Job title: Director, Food and Technology Project
Position location: Washington, D.C. or San Francisco, CA
Position reports to: Managing Director

Friends of the Earth U.S. is fighting to defend the environment and create a more healthy and just world. We're hard-hitting, progressive environmental advocates that pull no punches and speak sometimes uncomfortable truth to power. It's an approach that has worked for four decades to produce important victories that have protected our planet and its people.  We’re part of Friends of the Earth International, a federation of groups working in 76 countries on today’s most urgent environmental and social issues.

In accomplishing our mission, Friends of the Earth is working at the nexus of environmental protection, economic policy and social justice to fundamentally transform the way our country and the world values people and the environment.  We are focused on reforming economic drivers such as tax or trade policy that are often used to empower corporations and government to harm the environment.

Friends of the Earth is leading the charge to ensure our food system is just and sustainable. The campaigns within our food and technology project pressure governments to embrace the safe and precautionary management of emerging technologies, including nanotechnology and synthetic biology, which are appearing in more consumer products such as food, cosmetics and sunscreens each year.

The team’s current work includes:

• Advocating for policies to protect the public from the risks posed by the increasing use of nanomaterials in cosmetics, sunscreens and a plethora of other consumer products.
• Working to keep genetically engineered "frankenfish" -- which would be the first genetically engineered animal approved for human consumption -- off of grocery store shelves.
• Pushing for proper government oversight of synthetic biology -- a largely unregulated and rapidly developing biotechnology that involves engineering new organisms from scratch.
• Fighting to ban the patenting of human genes, which unjustly give corporations control over research and potentially life-saving tests and treatments drawn from these fundamental building blocks of life.

In addition, we are planning a new campaign focused more specifically on food and agriculture.  This work is still in the planning stages, but may include these three campaign areas:

• Biotechnology: We are interested in expanding our biotechnology campaign to focus on crops, animals, insects, and other agriculture applications
• CAFOs: This effort would target the economic drivers that allow Confined Animal Feeding Operations to externalize their costs to the public and the environment.
• Land Grabbing: This campaign would  target U.S. based institutions that are exacerbating the current grab for land around the world to produce fuel and food for wealthy nations as well as working with Friends of the Earth International organizations to prevent land grabs around the world.

The Director of the Food and Technology Project at Friends of the Earth is responsible for:

• Leading Friends of the Earth in the development and execution of our food and technology campaigns at the state, national and international level;
• Staffing and integrating the new food and agriculture work with the existing campaigns;
• Developing strategic campaign and communications strategies in conjunction with the Communications Director and Online Director;
• Working with the President, Managing Director and Director of Foundation Relations to  develop and implement fundraising plans;
• Serving as part of the organization’s management team;
• Supervising two or more staff working on food and technology issues;
• Developing work plans for team members;
• Conducting outreach and organizing to further the goals of the project;
• Working with other project directors on joint funding and program initiatives.

Requirements and Special Knowledge:

This position requires at least four years of experience in issue campaigning and policy advocacy addressing food, emerging technology or agriculture issues. The ideal candidate will have a strategic approach to both policy and politics, and a desire to have a major impact on federal and international policy debates through hard-hitting advocacy.

The successful candidate will have previous managerial experience and have the ability to balance and complete a wide range of campaign activities including advocacy, convening/organizing, policy development, and research, as well as the ability to oversee consultants, and coordinate with media, development, and legislative staff.

Strong written and verbal communication skills are required.

Salary:

This position offers a competitive salary, commensurate with experience. Benefits package includes healthcare, paid vacation, sick leave, maternity/paternity leave, coverage for domestic partners and an employer/employee contribution-based retirement plan.

To Apply:

E-mail cover letter, resume and short writing sample to jobs@foe.org with the subject heading “Food and Technology Project Director.” No mail applications or phone calls. Position will remain open until filled.

Friends of the Earth is an equal opportunity employer. We encourage applications from women, people of color and other members of underrepresented groups who will contribute to the diversity of our staff.