ATNI – Access to Nutrition Initiative

Senior Policy Manager

ATNI – Access to Nutrition Initiative

Utrecht, London or Geneva

Organization and overall purpose:

The Access to Nutrition Initiative (ATNI) is a not-for-profit organization based in the Netherlands.

ATNI shapes markets so they deliver more nutritious, affordable foods for all. Through accountability tools and strategies, ATNI empowers key actors in the food system – starting with industry – to accelerate sustainable access to nutritious and affordable foods. We catalyse change through effective collaboration with companies, investors, policymakers, consumer representatives and civic leaders.

Remaining independent and free of any undue influence, ATNI scrutinizes the performance of the world’s food and beverage companies, benchmarking industry leaders on a range of nutrition-related topics and indicators. We provide companies, investors and policymakers with the data, analyses and intel they need to drive sustainable change.

For more information on ATNI, please visit our website www.accesstonutrition.org.

The role:

To strengthen ATNI’s new strategy (2023-2027) – and in particular its Policy workstream – ATNI seeks a Senior Policy Manager. Evidence-based policy is central to market transformation that drives availability, access, and consumption of healthier foods. ATNI’s 5-year strategy highlights policy as a requisite driver of change and impact.  Policies that improve diets and private sector engagement are in scope, as well as both public (government) and private (company) policies (e.g. fiscal policies; ESG regulatory policies; regulating lobbying).

Together with the ATNI staff, external consultants and strategic partners, the Senior Policy Manager will play a role in developing ATNI’s new Policy workstream. This will include developing ATNI’s policy strategy, mapping strategic alliances, developing/maintaining strategic relationships with policy makers, growing the ATNI platform for stimulating debate on nutrition policies, following international and national policy processes and advise on the policy angle of existing and future projects.

Day-to-day activities include liaising with the team, donors and partners to understand policy needs that will drive impact, and where ATNI could play a role. It will include building up institutional knowledge of nutrition policies, deepening relationships with existing partners and establishing new partnerships to collaborate, map and monitor policy processes. Additionally, it includes developing new relationships with policy institutions and linking up with project managers to maximise the policy impact of ATNI and its projects.

The Senior Policy Manager will be the lead on the Policy workstream that is a new workstream for ATNI and will focus on developing a policy strategy and developing this segment. The role of the Manager is tightly integrated within ATNI as part of a matrix structure.

The Senior Policy Manager will report directly to the Executive Director, and work closely with the Research Director, communications team and project teams.

This is a unique opportunity to have a substantial positive impact on improving global health by helping to fundamentally shape the nutrition standards and practices of the food industry and the data being used by stakeholders including investors.

Duties & responsibilities include (but are not limited to):

• Policy strategy: develop policy strategy, in consultation with the team and external stakeholders, and focus on how ATNI’s research data, analyses and influence can be used to inform policy processes and for development of new policies;
• Reporting and writing: collect information on policy processes – mostly as part of ongoing projects, write policy briefings, and relevant articles and blogposts, and, together with the Comms team organize relevant online events around nutrition policies. In addition, collect evidence and write position papers, as relevant;
• Monitoring of current and future policy processes and developing position papers/policy briefs to increase ATNI’s participation and visibility;
• Representing ATNI in external platforms, networks, and alliances: participate in relevant nutrition related for and/or lead dialogues/processes on relevant policies for nutrition and food systems;
• Stakeholder engagement: focus on developing a network of policy makers, advocacy organisations and relevant stakeholders to scale-up ATNI’s policy work and increase ATNI’s participation in existing coalitions focusing on policy work.

Job requirements:

Minimum requirements:

• Master’s degree in a relevant discipline (international relations, politics, public health, nutrition, business, development, sustainability/CSR);
• At least 10 years of relevant work experience in policy work that includes nutrition and/or food systems;
• Affiliation/Knowledge of nutrition issues as they apply to the F&B sector;
• Experience in developing and implementing policy strategies, and leading projects.

Skills required:

• Excellent understanding of international policy processes;
• Proven policy and writing skills, with attention to detail and consistency;
• Experience with benchmarking approaches is an advantage;
• Ability to analyze written information (e.g. position papers, policy consultations, policy papers, etc.);
• Proven ability to write clear and consistent reports;
• Excellent written and spoken English;
• Good planning, management/coaching and self-organization skills;
• Good communication skills to facilitate internal and external communication related to stakeholder engagement;
• Good IT skills including use of data-management platforms and Microsoft products (Excel, PowerPoint and Word) to present information;
• Existing policy network and advocacy experience are desired.

Qualities required:

• Highly motivated, self-directed and adaptable. Able to work on multiple projects in parallel;
• Strongly committed to addressing the world’s nutrition challenges and an interest and willingness to (further) develop expertise in relevant areas of nutrition;
• Team-player: enjoys working as part of a growing team, collaboratively and flexibly;
• Understand the challenges/limitations of working for a small NGO.

Candidate should be eligible to work in the Netherlands (or UK, Switzerland). Existing necessary permits and approvals to work in the EU (or UK, Switzerland) are required.

Application process:

Closing date: Interviews will take place on a rolling basis. Final deadline is Thursday, 7 December 2023.

How to apply: Send a cover letter and max 2-page CV to Efi Chatzinikolaou [email protected]. For enquiries, please use the same contact.

Interviews will be conducted where possible in-person, and otherwise over Microsoft Teams.