Director, Food Policy Program

Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI) a program of The Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids

Director, Food Policy Program

Washington, D.C.

Background

The Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI) is a leading policy advocacy voice on a range of issues including cardiovascular health, civil registration & vital statistics, drowning prevention, food policy, maternal and reproductive health, preventing epidemics, and road safety, among others. GHAI provides strategic support to civil society organizations and advocates working to enact and implement laws that save lives and reduce global health inequities through a proven advocacy approach and a global network of local partners built on 25 years of success in more than 60 countries. A program of the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, GHAI leverages both gains and lessons learned in the global fight against tobacco deaths to strengthen advocacy capacity to improve public health around the globe using a locally-led approach that is adaptable to culture, political context, and issue area.  

GHAI seeks a director for its flagship Food Policy Program (FPP) which works to save lives and improve health by supporting the adoption of policies to better food environments and reduce the consumption of ultra processed food and beverages in low- and middle-income countries. Since 2016, the FPP team has supported civil society organizations in Brazil, Barbados, Colombia, Jamaica, and South Africa to urge their governments to pass healthy food policies and promote healthy diets. More recently, the FFP has expanded to provide expertise, technical assistance, and funding to civil society organizations in other low- and middle-income countries working to pass healthy food policies through the Healthy Food Policy Advocacy Fund. This work is funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies.

For more information visit www.advocacyincubator.org

Position

The Director of the Food Policy Program will lead an experienced team to deepen and grow the program’s impact and build the capacity of civil society organizations to advocate for proven and innovative food policies to reduce chronic disease.  The Director will be a seasoned advocate, with a passion for food and nutrition policy, who has experience leading multi-country programs and managing diverse teams. This position reports to the Vice President of the Food and Nutrition (VP of F&N) and leads a growing team (currently 12 total staff with five direct reports). The position is hybrid with two to three days a week in the Washington, D.C. office and ability to work remotely the remainder of the time.

Strategic Leadership

The Director provides strategic guidance and develops the strategy and framework for providing ongoing technical assistance and training to partner organizations in low- and middle-income countries to meet the FPP goals. The Director will lead a core team of staff and consultants in the U.S. and in relevant countries to support project goals, helping to prioritize and deploy a range of technical resources. As a part of the effort, the Director works with the headquarters-based team to assess the political landscape, identify potential in-country partners, assess existing capacity, and determine the best approaches to enhance capacity, and opportunity for policy change. The Director leverages this analysis under the supervision of the VP of F&N to structure, build, and implement effective campaigns in countries where the FPP works.   

Project and Budget Management

The Director provides guidance in the design, planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of program activities. The Director is responsible for working with initiative core partners and in-country grantees to develop appropriate work plans and build consensus on project deliverables. The Director exercises oversight of the $20 million operational budget as well as country-specific or project specific task orders. Based on partner requests, the Director develops detailed scopes of work, assembles the core team of staff and consultants who work on different tasks, and prepares and monitors task budgets. The Director is responsible for ensuring task deliverables, overall project monitoring and evaluation, and donor reporting. Total FPP project and budget work will be supervised by the VP of F&N.   

Advocacy Campaign Management and Support

The FPP works with local partners to build public and policymaker support. Collaborating with a multi-disciplinary team, the Director marshals the experience and existing training curriculum, tools, and know-how to country-based efforts to achieve agreed upon policy goals. This support will include assisting groups in clarifying advocacy goals and objectives, conducting robust analysis of the political landscape, identifying, and working with policy champions, designing and implementing comprehensive media strategies, working to build and enhance diverse coalitions and partnerships, and preparing for and countering political opposition to proposed policy change. Training and technical assistance will include strategic and action planning that integrates best practices in political advocacy. The team will organize efforts to encourage sharing and cross-country learning and sharing of best practices.   

Donor and Partner Relations

The Director will collaborate with the VP of F&N to maintain regular contact with external partner agencies and donors to keep them up to date on the work and progress of the program.

Responsibilities

The Director is responsible for developing and overseeing a strategic program to ensure positive policy change in countries where the FPP works and contributing to the broader goals of the Food Policy Program. The Director will: 

·    Implement overall strategy and plans for the FPP, in partnership with the Vice President of the Food and Nutrition portfolio.

·    Lead country-level strategy development for policy change with global and/or in-country partners.

·    Direct the teams implementing those strategies and ensures appropriate identification and provision of capacity building and technical assistance to ensure success.  

·    Manage overall operations, including staff and budget for FPP program.

·    Support the VP of F&N in working with the donors and global partners, including overseeing the preparation of regular reports to donors as set out in grant agreements, ensuring GHAI meets all requirements of the FPP grant agreement, completes deliverables on a timely basis, and delivers high-quality and effective work.  

Core Competencies

·    Strategic Mindset

·    Plans & Aligns

·    Builds Effective Teams

·    Collaborates

·    Financial Acumen

·    Drives Results

Immediate Role Priorities

·    Institutional and programmatic immersion: Learn about the program goals, team, dynamics, and priorities. Understand the food policy agenda and meet the global and local stakeholders, donors, and partners to understand the ecosystem in which GHAI works.

·    Manage the active advocacy campaigns that are being implemented to promote food policies in developing countries around the world. Campaigns are in development for Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, Asia (including Colombia, Brazil, El Salvador, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Jamaica, Barbados, South Africa, Nigeria, Kenia, Tanzania, Vietnam, Indonesia, Pakistan, and Kazakhstan)

·    Scale the FPP operationally to match programmatic growth while maintaining program excellence

·    Oversee the FPP strategic planning process and monitor its implementation

Qualifications

·    A minimum of 10+ years of experience working on policy issues in food and nutrition policy and/or public health, preferably on non-communicable diseases  

·    Proven track record of conceptualizing and implementing strategic advocacy campaigns for policy change in public health, globally with an understanding of anti-industry campaigning and experience in corporate accountability

·    Experience coordinating across multiple stakeholders and understanding political and policy dynamics with knowledge of how to work with both civil society and government partners

·    Strong background managing multi-faceted and complex projects, including ability to anticipate issues, develop proactive solutions, resolve conflicts, and follow-up and meet deadlines and deliverables 

·    Program management experience, in particular managing budgets; grants management a plus 

·    Thorough understanding of key elements of policy change campaigns and how to put them in place in diverse political systems, preferably in low- and middle-income countries 

·    Experience managing a diverse team, preferably dispersed geographically 

·    Ability to work in a fast-paced, team-oriented environment while juggling multiple projects and deadlines 

·    Excellent written communication and presentation skills 

·    Experience working at the international level, in cross-cultural settings, and low-income countries

·    Ability and desire to travel internationally (average of four times per year)

·    Master’s degree in related field  

·    Fluency in one or more languages spoken in FPP countries is highly desirable 

*Full COVID-19 vaccinations and boosters are required for employment. 

Compensation

Base Salary Range: $115,000-$150,000

The GHAI offers a competitive benefits package that includes:

·       100% company-paid health and dental for you; 70-80% contribution to these coverages for your dependents

·       Paid parental leave benefits (4 weeks paid maternity/paternity leave), in addition to federal and local leave provisions

·       403b plan participation (with 9% company contribution)

·       10 paid company holidays, 15 vacation days, 10 sick days, and 5 personal days (on an accrual basis each calendar year) 

The Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids is an equal opportunity employer. They believe their programs are strengthened when they are developed and supported by individuals with diverse life experiences, whose understanding of social and cultural issues can help make The Campaign's work more inclusive. We encourage qualified applicants of all ages, racial, economic, social, cultural, sexual orientation, ability and gender expressions, national origins, and veteran statuses to apply.

To apply for this position, please click HERE.

Shaquile Coonce, Talent Consultant

Scoonce@drgsearch.com

Shanna Jadwin, Talent Consultant

Sjadwin@drgsearch.com

Jin Lee, Associate

JLee@drgsearch.com