Science and Technology Associate

The Good Food Institute India (GFI India) is at the forefront of the movement to use food technology and markets to solve some of the world’s biggest problems relating to climate change, global hunger, antibiotic resistance, and future pandemics, by working to build the smart protein sector from the ground up. We’re creating a transformative industry similar to renewable energy, and we’re doing it fast. Your work will be critical to the fight of our lifetime - stewarding public and planetary health.

How You Will Make a Difference 

It’s a critical time for smart protein in India and globally. We’ve seen several exciting announcements and a promising beginning, with GFI India at the centre of these developments, but plenty of work remains to build a truly thriving industry and achieve our public and planetary health goals. As a mission-focused non-profit, GFI India builds the smart protein sector across business, science, and policy, and the Science and Technology Associate will power our work on the scientific front by helping us take our research and academic engagement initiatives to the next level. 

As GFI India’s Science and Technology Associate, you will work with our team of experts to build our scientific community of partners across academic, government, and industry, and lead our efforts to ensure that the science and technologies behind the sector are cutting-edge and exceptional. You will make GFI India’s work possible by working closely with your colleagues within the Science and Technology Department to accelerate the impact of smart protein (plant-based, cultivated, and fermentation-derived meat, eggs and dairy) - foods that are vastly better for human and planetary health than their conventional counterparts. You will play a pivotal role in our mission to tackle the world's most pressing problems relating to climate change, global hunger, antibiotic resistance, and future pandemics, and power our work on the scientific front through:

Community building and stakeholder management

• Manage all incoming inquiries to the Science and Technology department, automate and set in place processes for responding to queries, and serve as the first point of contact for our stakeholders’ access to GFI India’s scientific resources.
• Support the SciTech team with the regular cadence of stakeholder engagements and the compilation of strategic documents for academic engagement, including follow-up, documentation and research. 
• Build on GFI India’s existing GFIdeas India community, including key universities and researchers, organising networking events, and managing stakeholder data on systems such as Salesforce. Draft, deliver and manage Scitech-related social media content for the GFIdeas community as the SciTech community manager. 
• Conceptualise, draft and disseminate the GFIdeas India community scientific deep-dive newsletters and any other internal or external scientific publications or resources.
• Conceptualise and conduct webinars (both within GFIdeas India and with other GFI affiliates) to improve visibility of researchers and innovators in the Indian smart protein ecosystem and promote international collaborations. 

Talent building, education and workforce development

• Lead GFI India’s talent development efforts through education and training initiatives, which include but are not limited to co-developing smart protein modules/electives/short courses with university stakeholders. 
• Lead university outreach programs such as Smart Protein Project, including expansion, programming, mentorship, and strategy.
• Conduct events and related programming centered around community building and talent development at universities and as subsets to larger events such as the Smart Protein Forum, ISPIC, etc. 

Analysis & Resource Development

• Support GFI India’s scientific analysis work with thorough secondary research & scientific writing, create primer documents and maintain the document library.
• Develop internal scientific resources and external key audiences, including students and senior researchers in academia and government agencies, in partnership with the Policy, Industry, and Communications team.
• Work with global affiliates for building internal and external resources for GFI-led talent development. 

Operational excellence and reporting

• Work with the Science and Technology team to ensure all projects and associated reporting are undertaken in a timely manner. 
• Work with Operations to provide support from SciTech, and following all human resources and operational procedures.
• Bring to bear your organisational skills, data literacy, and technology/process optimisation thoroughness on our work within the Science and Technology function, and across the team. 
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Who We’re Looking For: 

We are looking for smart, thoughtful, and creative self-starters who want to push back against climate change, transform industrial animal agriculture, and develop healthy and humane foods that are accessible to everyone. GFI India staff enjoy high levels of autonomy and must be self-motivated, work well both independently and in concert with a larger group, and be comfortable working with a rapidly evolving and growing team. 

An ideal candidate for the Science & Technology Associate position will have the skills & experience that reflects the following:

Knowledge and experience:

• An undergraduate degree in Biotechnology/ Chemical Engineering is preferred or in allied scientific fields (Food Science, Food Technology, Microbiology). A master's, or advanced scientific degree would be very advantageous.
• Up to two years’ professional experience in a related field.
• Functional understanding of the principles, methods, equipment and techniques used in one or more of these areas: bioprocess technology, cell biology, and biochemistry.
• Strong experience in working with scientific data and report writing, with an inherent sense of curiosity and a scientific approach to information at hand. The ability to translate scientific information into formats for lay professionals would be hugely advantageous. 
• A broad understanding of university engagement models within the framework of scientific research and curriculum development would be a strong advantage. 
• Experience in managing digital communities (LinkedIn, Slack, MailChimp) and an understanding of social media engagement would be preferable.

Skills and behavioural attributes:

• Strong support for GFI’s philosophy and mission; demonstrated interest in public health, environmentalism, hunger relief, animal protection, or the drive and initiative to take responsibility for delivering impact.
• Excellent written and verbal communications and organisational skills, with experience in and comfort with communicating with a range of stakeholders. 
• The demonstrated ability to communicate complex information clearly in writing and in oral presentations to a range of audiences.
• Strong work ethic and ability to see projects through to completion.
• Highly effective organisational and interpersonal skills. 
• Self-motivated and able to work well independently under pressure.
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously and meet competing deadlines.
• Ability to work creatively and effectively as a team member.
• Comfort working remotely and in-person as required, and in a rapidly growing and evolving organisation.

Terms of employment: Full-time 

Reports to: Head of Science and Technology

Location: Remote (with in-person working with colleagues for retreats & meetings as required)

Salary: Up to INR 16 lakh per annum (commensurate with skills and experience)

Benefits: 

• Hugely meaningful work at the forefront of a fast-growing, intellectually challenging sector
• Working in a warm, inclusive and high impact team environment
• Health insurance plan, work-from-home equipment allowance, mental health support budget
• Flexible work, including work from home with periodic opportunities to meet with team members

To apply: Please submit your CV and a cover letter outlining how your academic background and work experience make you a good fit for this role in terms of your personal and professional qualifications using this link - https://gfi-india.org/career-detail/?gh_jid=4624246005

Candidates who have experience working with a diverse range of people and who can contribute to the climate of inclusivity are encouraged to identify their experiences in these areas. We want the best people and we don’t want biases holding us back. We strongly encourage people of every color, 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.

Questions? If you have any questions about this role, please write to us at india@gfi.org with the subject line “Query: Careers at GFI India”. 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!