Find your place in the field of good food

Our goal is to connect good people with good food. We advertise sustainable food jobs and training opportunities to help jobseekers and employers find each other.

Job description

Who we are: 

Eating Better is a movement for change, bringing together sixty organisations to transform how we produce and consume food.  The power of our alliance comes from our breadth,  diversity and expertise, with many of the world’s biggest and best-known NGOs as Eating Better members. From environmental and animal welfare charities to public health and social justice, we’re working together to create a fair and sustainable food environment, where everyone has access to healthy, affordable and nutritious food. Our focus is ‘less and better’ meat and more plants, which is better for us, for nature and for the planet. Our goal is a 50% reduction in meat and dairy consumption by the end of this crucial decade of action. 

The role:

As Senior Research and Policy Manager you will be part of our small team, working closely with the Executive Director to lead the development and delivery of our influencing strategy, according to our Better by Half Roadmap, and to oversee delivery of our alliance programme of work such as our Serving Better guide for public sector procurement and catering and our Sourcing Better framework for retailers. This role will support our new 3 year plan to increase the diversity of voices across the alliance and develop our work across the four UK nations. You will manage our Researcher and commission consultants as needed, and you will work closely with our Communications Manager. 

The Senior Research and Policy Manager will play a pivotal role in building upon our existing body of research and policy work while integrating an equity lens into our approach. They will develop and lead new research projects based on the Better by Half Roadmap and, in consultation with alliance members, ensure that this work aligns with our mission to create a fair and sustainable food environment.  

Terms:

Hours:  full time (37.5 hours a week)

Flexible working: you will be able to tailor your hours to fit preferences or home commitments, provided this fits with team collaboration

Salary and benefits: £40 - 42,000 per annum plus pension contribution, generous annual leave, sickness pay/leave and insurance and family leave policies

Professional development: we will support learning such as workshops and training courses that are relevant to the role and will allow a reasonable amount of time to study

Place of work: Home based with ability to travel (mostly into London) on a monthly basis

UK based: Evidence of proof of right to work in the UK

You: 

We are seeking an experienced researcher, writer and project manager with a track record in policy research and advocacy. You will be a proven communicator who is confident writing for, and speaking to, a variety of audiences. You will have experience in building consensus across different organisations or sectors and have a passion for sustainable and healthy food. 

Main responsibilities:

1. To provide a strategic programme of work for the alliance:

• To lead the engagement on major projects working with key alliance partners, external experts and industry stakeholders

• To lead and write our advocacy strategy, developing and updating policy positions etc

• To oversee the content creation for Eating Better from reports to briefings to input on government consultations

• To provide budget oversight of projects, monitor progress and impact of our work, and report to funders

• To support fundraising led by the Executive Director

​​​​​​2. ​To provide expert research and analysis for the alliance:

• To provide expert analysis and interpretation of environmental and public health research and evidence to support Eating Better’s work

• To manage the development and delivery of resources, including providing or commissioning research by external parties and writing content for briefings and practical resources

• To lead the design and delivery of qualitative and quantitative research surveys

• To represent the alliance at conferences and external events and present our work as needed

3. To support Eating Better management

• To line manage our researcher, and any interns or consultants and support collaborative team working

• To help represent the organisation to varied audiences both online and in person

  You will need to demonstrate:

• A minimum of 5 years’ experience working in research, policy or campaigning, preferably in the field of environmental sustainability, public health or food systems - a degree in a relevant field is welcome but not required

• Experience of managing multi-stakeholder projects from ideas through to delivery in partnership with a range of organisations from NGOs to academics

• Experience of applying excellent research and analytical skills and techniques, both qualitative and quantitative, to develop targeted resources for different audiences on short deadlines, including expert briefings, reports and and articles

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with an ability to write in a clear and accessible way

• Excellent time management and project management skills

• Good IT & social media skills (Microsoft Excel/Word/Powerpoint) Google, Twitter, LinkedIn, Slack)

Commitment to DEI:

In the past year we have embarked on a journey to define our own Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion framework. You can access our live statement here.

At Eating Better, it is important for us to foster a mutually supportive and empowering work culture, therefore, it is imperative that all employees demonstrate a clear commitment to not only valuing but promoting diversity and to contribute to an inclusive working and learning environment.

Applications are particularly welcome and encouraged from women, people of colour and disabled people, who are all under-represented in the food systems and environmental sustainability sector, as well as within Eating Better. Our recruitment process is intended to be based on merit, fairness and inclusion. If, in addition, you would prefer to withhold any identifying information including your name, which might identify your background and which you feel may expose you to discrimination, you are welcome to do so. We will make necessary adjustments to make the recruitment process equally accessible to everyone, so please ask us if you need any additional support when applying.

If you would like to discuss the role further, please contact Simon Billing.

Application information

Send (by email) to comms@eating-better.org: 

Your CV and a thoughtful covering letter responding to these three questions:

• What aspects of your professional background and experience make you a strong candidate to meet the research and analysis element of this role ?

• Can you describe your experience of leading the development and delivery of a strategic programme of work?

• When reading the job description, what excites you the most about this role? 

We will not consider any applications that have not been tailored to this post. The covering letter should not be longer than 2 A4 pages. We will ask you for 2 references if you are offered the role.

The deadline for applications is 3th October 2023 by 5pm. We will invite candidates to interview by 6th October and interviews will be held by video call on 12th October.

We regret that we are only able to inform applicants who are shortlisted for interviews.

Please mention Roots to Work when applying for these jobs