Summary
Date Posted: Wednesday, September 22, 2021 , Base Salary: Not Disclosed

JOB DETAILS:
Job title: Director, Food Initiative
Requisition ID: 1185

Overview:
The Foundation is seeking a Director to join the Foundation’s Food team. The Director will contribute to the development and execution of a multi-year initiative to advance a more nourishing and sustainable food system. The Director will work under the direction of a Managing Director to identify and understand key scientific issues, global trends, challenges and opportunities in the global food system. The Director will drive programming, grantmaking, performance, and partnership on the global portfolio. This will require working with the Food team and other Foundation staff—as well as a broader community of grantees, experts, and partners.
A successful candidate will bring demonstrated science experience, sophisticated understanding of the global food system, a track record of innovation and foundational knowledge of key scientific issues, trends and actors pertinent to the global food system. To be effective in this role, the candidate must be able to advance work independently. The Foundation seeks a Director who brings a passion and energy for discovering food, nutrition and agriculture solutions that can create lasting impact.
The Rockefeller Foundation’s vision is a food system that promotes human and planetary health, advancing more nourishing, regenerative and equitable food systems. The Foundation’s new Good Food Initiative aims to transform the dietary quality of 650M vulnerable children and their families around the world over the next 10 years. The Foundation will contribute to this goal through engaging in:
1. Good Food Policy Advocacy
2. Good Food Institutional Procurement
3. Good Food Data & Science
The Director – Food Initiative will work with food team members and across teams to support the food initiative’s ambitious goal of transforming the food system to improve dietary quality for millions of vulnerable children and their families in Africa and Latin America while enhancing regenerative agriculture and equity of these systems. This role is based in Nairobi, Kenya with 75% level of effort towards leading Good Food Policy and supporting institutional procurement innovations in Africa and 25% towards supporting Good Food Policy and institutional procurement in Latin America. This role manages key internal and external relationships for two Managing Directors – the (MD overseeing the Africa portfolio and the MD overseeing the global portfolio. The Director represents the Food initiative at key events and meetings. The Director – Food Initiative will lead external teams and influence others to realize ambitious goals by implementing strategies that can adapt to changing circumstances. Further, the Director – Food Initiative will provide management and leadership support for the team as it moves into an exciting period of execution and expansion.
This is a 2 year fixed term role, based in Nairobi, Kenya.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities:
• Good Food Policy:
1. Develop, provide close oversight and drive key activities pertinent to Good Food Policy coalitions and initiatives in Africa (75%) and in Latin America (25%)
2. Cultivate high-level relationships with governments, regional bodies, multilateral agencies, the UN system and other food system stakeholders towards the development and implementation of policies, policy bundles and flagship programs leading to improved diet quality and Good Food production and consumption
3. Develop partnerships with other funding agencies for increased resource leveraging towards the Foundation’s Good Food policy goals
4. Support the Managing Director, Food Initiative Africa in the management of the budget and forecasts under Good Food Policy in Africa
5. Manage allocated institutional resources effectively and efficiently in Good Food Policy to ensure our investments yield catalytic change and mobilize others.
6. Provide general advice and support as well as guide partnership identification and building for Good Food Policy in Latin America
• Good Food Institutional Procurement:
1. Lead innovation within the Foundation’s procurement initiative, designing and implementing pilots, new technology development and integrated metrics around diet quality, regenerative agriculture and equity of these systems to enable greater supply of affordable Good Food to institutional and consumer markets
2. Assist in the building a Good Food procurement portfolio in Latin America and support local staff management as may be required
3. Be a thought partner for scaling institutional procurement in Africa and Global teams
• Foundation-wide:
1. Provide thought leadership for the Foundation’s new Good Food Initiative in Africa and Latin America that aims to improve the relative affordability and availability of Good Foods to reduce the burden of disease in those populations and catalyze the emergence of more regenerative and equitable food systems.
2. Participate in and support strategy review and development so that: key hypotheses are fully tested; before and after-action learning leads to continuous improvement
3. Serve as a thought partner to the Managing Directors, Food Initiative Africa and Global on important strategic projects, issues and questions, managing the flow of communications, from the Foundation and external parties as directed by the Managing Directors, Food Initiative.
4. Supervise and oversee the work of external teams as directed by the Managing Directors, Food Initiative Africa and Global
5. Represent the initiative team at external events and meetings in Africa and Global context and is seen as an ambassador and liaison for the entire team and the Foundation.
6. Manages special projects as designated by the Managing Director, Food Initiative Africa

Supervision Received:
The Director – Food Initiative reports to the Managing Director, Food Initiative in Africa and Managing Director, Food Initiative Globally. They will need to work independently and will also be required to exercise sound judgement in the overall functioning of Initiatives under their remit.

Supervision Exercised:
Supervises the staff, as needed by the MDs, Food Initiative.

Education, Experience and Skills
• Master’s degree with a minimum of 12 years’ professional experience, with recognized experience in African food systems as well as work experience in Latin America. Other global experience and senior management experience in leading the delivery of complex operations with a multi-disciplinary team, working with multiple external stakeholders, across locations and time zones is highly desirable.
• Specific experience in policy research and development
• Strong conceptual and analytical skills, with a track record in using data and analytics to inform strategy, priority setting, and decision-making.
• Ability to manage plans and resources to realize those goals in changing circumstances.
• Strong understanding of market-based solutions and agricultural value chains, ideally with experience engaging with investors/donor communities in Africa.
• Experience in communicating externally, either in large groups, or in smaller engagements for representational and influencing purposes.
• Ability to travel frequently, particularly within Africa and Latin America, and at times in challenging rural conditions.
• Understands innovation processes, and the management of scientific research and development initiatives. Specific knowledge of nutrition sciences will be an added advantage
• Fluency in written and spoken English and Spanish. Working knowledge of Portuguese will be an added advantage

Qualifications and Competencies:
• Communication: Has strong interpersonal abilities including strong listening, writing and verbal skills; demonstrates assertiveness and effectiveness in presenting their ideas to a variety of internal and external audiences and for multiple and diverse purposes.
• Decision-Making: Has the ability to evaluate risks and opportunities; uses analytical and problem-solving skills; takes initiative and drives for results; is able to prioritize their own work while accepting ambiguity and functioning in bureaucracy in large organizations.
• Execution: Has good project management skills; manages their own time well and successfully meets deadlines; has a sense of urgency and takes responsibility for their work and is able to juggle multiple tasks simultaneously; works well under pressure; employs attention to detail with their work and has high standards for accomplishing their work.
• Integration: Accesses functional and substantive expertise organizationally, and accomplishes their work with inclusiveness and collaboration.
• Leadership: Thinks innovatively and creatively about their work, has strong negotiation skills which enable them to work effectively and efficiently across a large amount of work, people and all internal and external constituencies and demonstrates accountability for their work.
• Partnership and Relationship Building: Has strong professional presence and can be seen as a key representative of the Foundation and the Food Initiative; has intercultural knowledge and appreciation; and possesses strong strategic partnership-building skills.
• Strategic Ability: Anticipates future opportunities and consequences, demonstrates an innovative and flexible approach to work, and has the ability to organize chaos into a coherent plan and implement it well.
• People Management: Has the skills to manage external teams
• Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: You are committed to the mission of the Foundation, to inclusion, equity and diversity in every aspect of your work, and to challenging conventional wisdom through evidence, reason, and amplifying dissenting, unconventional, and marginalized voices.
As an organization, we focus on six values to advance our culture and to continue our success. We are dedicated to being Transparent, Optimistic, Accountable, Collaborative, Trusted and Equitable. We operate from a strong commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion in everything that we do. It’s not only the right thing to do – we couldn’t make an impact without the diverse perspectives and experiences of our team members. We expect all employees at the Foundation to contribute by developing their unique perspective and talent, and to challenge conventional wisdom through evidence and reason, and by amplifying marginalized voices.
The Rockefeller Foundation is committed to the principles of equal employment opportunity and to compliance with all federal, state, and local laws concerning employment discrimination, including the Americans with Disabilities Act. To this end, the Foundation ensures equal opportunity to all employees and applicants regardless of race, color, age, gender, sexual orientation, religion, marital status, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, lawful alien status, physical, mental, and medical disability, veteran status or liability for service in the United States Armed Forces.
The Rockefeller Foundation is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Education Requirement: No Requirements

Job Experience: No Requirements

Work Hours: 8

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