About the Position
ReFED’s recently released Roadmap to 2030 and Insights Engine estimate that an annual investment of $14 billion over the next ten years can reduce food waste by 45 million tons each year. That investment would result in $73 billion in annual net financial benefit – a five-to-one return – and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 75 million metric tons, save 4 trillion gallons of water, and recover the equivalent of 4 billion meals for those in need. Over ten years, it would create 51,000 jobs.
ReFED’s Capital, Innovation & Engagement team plays a critical role within the organization to turn awareness of this opportunity into action. By using the levers of financing, innovation, convening, and connecting, the team aims to catalyze and influence the scaling and adoption of solutions to food waste by key stakeholders including food businesses, funders and investors, solution providers and entrepreneurs, and government agencies, among others.
The Specialist, working remotely and reporting to one of ReFED’s Capital, Innovation & Engagement Managers, will be joining a team at an exciting new stage of development – helping to grow its bespoke, impactful, innovative program offerings piloted over the last three years (Strategic Advisory, Innovation Challenge Platform, COVID-19 Food Waste Solutions Fund, Nonprofit Food Recovery Accelerator, Best Practices Webinar Series), as well as improving and designing new products, insights, and capabilities within ReFED’s groundbreaking Insights Engine and Roadmap to 2030 tools.
This is an ideal opportunity for a detail-oriented, analytical, self-motivated, and entrepreneurial individual who is passionate about building relationships and using research, data, and analytics to drive influence, as well as social, economic, and environmental impact. The Specialist will have a keen ability to communicate complex concepts in ways that drive influence and actions by a variety of food business, investment, and innovation professionals.
You are a good fit if you:
-
Are driven to tackle one of the biggest challenges facing society today and excited to positively impact food security, economic growth, and climate change.
-
Are passionate about the role of data and analytics to spur action, as well as investing and innovation.
-
Can develop strong relationships with external stakeholders from a variety of sectors including food business operators, including, but not limited to retailers, food businesses, restaurant/food service operators, and producers.
-
Have experience project managing and creating professional deliverables (e.g. presentations, proposals) for different stakeholders.
-
Thrive in a fast-paced, high-growth organization.
You may have a mix of professional experience from roles such as:
-
Business or investment analyst/associate
-
Project, program or portfolio management
-
Business development
Primary Responsibilities
Building trusted relationships with key stakeholders
-
Support development and maintenance of trusted relationships with and influencing food waste solution adopters (e.g., food businesses) and other wealth holders including commercial investors, private investors, philanthropic investors and foundations, and government and asset classes including venture capital and private equity, among others.
Inspiring investment into and adoption of food waste solutions
-
Analyzing various food waste solutions across the maturity and innovation curve in order to understand how much and what types of capital and innovation are needed;
-
Developing and coordinating the dissemination of research, data, insights, and guidance that spur action by targeted stakeholders; and
-
Supporting programmatic work including ReFED’s Challenge Platform and other bespoke programming, including the annual Food Waste Summit.
Contributing to and maintaining influential assets
-
Maintain critical Capital, Innovation & Engagement team assets including the Food Waste Investment Tracker, Solution Provider Directory, Solution Fact Sheets, and Investor Database.
Skills & Experience
ReFED seeks a Capital, Innovation & Engagement Specialist with:
-
2+ years of demonstrated business or investment analytics, project management, and business development experience;
-
Knowledge and experience in one or more of the following: business operations, philanthropy, venture capital, private equity, impact investing, social finance, corporate development, corporate venture, strategy consulting, investment banking, or entrepreneurship/innovation;
-
Strong capabilities in gathering information, synthesizing, and crafting compelling and relevant recommendations, knowledge of data collection and management;
-
Demonstrated aptitude for analyzing and interpreting data and for synthesizing complex information from multiple sources;
-
Ability to build authentic relationships with diverse stakeholders with proven, strong facilitation skills;
-
Exceptionally detail- and results-oriented with strong organizational skills;
-
Strong project management skills with the ability to work independently and as self-starter;
-
Solid professional written and verbal communications skills;
-
Ability to communicate and align with internal and external stakeholders well in a remote working environment;
-
A strong track record as an implementer who thrives on managing a variety of key initiatives concurrently;
-
Comfort with ambiguity and ability to thrive in a fluid, entrepreneurial environment, and willingness to “roll up the sleeves” and extend beyond formal responsibilities as needed for the work;
-
Proficiency with G Suite, MS Office Suite, Slack, and database management (including Salesforce) with a willingness and ability to learn new systems and tools;
-
Food industry experience and working knowledge of food systems and sustainability;
-
Knowledge of the entrepreneurial landscape of food waste, or alternatively, of one of the following sectors: food and agriculture, energy, waste, resource use; and
-
Demonstrated success working to promote diversity, equity and inclusion and working with remote teams.
Application Details
To apply for this position, please complete your application online here.
All applications must be accompanied by a cover letter and résumé submitted in PDF format. Alejandro Enamorado, Capital, Innovation & Engagement Manager is the Hiring Manager for this position. All correspondence should be addressed to Mr. Enamorado. Cover letters must be responsive to the vision of ReFED and the needs of this position. Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the successful candidate has been selected.
Working at ReFED
ReFED offers a competitive salary and benefits package, opportunities for professional development, and policies and programs that encourage a healthy work-life balance. ReFED’s benefits package includes medical, dental, and vision benefits package for individuals and dependents, participation in employer-sponsored 401(k) plans with generous employer matching, professional development opportunities and option to participate in ReFED’s mentor program, paid holidays, vacation, sick, and family leave, short- and long-term disability coverage, term life insurance, and a flexible work environment. Learn more about our values, team, and commitment to employees at refed.com/careers.
ReFED is a virtual organization with staff located across the U.S. and Canada. The Capital, Innovation & Engagement Specialist may work virtually and remotely with the option of working from a dedicated co-working space. During the COVID pandemic, all ReFED employees are working remotely.
Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion
ReFED is an equal opportunity employer. It believes that everyone has a seat at the table, and that this table always has room for growth. The success of the organization is rooted in the visible and invisible qualities of its people. Its people embody a variety of views, perspectives, and backgrounds to push the envelope of what is possible and better meet the needs of the community in the hopes of building a sustainable, resilient, and inclusive food system. Community is more than a word here. As stewards of this food system that benefits from the inclusion and enhancement of diverse voices, ReFED recognizes that systemic barriers limit opportunities for certain groups which contributes to ongoing disparities. Furthermore, it accepts that its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) means a commitment to constant learning, listening, and interaction in all aspects of its work. Intrinsically, ReFED is an organization that seeks to attract exceptional and dedicated talent to advance its mission, and it firmly believes that inclusion through recruiting, hiring, developing, training, and promoting employees of all genders, races, religions, ages, national origins, political affiliations, ancestries, sexual orientations, disabilities, and veteran status, creates an atmosphere that enables it to lead with an entrepreneurial spirit and innovate with enterprise.
