Director Sustainable Diets

You can be based in The Hague, London or in Washington DC – please indicate in your application which location you are legally able to work.

Job Summary

Reporting to the WRI Vice President of Food, Forests, Water, and the Ocean, you will take our ambitious, world-class work on sustainable diets to the “next level”—to deepen our behavioral research agenda, grow the scale of Cool Food to over 10 billion meals a year, and expand our global reach into Europe, South America and Asia. You will be responsible for WRI’s overall strategy, management, thought leadership, and fundraising on sustainable diets. 

You will be expected to become a leading voice across the food system, influencing senior business executives, civil society leaders and policy makers to fashion a more equitable, healthy, and sustainable food system. You will represent WRI at high profile forums and events, such as the UN Food System Summit and become an established media spokesperson on the issue. 

The role is best suited to an individual with an entrepreneurial spirit who wants to drive real-world change. An ability to create agenda-setting ideas, raise the funds to make them happen, and corral broad support is critical. Experience in marketing, behavioral science, and the food industry is preferred but not essential. Agriculture accounts for about a quarter of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions and is the number one cause of deforestation. Shifting diets from meat, especially beef and lamb, towards more plants is a major lever in tackling these challenges. However, meat consumption continues to grow throughout much of the world.

WRI seeks to change that.

An early mover in this agenda, WRI has established two world-class initiatives focused on dietary change. The first, the Better Buying Lab, brings together behavioral scientists with businesses and academics to develop cutting-edge research into how consumers can be nudged towards more sustainable food choices. The Lab’s research agenda stretches from the United States to Europe, and from China to Brazil. To then scale impact, our Cool Food initiative works with the companies to make changes that encourage consumers to choose more sustainable, plant-rich options. Established in 2018, Cool Food consists of two elements: (i) the Cool Food Pledge, which works with 60 organizations that serve over 1 billion meals a year to cut the emissions of the food they serve, and (ii) Cool Food Meals, a consumer-facing label that influences more than 600 million meals a year. Cool Food has been covered extensively in the media, won a series of awards, and collaborates with major multinational companies such as IKEA, Panera, and Nestlé. 

This position is remote due to Covid-19, but you will be based at WRI’s office in The Hague or London or in Washington, DC once restrictions have lifted.

Job Responsibilities

Strategy and impact (25%)

• Further develop and continuously refine WRI’s strategy on sustainable diets
• Identify new opportunities for WRI to contribute research and impact on sustainable diets agenda, pioneering new initiatives and lines of work as appropriate
• Significantly grow the number of companies and the volume of meals under Cool Food. Scaling Cool Food Pledge to cover 4 billion meals and Cool Food Meal to 6 billion meals per year by 2024
• Build out the Cool Food brand, driving its reach and recognition

Management and Leadership (25%)

• Manage a team of ~10 staff to research how diet change can happen and use the insights to drive real-world impact
• Recruit, train, and retain high-quality staff
• Ensure effective management and engagement of external partners
• Manage budgets and financial performance with support from members of the Operations Team, taking appropriate action to ensure financial objectives are met
• Represent WRI’s work on sustainable diets. Become a go-to thought leader on the topic, helping to shape the global sustainable diets agenda

Research and outreach (25%)

• Present WRI’s work on sustainable diets at public events, C-suites, and more in a persuasive and compelling manner
• Working in partnership with WRI’s communication team, oversee a media plan that maximizes awareness of our work, findings, and impact
• Identify knowledge gaps and help the team structure research agendas in the realm of dietary change and sustainability
• Build and coach research team to be able to deliver high-quality research reports and findings
• Serve as a co-author on critical reports

Fundraising/funder stewardship (25%)

• Develop and execute a long-term fundraising plan for WRI’s sustainable diets initiative that involves foundations, high-net-worth individuals, and companies (e.g., licensing fees)
• Conceive, write, help others prepare, and solicit impactful 6-8 figure grant proposals
• Manage donor relationships and ensure funding commitments are realized

Job Qualifications

• Master’s degree required
• Minimum of 15 years of relevant full-time work experience with 8 years of experience in program or project leadership
• Experience in developing business partnerships and growing a network of partners
• Experience of working with businesses, ideally with companies in the food industry
• Business acumen with experience in developing strategies that drive impact and revenue
• Bold visionary and strategic thinker
• Entrepreneurial spirit and wide-ranging intellectual curiosity
• World-class presentation skills (ability to communicate clearly, passionately, and compellingly)
• Effective motivator of people to fulfill their potential and achieve results
• Experience in leading a team
• Demonstrated fundraising track record, including securing multi-year six or seven figure funding
• An understanding of sustainable diets, food marketing and/or behavioral science is preferred
• Ability to travel, especially internationally, about 20% of time (post-COVID)

How to Apply: Please submit a resume with cover letter. Applicants must apply through the WRI Careers portal to be considered.

Program Overview

The Food and Land Use Coalition (FOLU) is a self-governed Coalition of organizations and individuals working collaboratively to achieve a shared objective: the urgent transformation of food and land use systems to deliver a better future for people, nature and climate. FOLU supports science-based solutions and helps to build a shared understanding of the challenges and opportunities to unlock collective, ambitious action. FOLU’s Growing Better report recommends an integrated reform agenda along ten critical transitions to deliver positive outcomes for environment, health, inclusive development and food security, ensuring food and land use systems support delivery of globally agreed sustainable development, climate and biodiversity goals. The Coalition’s collective leadership is provided by a Core Partners Group comprised of: The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), EAT, the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), SYSTEMIQ, World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), World Farmers’ Organization (WFO), and the World Resources Institute (WRI). Through the Food, Agriculture, Biodiversity, Land Use, and Energy (FABLE) Consortium, FOLU has expert teams and networks in 18 countries, including the European Union. FABLE is a knowledge network that supports countries develop data and modelling infrastructure to promote ambitious, integrated strategies towards sustainable land use and food systems. FOLU country platforms are operating in: China, Colombia, India, Indonesia, Ethiopia and Sub-Saharan Africa, with partner networks in Australia, the UK and the Nordic region.

WRI Overview 

World Resources Institute (WRI) is an independent, nonprofit global research organization that turns big ideas into action at the nexus of environment, economic opportunity and human well-being. We are working to address seven critical challenges that the world must overcome this decade in order to secure a sustainable future for people and the planet: climate change, energy, food, forests, water, sustainable cities, and the ocean. 

We are passionate. We value our diversity of interests, skills and backgrounds. We have a flexible work environment. And we share a common goal to catalyze change that will improve the lives of people. Our shared ideals are at the core of our approach. They include: integrity, innovation, urgency, independence and respect. 

The foundation of our work is delivering high-quality research, data, maps and analysis to solve the world’s greatest environment and international development challenges, and improve people’s lives. We work with leaders in government, business and civil society to drive ambitious action and create change on the ground. Equally important, we bring together partners to develop breakthrough ideas and scale-up solutions for far-reaching, enduring impact.  

We have been growing rapidly: our staff has doubled in size over the past 5 years and our operating budget is now $150 million. Founded in 1982, WRI has a global staff of 1,000+ people with work spanning 60 countries. We have offices in Africa, Brazil, China, Europe, India, Indonesia, Mexico and the United States as well as a growing presence in other countries and regions.   

WRI is committed to advancing gender and social equity for human well-being in our mission and applies this principle to our organizational and programmatic practices.