This position will be hybrid requiring a few days per week in the office. You can be based in the Netherlands or the UK. Existing work authorization is required at the time of application submission. WRI is unable to sponsor any visa work sponsorship for this position.
This is a limited term position ending 31 January 2025.
About the Program:
WRIโs Food, Land & Water Program seeks a just transition in the worldโs food, land, and water systems to resiliently meet the needs of all people, halt natural ecosystem and biodiversity loss by 2030, and achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.
To achieve this lofty global goal, the program focuses on four interlocking approaches:
โข Produce more food and fiber (building food security and climate resilience) on existing working lands, while decreasing greenhouse gas emissions and water use.
โข Protect remaining natural ecosystems from conversion and degradation.
โข Reduce humanityโs footprint by shifting consumption patterns and lowering food loss and waste.
โข Restore degraded areas back into healthy ecosystems and/or increased productivity. Current initiatives anchored in the program include Global Forest Watch, Land & Carbon Lab, AFR100, Initiative 20x20, Food & Land Use Coalition, Champions 12.3, Cool food, Aqueduct, Water Peace & Security, Co-Secretariat for the High Ambition Coalition for Nature & People, and more.
Job Highlight:
Reporting to the Director of Food Initiatives, you will work closely with WRIโs internal experts on food loss and waste and our group of senior external stakeholders. You will be responsible for the end-to-end development, project management and strategic development of WRIโs flagship โ10x20kx30โ initiative. โ10x20kx30โ is a new initiative of the Champions 12.3 Coalition which enables major food companies to engage smallholder farmers in their supply chain to take a โTarget, Measure, Actโ approach to halve food and loss waste by 2030 (in line with SDG 12.3). You will be responsible for recruiting and engaging companies with the initiative, developing reporting and data management protocols, and identifying external partners to support end-users in the farming community across several countries.
WRIโs ambition is for 200,000 smallholder farmers to be engaged in this initiative and deliver significant food loss and waste reductions by 2027. You will bring together WRIโs international community of researchers and experts working on similar projects to ensure a coherent programmatic approach across the institute and maximize impact. You will also develop our wider activities on food, loss and waste so we deliver our goals, continue to strengthen our reach and profile, and respond to new opportunities. You will be part of a passionate and committed team of researchers, engagement and communication experts who work with a wide range food providers and food sector stakeholders to embed a โtarget, measure, and actโ approach to reduce food loss and waste and to shift diets towards lower carbon and healthier food. This position is offered as a one-year contract initially, with a possibility of extension subject to funding.
What will you do:
Program management (70%):
- Work with our external partners (for example in the Champions 12.3 coalition) to recruit and engage major international farmer facing companies which will anchor the initiative
- Develop terms of reference and engagement strategies for participating companies and design appropriate ways of working with key contacts to deliver progress, taking equity considerations into account
- Develop data management and reporting mechanisms, so that WRI can track progress versus its global impact target
- Identify and develop relationships with possible delivery partners who may be able to support farmer facing capacity building activities
- Establish and facilitate a strong community of practice and joined up ways of working across the WRI community working on food loss and waste
- Work closely with the initiative lead for โ10x20kx30โโs sister initiative (10x20x30) and WRIโs Senior Fellow and Director of Food Loss and Waste, to deliver a strong impact narrative for our overall work in the area
- Play a key role in growing WRIโs overall portfolio of food loss and waste initiatives and international network as new funding opportunities become available
Convening and Engagement (20%):
- Work with WRIโs Senior Fellow and Director of Food Loss and Waste, and Head of Communication to design and deliver the annual Champions 12.3 Strategy meeting and public event (which takes place during New York Climate Week)
- Support the Senior Fellow with facilitating distinct activities of the Champions 12.3 Coalition โ e.g., organizing webinars or managing working groups such as โCool Moveโ
Fundraise and Strategic Communications (10%):
- Work with the Director of Food Initiatives and WRI Development team to develop our food loss and waste team presence and relationships with existing and prospective donors, and to respond to funding opportunities as they arise
- Increase the public profile of WRIโs work on food, loss and waste through public speaking, media opportunities and other channels
What will you need:
- Education: You have completed a Masterโs degree in agriculture sciences, food systems, environmental sciences, economics, or another discipline relevant to the Food, Land and water systems transition
- Experience: You have a minimum of 10 years of relevant experience in working on food and agricultural supply chains
- Good technical understanding of the food loss and waste agenda gained through experience of researching or working on addressing this issue
- Proven track record of designing and delivering complex projects, involving multiple stakeholders, data management and reporting, and capacity building
- Experience in leading diverse project teams, across multiple geographies and cultures
- Excellent communicator, with the ability to engage a wide range of audiences across levels of seniority (including at the executive level) and in different types of organizations; a strong ability to communicate clearly and compellingly both verbally and in a written format
- Willingness to undertake short-haul and long-haul travel several times a year
- Languages: Verbal and written English proficiency
- Requirements: Existing work authorization is required where this position. WRI is unable to authorize visa work authorization
Potential Salary: The salary for this role is โฌ80,000 to โฌ100,000 if based in the Netherlands and ยฃ65,000 to ยฃ82,000 if based in the UK. Salary is commensurate with experience and other compensable factors.
How to Apply: Please submit a resume with a cover letter by the date of 22 December 2023. You must apply through the WRI Careers portal to be considered.
What we offer:
- A competitive salary
- Access to the WRI global network with the opportunity to exchange with and learn from passionate colleagues working at the cutting edge of their fields across Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America and the US
- The chance to have an impact and to develop your career within a mission driven organization with access to varied learning and training opportunities.
- A workplace that strives to put diversity and inclusion at the heart of our work
- The opportunity to join and get involved in different working groups and affinity groups to shape the future of WRI
- Commitment to hybrid working model with flexible working hours.
- Generous leave days that increase with tenure
About Us:
Founded in 1982, World Resources Institute (WRI) is an independent, nonprofit global research organization that turns big ideas into action at the nexus of environment, economic opportunity, and human well-being. We are working to address seven critical challenges that the world must overcome this decade to secure a sustainable future for people and the planet: climate change, energy, food, forests, water, sustainable cities, and the ocean. WRI has a global staff of over 1,800 people with work spanning 60 countries. We have offices in Africa, Brazil, China, Europe, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Colombia and the United States, as well as a growing presence in other countries and regions.
The foundation of our work is delivering high-quality research, data, maps, and analysis to solve the worldโs greatest environment and international development challenges and improve peopleโs lives. We work with leaders in government, business, and civil society to drive ambitious action and create change on the ground. Equally important, we bring together partners to develop breakthrough ideas and scale-up solutions for far-reaching, enduring impact.
Our mission and values:
WRIโs mission is to move human society to live in ways that protect Earthโs environment and its capacity to provide for the needs and aspirations of current and future generations.
Our values are shared ideals that bind us together: Integrity, Innovation, Urgency, Independence and Respect.
Our culture:
WRI is committed to advancing gender and social equity for human well-being in our mission and applies this principle to our organizational and programmatic practices. We are committed to providing equal opportunities in employment;