Senior International Policy Advisor

DEPARTMENT:  Policy and Research Institute

REPORTS TO:  Director, Policy and Research Institute

LOCATION:  Washington, DC 

Bread for the World is a Christian advocacy organization urging U.S. decision makers to do all they can to pursue a world without hunger. Our mission is to educate and equip people to advocate for policies and programs that can help end hunger in the U.S. and around the world.

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE:  To provide organizational leadership and policy expertise on global food security, nutrition, and the root/structural causes of global hunger, and lead advocacy, mainly related to U.S. federal administrative agencies, on United States engagement in these areas.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES/ACTIVITIES:

1. Leads Bread for the World’s policy analysis and advocacy, mainly to U.S. federal agencies, on various U.S. foreign assistance policies and programs related to ending global hunger and malnutrition, with special attention to specific populations and equitable outcomes. Subject matter areas may include: global nutrition, global food security, food aid reform, international financial institutions, climate change/climate justice, migration, conflict, and debt.
2. Guides organizational understanding and development of solutions to the root causes of hunger and malnutrition in most-affected communities.
3. Measures the implementation, oversight, and impacts of policy solutions and positions Bread as a leader in this space.
4. Conducts research, analysis, and synthesis on issues within the portfolio to develop Bread’s policy positions/recommendations and inform Bread’s advocacy, including planning and executing overseas field research travel strategies, and cultivating relationships with groups of those most affected by global hunger, poverty, and malnutrition, including but not limited to populations historically marginalized based on race, gender, and class and who face disproportionate hunger and poverty rates. Collaborates with other department and Bread staff as needed in areas of overlap.
5. Conducts research, analysis, and synthesis on issue areas covered by this portfolio as they relate to equitable outcomes for most affected populations and provides analysis and frameworks for understanding the structural causes of hunger and poverty for these populations.
6. Produces memoranda, papers, web content, blogs, and other educational materials to disseminate policy analysis/synthesis and positions to Bread staff, members, the stakeholder community, and government staff, and collaborates with relevant department and Bread staff to do so.
7. Presents, interprets, and advocates analysis, synthesis, and policy positions to Bread members, staff, board, and others, including civil society, opinion-shapers, and policy makers. 
8. Leads and organizes consultations, briefings, outreach, and other events as needed, ensuring participants represent a diverse mix of experiences. Develops project plans and methodological approach to Bread’s international policy priorities.  
9. Develops, collaborates, and implements plans of action for advocacy strategies for issues within the portfolio.
10. Exercises leadership and plays a convening role in the NGO stakeholder community on issue areas within the portfolio and represents Bread for the World in key stakeholder working groups, coalitions, and professional conferences, and to the media, U.S. government actors, and multilateral stakeholders.
11. Coordinates and supports Bread’s external events in proximity to key global moments.   
12. Cultivates and deepens existing relationships with NGO stakeholder organizations, relevant U.S. government staff, multilateral actors, and key groups of those most affected by global hunger, poverty, and malnutrition.
13. Collaborates internally with relevant staff to develop and implement advocacy strategies; develop digital communication materials; draft op-eds, letters to the editor, articles, and other media pieces; respond to journalists and other outside inquiries.
14. Leads and/or participates in organizational planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation for campaigns on issue areas covered by this portfolio.

SECONDARY RESPONSIBILITIES/ACTIVITIES:

1. Assists in the development of grant funding proposals; contributes analysis and outcome-based data to narrative reports required by funders; represents Bread for the World in meetings convened by program officers that are relevant to issue areas covered by this position.
2. Serves as department representative on staff task forces, as assigned by the Director.
3. Answers inquiries regarding issue areas covered by this portfolio and provides research and writing support to others as needed.
4. Shares in routine tasks, meetings, correspondence, and record-keeping as determined by the Director.
5. Other responsibilities and activities as may be assigned by the Director.

SUPERVISION EXERCISED:

Interns, fellows, or volunteers specifically assigned to work with the Senior Policy Advisor by the Director

SKILLS/KNOWLEDGE REQUIRED:

• Master’s degree in relevant field or equivalent work experience.
• Minimum eight years of work/lived experience on policy issues related to global hunger, poverty, and malnutrition.
• Strong knowledge of global hunger, poverty, and malnutrition issues, programs, and policies.
• Strong understanding of racial and gender inequities exacerbating hunger and poverty rates and ability to research and communicate viable technical solutions to redress these inequities.
• Strong analytical skills and attention to detail, including ability to conduct research and in-depth policy analysis related to Bread’s issues and to make data-driven recommendations and decisions.
• Strong research, writing, and editorial skills; ability to write for general and technical audiences, including ability to identify and engage target audiences and communicate complex ideas or issues tailored to the audience, using appropriate formats and media.
• Demonstrated strong written and oral communication skills.
• Highly motivated self-starter with ability to learn new issue areas, prioritize complex tasks, set objectives, and measure progress toward meeting official and internal organization deadlines.
• Ability and experience in working cooperatively within and leading teams, including developing collaborative relationships internally and externally which require a high degree of diplomacy and judgment in order to address and resolve substantive conflicts or escalate concerns to senior management.
• Ability to lead and manage projects, including working as part of hybrid remote/in-person teams.
• Ability and desire to work collegially with diverse religious, racial/ethnic, cultural, and income groups.
• Appreciation of diverse points of view (including of a controversial nature), and ability to articulate points of view that reflect organizational policy.
• Strong functional knowledge of computer, desktop, and phone applications used in communication, research, and publishing.
• Demonstrated commitment to inclusion, diversity, and equity.

SKILLS/KNOWLEDGE/EXPERIENCE DESIRED:

• Experience working or living in low-/middle-income countries.
• Familiarity with the United States legislative process, U.S. government administrative agencies, and/or multilateral development agencies.
• Familiarity with a Christian faith perspective on advocacy to end hunger.

WORK ENVIRONMENT ISSUES:  

• Must be authorized to work in the U.S.
• Must be responsive to emails and phone calls off-site during evenings, weekends, and holidays to support time-sensitive matters.
• This position is based in Washington, DC. Some domestic and international travel is required.
• Bread is a hybrid organization and local staff are in the office 2 days per week. 

CULTURAL EXPRESSIONS: 

Bread is committed to advancing racial equity externally and internally, all staff members play a vital role. In the course of our work, each staff person should work to apply a racial equity lens to their work and practices; and participate in racial equity on-going training. Bread is also committed to being an equal opportunity employer. 

OUR VALUES:

1. We value our faith. Our faith in Christ is the foundation for our hope, story, mission, and values, and compels us to love our neighbors near and far.
2. We value human flourishing. We believe that every human being, created in the image of God, has inherent dignity that affords an opportunity to be in right relationship with God, self, neighbor, and the environment, and to freely access enough nutritious food for good health.
3. We value justice. We seek to establish effective systems, structures, and policies that affirm equality and advance equity among all human beings and protect people who experience hunger and poverty from oppression.
4. We value courage and prophetic voice. In a spirit of wisdom and love, we will be bold in articulating and pursuing our vision of a world without hunger.
5. We value nonpartisanship. We believe that effective and sustainable public policies are made when, in good faith, we employ a civil and politically unbiased approach to develop and implement laws and programs to achieve our mission.
6. We value collaboration. We believe in working alongside and building community with diverse churches, institutions, and individuals, including people experiencing hunger, to achieve our mission.
7. We value impact. We strive for excellence in our work and hold ourselves and our nation’s leaders accountable in the pursuit of public policies that render measurable results and meaningful change for those affected by hunger.

DISCLAIMER: 

Background and reference checks will be conducted on all final candidates. The information in this job description indicates the general nature and level of work expected of employees in this classification. It is not designed to contain, nor to be interpreted as, a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, qualifications, and objectives required of employees assigned to this job.