Background to the role

The Good Food Institute Europe (GFI Europe) is at the forefront of the movement to transform meat production in order to solve some of the world’s biggest problems, from climate change and global hunger, to antibiotic resistance and animal suffering.

We work with scientists, businesses and policymakers to make plant-based and cultivated meat (grown directly from cells) delicious, affordable and accessible. Please check out the rest of our website, our 2025 Year in Review and our 2025 highlights post to find out more about who we are and what we do.

We are at an exciting stage in our growth, and are looking for a Policy Officer to join our EU policy team. 

How you will make a difference

In your role, you will significantly influence how quickly Europe and the world move to a more ethical and sustainable food system. 

Reporting to a Senior Policy Manager, you will be responsible for driving policy impact in Brussels and beyond on alternative proteins. This will include, among other things, driving significantly more public investment into research and development for plant-based, fermentation-made, and cultivated proteins and working to deliver a fair, evidence-based regulatory path-to-market for alternative proteins. 

To achieve this, you will: 

• Help create positive policy change to support plant-based, fermentation-made, and cultivated proteins at the EU level, and, where the opportunity arises, at the national level across Europe.
• Support colleagues to develop and execute lobbying strategies based on thorough research and mapping of decision-makers. 
• Help to build and maintain relationships with elected officials and civil servants at the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Council of the EU, and other public institutions – including at the national level across Europe.
• Work cooperatively with other nonprofit organisations, companies,  academics, and other stakeholders, cultivating strong relationships and engaging respectfully with people who are still to be persuaded. 
• Closely monitor and stay abreast of relevant policy and legislative proposals, spotting opportunities and pre-empting threats. 
• Create persuasive letters, factsheets, policy briefs, and other materials. 
• Together with colleagues, work with the media and use social media to help deliver our policy objectives.
• Represent GFI Europe in meetings with stakeholders and at public events where opportunities arise.
• Work with GFI’s international affiliates to ensure that our activities in Europe support positive policy change for sustainable proteins internationally.
• Perform other tasks as required.  

Who we’re looking for

We primarily hire for skills and potential rather than experience; you do not need to have worked in an You must have:

• A passion for GFI’s philosophy and mission.
• Enthusiasm for driving policy change at the EU level.
• Working experience in policy at the EU, or at a national or multilateral level, for example in a government, public institution, political party, NGO, think tank, industry association, public affairs agency, consulting firm, lobbying organisation or other relevant institution.
• Effective written and verbal communication skills. The ability to convey information clearly and accurately, tailoring the tone and message to various stakeholders, including those who are sceptical.
• Excellent networking, interpersonal, influencing, and relationship-building abilities, and the credibility and persuasiveness to represent GFI to officials and politicians. 
• Strong team spirit and open and collaborative instincts.
• A can-do approach: a self-starter with the drive and initiative to take responsibility for delivering impact and an ability to see projects through to completion.
• An eagerness to learn and to take on new challenges and responsibilities over time.
• An affinity with our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, and with maintaining our welcoming and supportive culture.
• Good level of IT literacy.
• Professional working proficiency in English, both written and spoken.

It would be an advantage to have some or all of the following attributes, but none of them are prerequisites, and we very much welcome applications from candidates without any or all of them:

• Up-to-date knowledge of and familiarity with EU policies relevant to food innovation, for example, Horizon Europe/ FP10, novel foods regulation, and the European Biotech Act.
• A network of relevant contacts in Brussels.
• A demonstrated ability to work effectively with alliances, NGOs, think tanks, academics, and industry actors.
• The ability to fluently speak European languages other than English.

We want the best people and we know that building a diverse, inclusive workplace leads to stronger, happier, more productive and resilient teams. We strongly encourage people of every ethnicity, orientation, age, gender, origin, socio-economic background, and ability to apply. Because we value a diverse workplace, we prioritise an inclusive culture absent of discrimination and harassment during the application process and after you join the team.

Benefits and the fine print

• Terms of employment: Full-time (flexible hours). This is a 12-month fixed-term contract. Renewal may be considered subject to funding availability.
• Location: Home-based in Belgium (in Brussels or within one hour of Brussels by train), from our Brussels office, or a combination of both. You have the possibility of working remotely for periods of time with the approval of your line manager. The whole GFI Europe team will get together in person approximately twice per year for around 3-5 days at a time. Travel costs will be covered by GFI Europe within our travel policy.
• Salary: €3,402- €3,878 gross monthly salary DOE, plus benefits (including 13th month and holiday pay, home-working allowance (if applicable), holiday pay, meal vouchers, eco vouchers, and professional development allocation).
• Right to work requirements: The successful candidate must, by the start of the employment, have permission to work in the country where they are based.
• Application deadline: 27 April 2026, 11.59pm CET. We will get back to all candidates after that date, no matter the outcome of their application: you should expect to hear back from us within about two weeks of the deadline.

Application process

Round	Timeline	Description	Expected Time Commitment
Application	Deadline: 27 April 2026, 11.59pm CET	Fill in the application form, answer two to four short work sample questions and submit your CV.	1 – 1.5 hours
Phone call	Early – Mid May	A short introductory phone call with a member of the Hiring team.	15 – 30 min
Timed assignment	End of May – Early June	Two to five questions simulating the type of work you’d be doing in the role.	1 – 2.5 hours
Final interview	Mid June	Interviews will be conducted remotely on Zoom.We know that interviews can be especially stressful for candidates. We’ve put together this guide so that you know exactly what to expect from our process and, hopefully, have a more relaxed experience.	1.5 hours

Dates and times of assignments and video calls can be arranged to fit around your commitments. Please note that we are ideally aiming for a quick turnaround of this hiring round, so please let us know if we should be aware of any capacity issues on your side.We are planning to make a final offer by mid to late June.

We want you to have every opportunity to shine and show us your talents – we are happy to make all the reasonable adjustments that we possibly can to make sure the assessment process works for you. Email us at europe-hiring@gfi.org

Any questions?

You’ll find the answer to a wide range of questions in relation to this role by checking out the Q&A session with Acacia (the Hiring Manager) and Alex (the Managing Director) below. If you have any other questions about this role, feel free to reach out to us at europe-hiring@gfi.org.

If you’ve read this far but decided not to apply, please share this job description with someone else in your network who you think might be a good fit for the role! Thank you.