Careers at GFI Europe – frequently asked questions

Yes, to the very best of our ability. We have built our way of working and culture at GFI Europe to enable as much flexibility as possible with only one or two fixed team meeting slots every week. We are happy to be open-minded about the exact hours you work (depending on your role, of course – more senior or more engagement-focused roles will require you to be more available for external meetings, etc), and we want to enable you to work your hours when it works best for you. 

If you want to take a yoga class for a couple of hours in the middle of the day and can plan your work around that, that’s great – just make up the time later. If you need to adjust your working hours to fit around medical needs or caring responsibilities, that’s totally fine too. 

We just ask that you keep open communication with your team, to ensure that everyone is supported and everyone’s needs are being met, and that you agree on any big changes with your manager and keep your calendar up to date so your colleagues know when you are working.

We only have the ability to employ people in certain countries. Those countries currently are Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and the UK. As we are registered with the national authorities as an employer in those countries, your contract would be subject to national employment law in that country, and all taxes and benefits would be paid locally according to requirements and standards in that country. You must be a tax resident and have the right to work in the country where you would be contracted at the beginning of your employment with us. Unfortunately, we are not registered to sponsor visas in any country at present.

Certain roles may be restricted to only one or two countries if the requirements of the role dictate location. If this is the case, it will be clearly indicated in the terms for the role you’re applying for.

We are very open to people travelling and working remotely. You will just need to comply with your country’s rules on things like tax residency and location, etc. Note that this may limit the number of weeks you can spend working outside of your country, and you would be responsible for making sure that you are working legally and compliantly in the given country.

There are three main audience groups that we work with at GFI Europe: firstly, we work with academics and scientists to energise the sector and to secure research funding focused on the most important challenges and the most scalable solutions. Secondly, we educate the food industry by providing research and resources that demonstrate where opportunities for sustainable growth lie. Thirdly, we work with decision-makers, political leaders, influencers and those shaping the narrative of alternative proteins across Europe.

We want to see an increase in investment, both public and private, as well as a level playing field so that alternative proteins can scale rapidly and fulfil their potential as a sustainable and just solution to some of the greatest challenges of our time including climate breakdown, animal welfare issues, pandemics, antibiotic resistance and more.

Yes! We have in-person team retreats including at least one annually where the whole of GFI Europe’s team comes together to connect, co-work and strengthen our relationships. Each department also meets at least once annually either independently or as part of a wider team meet-up.

If your role involves travel or if you are based in the same city as a colleague, there will absolutely be opportunities to co-work or meet up. We’re also very open-minded to suggestions of co-working in smaller groups where there is a high value in doing so. Ultimately, we want our colleagues to have the opportunity to build connections with one another, despite our remote set-up

Our team engagement surveys consistently show that our working culture is open, welcoming, compassionate and supportive. The last time we counted, our small team in Europe included citizens of over 15 countries, and we also collaborate with other GFI affiliates in six other regions of the world. This brings a really rich and unique cultural diversity to our work.

We take diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) very seriously, and we continually look for opportunities to improve. You might have noticed that our recruitment process is quite different from many organisations. Many of those differences are due to our desire to remove barriers and unintended biases from our processes. 

We have designed our assessments carefully so that we look at skills and abilities and are not distracted by experience or demographics. For the vast majority of our roles, we do not even ask for a CV until the final stages when we need to look for references. This is because, frankly, we’re not interested in where you’ve worked, whether you went to university, how many years of experience you have, etc. We just want to know whether you can do a great job!

We want everyone in our team to thrive and be able to bring their full selves to work. GFI hosts an LGBTQIA+ affinity group, a mental health and overall wellbeing working group, a language club, and a number of other initiatives to foster team connection and inclusion.

Not at all! We have a wide range of dietary preferences among our team: some are vegetarian, some vegan and some eat meat. As an organisation, we do not try to tell people what they can or can’t eat – we work to diversify Europe’s protein supply by ensuring sustainable options are delicious, affordable and accessible to everyone. If you believe in our mission, you will be in good company no matter what you choose to eat.

The world of alternative proteins is fast-paced with exciting new developments all the time. If you want to catch up on the latest, check out our latest blogs and consider signing up for our newsletter to stay updated on what we and the field are up to!