Background to the role

Help people, animals and the planet by delivering supportive public policy for plant-based and cultivated meat in Germany and the EU

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 2021 Year in Review and our 2021 Europe highlights blog 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 Public Affairs Specialist Germany to join our team. For more information about this role, please read the job brochure.

How you will make a difference

Your role will have high responsibility and high impact. You will significantly influence how quickly Germany and Europe move to a more ethical and sustainable food system. 

Reporting to our Public Affairs Manager in Germany, you will be responsible for driving policy impact in Germany and, to a limited extent, in Austria and Switzerland. This will include, among other things, driving significantly more public investment into research and development for plant-based and cultivated meat, working to deliver a solid, evidence-based regulatory path-to-market for plant-based and cultivated proteins, and securing a level-playing-field for plant-based and cultivated food products in Germany.

You will be part of our policy team and influence the policy discourse to maximise support and minimise opposition to sustainable proteins in Europe. Together with our communications team, you will also ensure that media in the DACH area acknowledge the benefits of plant-based and cultivated meat for the environment and public health. The exact ratio of policy and communications responsibilities will depend on the previous experience and interests of the successful candidate in each of these fields.

As a key member of our Germany team, you will:

• Deliver positive government policy change to support plant-based and cultivated proteins in Germany and, where opportunities arise, in Switzerland and Austria.
• Analyse political debates and the stakeholder landscape in the German-speaking world and, based on this, provide support in shaping our policy strategy.
• Advise policymakers and civil servants in relevant public institutions, including the Bundesregierung, the Bundestag, as well as other national institutions.
• Lead our policy work on the state level, including advising state governments and representatives from state parliaments.
• Work with the media to raise the profile of alternative proteins in the DACH region and to make the case for our positions.
• Plan and deliver events in Germany (eg symposiums, roundtables, webinars), including managing service providers.
• Create persuasive resources for our stakeholder outreach, eg letters, factsheets, policy briefs and presentations.
• Represent GFI Europe at events and in meetings with different types of stakeholders to advocate for alternative proteins. 
• Work cooperatively with other nonprofit organisations, think tanks and companies – cultivating strong relationships and engaging respectfully with people who are still to be persuaded.
• Closely monitor and stay abreast of relevant policy proposals – spotting opportunities and pre-empting threats.
• Perform other relevant duties as required.

Who we’re looking for

You must have:

• A passion for GFI’s philosophy and mission.

• Enthusiasm for driving policy change and driving positive narratives on plant-based and cultivated meat. 
• Proven success in working on policy, for example in a government, parliament, public authority, political party, NGO, think tank, industry association, public affairs agency or other relevant institution.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills in German – including the ability to present complex technical and political issues in comprehensible and user-friendly language.
• Excellent networking and relationship-building abilities, and the credibility and persuasiveness to represent GFI to policymakers, journalists and other stakeholders.
• Comfort working remotely in a rapidly-growing and evolving organisation: the ability to work well independently and under pressure, set priorities, coordinate multiple projects simultaneously, and meet deadlines. 
• 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 and a willingness to learn new software packages. 
• Working proficiency in English. 

It would be an advantage to have some or all of the following attributes, but none of them are prerequisites:

• Experience in one or more of the following policy areas: food and agriculture, research and innovation, climate change, public health. 

• A demonstrated ability to interact with the media in a persuasive way and digital communications experience, including producing content for social media.
• A strong network of contacts with policymakers and/or journalists in Germany.
• A demonstrated ability to build alliances with NGOs and industry actors.

We want the best people and we don’t want biases holding us back. We strongly encourage people of every colour, orientation, age, gender, origin, and ability to apply. As we are a pan-European organisation, we welcome applications from people from nations, locations and cultures across the whole continent. Because we value a diverse workplace, we prioritise an inclusive climate 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), permanent. 
• Location: Flexible. We will consider candidates from anywhere in Europe. You will need to be willing and able to travel to Berlin every few weeks, and sometimes at short notice. You will mainly be working remotely from your home, or wherever you choose. We are happy to consider supporting costs for co-working to enable you to work from an office if you wish. You and the whole GFI Europe team will get together in person approximately twice per year for around 3-4 days at a time. Travel costs will be covered by GFI Europe within our travel policy.
• Salary and benefits: The salary and benefits package for all of our roles are researched and benchmarked based on similar nonprofit roles in the country/location of hire. The approximate indicative range (total annual amounts received in monthly gross salary plus benefits including home-working allowance) for Germany is likely to be €3,600 to €4,000.
• 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, and to travel in the EU.
• Application Deadline: 11 December 2022, 11.59 pm 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 a week of the deadline.

Application process

Please upload your CV and sample work tasks through the short application form here. The sample work tasks document can be found here.

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

The full application process is outlined in the job brochure. We really look forward to hearing from you!

Q&A

Watch the recording of our Q&A session, where Senior Public Affairs Manager Ivo Rezgotta and Talent Acquisition and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Specialist Catherine Derieux answered applicants’ questions about the role:

If you have any questions about this role, please do reach out to us at  europe@gfi.org.

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