Good Food Institute - Policy Manager

The Good Food Institute India (GFI India) is at the forefront of the movement to use food technology and markets to solve some of the world's biggest problems relating to climate change, global hunger, antibiotic resistance, and future pandemics, by working to build the smart protein sector from the ground up. We're creating a transformative industry similar to renewable energy, and we're doing it fast. Your work will be critical to the fight of our lifetime - stewarding public and planetary health.

How You Will Make a Difference :

It's a critical time for smart protein in India and globally. We've seen several exciting announcements and a promising beginning, with GFI India at the centre of these developments, but plenty of work remains to build a truly thriving industry and achieve our public and planetary health goals. The Policy Manager will make GFI India's work possible by leading our engagement with critical stakeholders and partners who can accelerate the impact of smart protein (plant based, cultivated, and fermentation-derived meat, eggs and dairy) - foods which are vastly better for human and planetary health than their conventional counterparts. In this role, you will have the opportunity to manage GFI India's Policy team, direct the organization's strategic priorities for our Policy related initiatives, cultivate and solidify high level relationships across government agencies and research bodies, represent and cement GFI India's position as the expert authority on alternative proteins in India, and bring our work to the notable audiences.

The Policy Manager will be responsible for:

Strategic oversight and direction setting

- Working with the Managing Director, GFI Asia, to develop and execute a mission-focussed Policy strategy for India

- Developing and implementing strategic initiatives to forge relationships with high-level government agencies, key academic and research stakeholders, funding bodies, regulatory bodies and mission-aligned consortia to advance the alternative protein sector in India.

Stakeholder management and project planning

- Cultivating, managing and taking forth high-level partner engagements across government and regulatory agencies as an authoritative external facing representative for GFI India's mission.

- Working closely with the Policy team to steward high priority initiatives, offering expert advisory and leadership to aid their efforts.

- Working collaboratively across GFI India's departments on strategic communications plans, research, and advisory efforts to achieve our highest-impact policy goals, such as developing research grant programs, advancing trade and ease of doing business, and developing a robust talent pool for the sector.

Advisory and support to program areas and departments

- Partnering with and providing expert guidance to all program areas to ensure close collaboration for high mission impact.

- Providing communications direction and support for focussed events, webinars, mixers (both virtual and in-person) to maintain GFI India's position as the go-to think tank and authority on alternative protein in India.

- Providing direction and guidance to the Policy team through project planning, ensuring that the highest impact activities are prioritised.

Operational excellence and reporting

- Managing all aspects of the Communications Department, including supervising staff, working with operations to manage department spending, and providing strategic leadership.

- Following all human resources and operational procedures.

- Performing other duties as assigned.

Who We're Looking For:

We are looking for smart, thoughtful, and creative self-starters who want to push back against climate change, transform industrial animal agriculture, and develop healthy and humane foods that are accessible to everyone. GFI India staff enjoy high levels of autonomy and must be self-motivated, work well both independently and in concert with a larger group, and be comfortable working with a rapidly evolving and growing team. The Policy Manager must have:

Knowledge and experience

- A degree or equivalent experience in environmental studies, public health, food systems, science, political science, law, or a related field. A masters, advanced policy or public administration degree, or advanced scientific degree is preferred but not required. A background in legal, regulatory and/or policy disciplines is strongly preferable.

- Minimum 3 years experience leading and managing teams

- Strong experience in and comfort with communicating with high-level legislative or executive branch policymakers and staff, both verbally and in writing.

- Experience building coalitions and developing consensus among partners with different but complementary objectives.

- Demonstrable experience in setting and leading programmatic and functional strategy and priorities in previous positions.

Skills and behavioural attributes

- Strong support for GFI's philosophy and mission; demonstrated interest in public health, environmentalism, hunger relief, animal protection, or the drive and initiative to take responsibility for delivering impact.

- Excellent written and verbal communications and organizational skills, with experience in, and comfort with communicating with a range of stakeholders.

- The demonstrated ability to communicate complex information clearly in writing and in oral presentations to a range of audiences.

- Strong work ethic and ability to see projects through to completion

- Highly effective organizational and interpersonal skills

- Self-motivated and able to work well independently under pressure

- Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously and meet competing deadlines

- Ability to work creatively and effectively as a team member

- Comfort working remotely and in-person as required, and in a rapidly growing and evolving organization.