ability to analyze operational data, identify trends, and translate findings into practical improvements.

Problem Solving & Adaptability – Ability to respond effectively to changing conditions, operational disruptions, staffing challenges, and competing priorities.

Customer Service – Demonstrated commitment to respectful, person-centered service to older adults and individuals with disabilities.

Communication & Collaboration – Ability to work effectively across departments and communicate clearly with employees, leadership, clients, vendors, and organizational partners.

Safety & Accountability – Commitment to maintaining safe delivery practices, compliance, risk reduction, and operational accountability.

Continuous Improvement – Ability to identify opportunities to improve processes, productivity, service quality, and cost effectiveness.

Physical and Work Environment

• Regularly works in an operational environment involving meal delivery logistics, loading/unloading, and interaction with delivery staff and program staff.
• May require periods of standing, walking, bending, and lifting associated with observing delivery operations.
• May occasionally need to respond to operational issues outside of standard business hours, including weather-related or other service disruptions.
• Position requires the ability to work in a dynamic environment and respond to changing operational needs.