Strategic Project Manager: Food Systems Transformation

Organisation
The British Nutrition Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation which exists to give people, educators, and organisations access to reliable information on nutrition. Grounded in science, working with experts, we support people and organisations on their journey towards a healthy, sustainable diet. Our vision is that everyone can access healthy, sustainable diets, and we contribute to this by translating evidence-based nutrition science in engaging and actionable ways.

Changing the food environment is a critical pillar of our strategy. We drive change by engaging with existing and new members, to help corporate nutritionists and other stakeholders develop and implement effective strategies for improved nutrition and support creation of healthier, more sustainable products.

Role
The purpose of this role is to position the BNF as a progressive, challenging, and valued advisor to the food industry, and strategically increase our influence through a clear and compelling membership proposition and on-time in full delivery of commissioned projects or consultancy. This will be done through:

• Developing a 18-24 month plan to build upon existing relationships with member organisations and engage across member businesses at a senior level
• Coordinating the timely, cost-effective delivery (across the British Nutrition Foundation) of membership benefits and member-funded projects.
• Acting as the day-to-day point of contact for larger members and engage BNF colleagues as appropriate.
• Developing opportunities to expand membership and non-member income through exceptional added-value expertise.
• Delivering a programme of commissioned projects and communications - engaging members to share best practice and demonstrate added value.
• Line management support, coaching and development for a team of Nutrition Scientists.
• Critically reviewing outcomes and evaluate the impact of our work.

Our successful candidate will

•  Hold a degree or equivalent in a relevant field. Holding a nutrition science degree is not essential however qualifications should be rooted in science, with experience of interacting with scientific and research communities.
• Have strong experience of project management and ideally used to working with collaboration tools such as Monday or Microsoft Project etc.
• Have experience in the type of environments familiar to BNF members. This may be Agriculture, Food Manufacturing, Catering or Retail.
• Have significant experience leading complex projects across the food or science sectors with a track record of on-time, to budget project delivery. This is likely to have been in a senior role in areas such as Nutrition, R&D, Product Development or in commercial areas such as Project Management, Marketing or Business Development in the food sector.
• Have a strong interest in sustainability and knowledge of ESG reporting and the impact on the food industry.
• Have excellent written, interpersonal and communication skills, with an ability to explain technical solutions in plain English.
• Excellent analytical and influencing skills with strong commercial acumen.
• Track record of fostering a productive and supportive working environment, and of developing people to progress further, delegating responsibilities as appropriate and supporting career development.
• Ability to manage change and to adapt positively to unexpected demands and a positive ‘can-do’ attitude.
• Experience of consultative selling and business development, ideally in the food sector (Food Manufacturing, Retailing, Catering, QSRs, Hospitality or other) would be an advantage.

Our values

The values of the British Nutrition Foundation are integrity, collaboration, quality, and positivity, and we have a strong commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion as set out in our EDI Strategy.
We expect all colleagues to seek to demonstrate these values and to promote them widely in their work and behaviours.

We welcome applications from all groups. Our approach to diversity is simple —it’s about embracing everyone, and everyone is welcome at the British Nutrition Foundation. We are committed to welcoming all applicants with the right skills, regardless of gender identity, orientation or expression, age, race, physical or mental ability, ethnicity, and perspective. Diversity fuels innovation, brings diversity of thought, and connects us more closely to the organisations and people we work with. If you need any specific arrangements to be made or considerations to be taken during our recruitment and selection process to enable you to perform at your best, please let us know.

Please note, all CVs and cover letters will be sent to Beststart HR, our outsourced HR team.