Join us

We are seeking a Policy Associate to join our team and contribute to this critical aspect of ALLFED’s work. This role will provide policy-specific competencies to drive our external engagement and support the organization in influencing decision-making.

ALLFED is an international NGO focused on improving the chance of humanity being able to feed itself in the event of global catastrophic risks that affect the food system. Our international research team is at the forefront of research on disaster preparedness relevant to the food system. Externally, ALLFED  engages with policymakers, institutions, and organizations to generate opportunities for implementing preparedness interventions and planning strategies worldwide.. 

Location:

 Any /  Home (flexible arrangement, globally-remote flexi working).

Duration and Hours:

This is a 40h/week position, we will also consider splitting the role into two part-time positions. You will need to take part in policy team calls (phone or online conferencing) which may occur very early/late for you due to time zone differences. Additionally, you will have ad hoc one-to-one calls with the Head of Policy and other team members. For the majority of time, you will have the flexibility to set your own working hours.

Remuneration:

Our standard pay range for this role is $17.5-25 per hour; however, we will consider a higher rate of pay for specialist  skills and experienced/exceptional candidates

Reports To:

Head of Policy

Key Responsibilities:

• Carry out policy assessment for ALLFED projects and briefing documents, including landscape and contextual analysis, process insight, and opportunity evaluation.
• Apply latest knowledge to the context of global catastrophic events / scenarios in outreach strategy and policy evaluation.
• Respond to the latest developments/events around the world with knowledge-gathering and advice-scoping, where appropriate.
• Project lead designated projects, applying project management practices and principles (including planning, reporting and team support),
• Prepare and deliver internal, and help prepare external, ALLFED presentations, according to presentation guidelines,
• Assist with subject-specific communications (in collaboration with the communications team),
• Maintain and develop collaborations, collaborators’ contacts and records, so that they are readily available to the research team and the organization,
• Keep own research/finance documentation and data in good order and readily accessible for the research/finance team, coordinators, and management, in keeping with ALLFED’s policies and guidelines,
• Communicate progress, milestones, deliverables, and resources, and other project updates as needed to Management/Research/Projects Coordinator(s)
• Consult with, support and train other team members on policy process and evaluation as required, as well as any relevant skills/tools,
• Other related tasks

Essential (must have):

For all ALLFED roles

• A mature attitude - we are trying to help feed the world;
• Reliable, hard-working, able to get along with people;
• Self-motivated and able to work with little supervision to deliver project objectives in a timely manner;
• Excellent record-keeping and organizational skills;
• Comfortable with working remotely and online collaboration systems;
• Able to give/take constructive feedback about work to/from other team members;
• Willingness to learn new tools, methods, software;
• Awareness of a significant responsibility that comes with ALLFED’s work, especially when it comes to outreach and public media presence;
• Good English spoken and written language skills;
• Access to high speed Internet (for your research and video conference calls);
• Headset (microphone + headphones) for calls.

Role Specific  

• A policy-related degree, ideally relevant to Disaster Risk Reduction,
• Excellent attention to detail, analytical and reporting skills,
• Excellent project management and team leading skills,
• Excellent presentation skills; able to present and discuss work at conferences,
• Flexibility: as Einstein said, "If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?" We frequently reprioritise research projects based on updated understanding to remain most effective.

Desirable (nice to have):

• Familiarity with specific policy process and institutions,
• Familiarity with Bayesian updating,
• Ability to communicate in languages other than English (the other five UN official languages particularly desirable). 
• Big picture thinking / ability to see how research interlinks with communications and preparedness planning,
• Experience delivering workshops and scenario exercises
• Familiarity with Global Catastrophic Risks,
• Familiarity with Effective Altruism and its core principles

To express your interest in this role, please complete our Expression of Interest form (HR will follow up accordingly)

Volunteers play a key role in ALLFED’s preparedness, operations, communications, and research. Some of our core, long-standing team members began as volunteers.

The key benefits of joining our established volunteer program are its flexibility and support. We have significant experience integrating and managing volunteers. You can volunteer from anywhere in the world, on any timezone, and largely on a schedule that works for you. 

This is a great opportunity to do a PhD at University of Canterbury (Christchurch, New Zealand) in mechanical engineering under the supervision of Dr. David Denkenberger Director & Co-founder of ALLFED.

David is hiring multiple engineering PhD students to work at the University on topics related to ALLFED.