DirecciónAbout the Position
The Insect Institute addresses urgent issues relating to environmental sustainability, climate change, animal welfare, and public health in the context of the rapidly-growing insects as food and feed industry.
We are now hiring for a vital, exciting, foundational role: a full-time program coordinator or program officer (depending on the qualifications of the successful candidate). Reporting directly to Dustin Crummett, our Executive Director, the successful candidate will be our second full-time team member, and will be tasked with helping to carry out the Insect Institute’s interventions. This is a high-responsibility role, where you will have the opportunity to drive real impact for our mission.
Specific assignments may be tailored partly to the qualifications and strengths of the successful candidate, but are likely to include, for instance, outreach to and engagement with relevant stakeholders, such as policymakers, regulators, other non-profits, or potentially media. Suitably skilled candidates may also be offered the opportunity to contribute to tasks such as research and report writing. As we have a small core team and are working in a novel area, the successful candidate must possess flexibility and adaptability, including the ability to contribute to new projects, support strategic pivots, and more generally to proactively do what is needed to help the Insect Institute’s projects be successfully carried out. The role will likely become more specialized as our team expands in the future, with, again, the development of the position depending on the qualifications and strengths of the candidate.
Program Coordinators hired at a more senior level will be entrusted with significant responsibility and potentially asked for input on the strategic direction of the organization. Program Officers hired at a less senior level may have opportunities for promotion as the organization expands in the future. We expect that a more senior level will be offered based primarily on the degree to which the successful candidate meets the preferred qualifications listed below.
Program Coordinators hired at a more senior level will be entrusted with significant responsibility and potentially asked for input on the strategic direction of the organization. Program Officers hired at a less senior level may have opportunities for promotion as the organization expands in the future. We expect that a more senior level will be offered based primarily on the degree to which the successful candidate meets the preferred qualifications listed below.
This role is fully remote and we are able to legally hire in many countries; it would be especially helpful if candidates are in the US or UK, but please do not let this deter you from applying if you are not. In certain cases, we may be able to provide visa sponsorship to the US or UK and help candidates relocate, though, again, this is not required. If you have questions about whether we can hire or provide visa sponsorship in another country and if this will influence your decision about applying, please contact info@insectinstitute.org before submitting your application. While we welcome applicants from all time zones, you may be expected to attend meetings during working hours in North America. Depending on your personal timezone, this might mean early morning or evening calls; however, you would not be required to attend calls outside of waking hours.
Key Responsibilities
- Implementing the Insect Institute’s interventions. This might include, but not necessarily be limited to, activities like:
- Working with legislators on, e.g., environmental issues related to the adoption of insects as food and feed
- Outreach to regulators in US executive agencies or UK ministries on, e.g., food safety issues related to insect farming
- Outreach to and collaboration on projects with other NGOs, such as environmental, public health, or animal welfare organizations
- Drafting press releases and conducting outreach to journalists
- Especially for more senior levels, taking initiative to, e.g., identify ways to improve on current interventions, or to identify opportunities for new interventions
- If hired at a more senior level, potentially managing others, especially as the Insect Institute expands in the future
- For candidates with suitable skills, potentially some degree of research and report writing
What We Are Looking For
Requirements
- Strong written and oral communication skills
- Ability to credibly and persuasively represent the Insect Institute’s positions to other stakeholders
- We do not require starting familiarity with relevant academic domains (e.g., environmental science, public health, animal welfare, entomology) or with the state of The Insects as food and feed industry. However, the candidate should possess the ability to gain familiarity as needed, and to proactively stay abreast of developments
- Adaptability, flexibility, and willingness to proactively do what is necessary to give the Insect Institute’s projects the greatest chance of success
Preferred
If you do not meet all of the below criteria, please still consider applying. Please also take an expansive interpretation of the below criteria (e.g., if you are not sure whether your work experience is relevant, err on the side of assuming it might be).
- Relevant work experience (such as, e.g., work in policy, advocacy, or alternative proteins). Relevant backgrounds might include but are not limited to, e.g.:
- Outreach to legislators or relevant government agencies (such as the USDA or FDA in the US, or Defra or the FSA in the UK), especially if on relevant issues (environment sustainability, food safety, etc.)
- Work within such government agencies, especially if on relevant issues
- Work in an NGO, such as one focused on the environment, alternative proteins, food safety, or animal welfare, doing work similar to that mentioned in the “key responsibilities” above
- Experience managing others, especially in working on relevant issues
- Expertise in a relevant academic domain (including but not necessarily limited to, e.g., a degree and/or academic publications in agricultural science, environmental science, public health, disciplines related to food safety, animal welfare, entomology, etc.)
- Ability and willingness to contribute to research and report writing as needed
- Willingness to occasionally travel (e.g., for conferences and meetings)
What We Offer
Compensation
- Annual salary between the following ranges for a full-time position:
- $73,630-$87,694 USD pre-tax
- £59,198-£70,505 GBP pre-tax
- €68,034-€81,029 EUR pre-tax
- As per the Insect Institute’s compensation policy, we anticipate that the salaries of all permanent staff will regularly increase with promotions and tenure.
- Compensation is not restricted to the currencies listed above. Payments may be made in different currencies and payment intervals depending on the location of applicants and legal requirements.
Benefits
- Opportunity to contribute to a new, high-impact organization working in an important but neglected sector
- Flexible work hours and location
- Comprehensive global benefits package (while benefits vary by country, we make every effort to ensure that our benefits package is equitable and high quality for all staff)
- Generous paid time off leave, including, but not limited to:
- Unlimited vacation with a minimum of 30 days off per year (including public local holidays)
- Unlimited (within reason) personal and sick leave
- Parental leave of up to 12 weeks
- For more details about our benefits, please see:
- Benefit Package for Permanent Roles
- A caring team that values respectful work relations and a healthy work-life balance
- Opportunities to grow/advance your career and engage in professional development
- Low administrative bureaucracy
- We don’t provide snacks but we could mail you a box of Oreos if you want!
Additional Information
- Extension requests: We will try to accommodate extension requests that are made before the deadline and are up to three (3) days. We generally cannot accommodate extension requests made on or after the application deadline, or are longer than 3 days, and cannot accept late submissions to ensure fairness to other applicants.
- Language: Please submit all of your application materials in English and note that we require professional level English proficiency.
- Travel: Travel is not an essential requirement for this position. However, traveling a few times a year (e.g., for conferences or meetings) is encouraged. If, for any reason, you would prefer not to travel for work, please do not be discouraged from applying. Depending on the event, we may be able to make accommodations, such as allowing virtual participation when possible.
- Accessibility: We’re committed to running an inclusive and accessible application process. We warmly invite you to reach out to info@insectinstitute.org with any questions or accessibility requests such as chat box use during interviews.
- Inclusivity and fairness: The Insect Institute is committed to building an inclusive, equitable, and supportive community for you to thrive and do your best work. Please don’t hesitate to apply for a role regardless of your age, gender identity/expression, political identity, personal preferences, physical abilities, veteran status, neurodiversity or any other background. We provide reasonable accommodations and benefits, including, for example, flexible work schedules and locations, mental health coverage in medical benefits (as available), as well as technology budgets and professional development time that can be used, for example, to purchase assistive technology or engage in job coaching
