Scientific Community Coordinator

Background to the role

Mobilising scientists and students to build a sustainable food system

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 2023 Year in Review and our 2023 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 Scientific Community Coordinator to energise the sector.

How you will make a difference

We need the best scientists in Europe to be engaged in plant-based, cultivated, and fermentation-made protein research and development. As a nascent field, there are relatively few researchers carrying out the most pressing research. Additionally, existing alternative protein researchers may not have access to the latest knowledge, research infrastructure, or collaborators to maximise the impact of their work. 

Working closely with SciTech colleagues in Europe and globally, you will support the scientific community-building function in GFI Europe with a primary focus on a cluster of some of the following priority countries: Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Germany, Netherlands, and Belgium. You will engage and partner with scientists, educators, universities, researcher networks, conferences, companies, and other relevant stakeholders with the twin goals of 1) inspiring existing scientists from other fields to work on alternative proteins, and 2) helping the existing alternative protein research community access the best resources and collaborators. 

As a member of our growing European team, you will help radically transform the food system by:

• Helping to develop and execute our scientific community-building function in high-priority countries in Europe.
• Engaging with scientists, educators, universities, researcher networks, conferences, companies, and other relevant stakeholders to support the existing alternative protein scientific ecosystem, inspire those from other fields to work on alternative protein research and development, and build a strong alternative protein scientific training ecosystem. This includes, but is not limited to:
  • Identifying and mapping scientists, educators, and academic curricula or training pipelines which could increase their contribution towards alternative proteins R&D or technical workforce development.
  • Disseminating GFI’s knowledge and resources directly with scientists or other relevant individuals.
  • Giving presentations at conferences or events.
  • Potentially creating connections and fostering networks of scientists by organising meetings and events.
  • Collaborating with external strategic partners to help amplify GFI’s messaging.
  • Providing mentorship to GFI’s European Alt Protein Project student groups to ensure that they are maximally effective and supported in their scientific community-building work.
• Acting as the bridge and link between GFI’s global SciTech team and external stakeholders in Europe. For example, this could involve sharing scientific community-building related updates, lessons learned, and best practice with your counterpart colleagues in other GFI regions.
• In conjunction with our communications team, supporting the dissemination of relevant news in science media, social media, and GFI-managed channels (such as the GFI Europe newsletter).
• Maintaining organised and efficient systems for tracking your engagement with different external stakeholders.
• Performing other tasks as required as a member of our small, nimble team.

Who we’re looking for

We primarily hire for skills and potential rather than experience; you do not need to have worked in an Operations or administrative role before. The core skills and attributes needed to excel in the role are:

• A passion for GFI’s philosophy and mission.
• Excellent people skills: the ability to influence, network, build alliances, and represent GFI in front of academic and other stakeholders.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills (including public speaking skills or the ability to develop these), and the ability to tailor messages to a range of different audiences in the research and education ecosystem.
• A BSc (or equivalent) in a science or engineering field.
• The ability to develop a functional understanding of the principles, methods, equipment, and techniques used in plant-based, cultivated, and fermentation-made protein research and manufacturing.
• A strategic mind; with your team, you will be responsible for selecting the highest-impact things to work on to grow and support the scientific community.
• 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.
• 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 with minimal supervision.
• 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.
• Fluent English, both written and spoken.

The ideal candidate may also have some of the following, although these are absolutely not requirements:

• Experience working in or adjacent to scientific research or education.
• The ability to work in European languages other than English.
• An established network and rapport with a broad range of contacts relevant to GFI.

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. 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. Requests for part-time hours (30 hours/week or above) can be considered. Please state this in your application.
• Location: Flexible – we will consider applicants who are based in one of the following countries: Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Germany, Netherlands, or Belgium. This is a remote role, and you will be able to work from home, or anywhere you choose (within these countries). We are happy to consider supporting costs for co-working to enable you to work from an office if you wish. You would be expected to travel routinely for conferences and other events per the requirements of the role. The whole GFI Europe team aims to 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. We actively encourage people based in any of the above-listed countries to apply for this role.
• Salary: 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. Due to capacity, we cannot complete that research for every European country in advance, but approximate indicative ranges (total annual amounts received in gross salary plus benefits including home-working allowance) are likely to be:
  • €4,410 to €4,903 per month if based in Germany.
• 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: 26 May, 11.59pm CEST. 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.