Policy Analyst, Food and Agriculture (Africa, Europe, UK remote)

The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) is an independent think tank that delivers the knowledge to act. Our mission is to promote human development and environmental sustainability. Our big-picture view allows us to address the root causes of some of the greatest challenges facing our planet today—a changing climate, ecological destruction, social exclusion, and unfair laws and economic rules. With offices in Ottawa, Toronto, Winnipeg, and Geneva, our work affects lives in nearly 100 countries.

Scope

IISD is looking for a Policy Analyst to join an international team of lawyers, policy advisors, and economists working to change rules and policies on trade and investment in food and agriculture.

The overall goal of our work is to ensure that legal, policy, and institutional frameworks that govern trade, markets, and investment in food and agriculture contribute to food security and improved nutrition, improved livelihoods, reduced inequality, and responsible use of the planet’s resources.

We conduct applied research and policy analysis and provide high-quality advice to governments and parliamentarians to strengthen food security and livelihoods and improve the quality of public and private investment in agriculture and food systems while protecting land rights and responsibly managing natural resources. We also seek to make food systems and value chains more resilient to climate change. In this context, we are looking for someone who can contribute to various strands of our program while helping to build up our work addressing issues at the intersection of agriculture and climate change.

IISD offers the opportunity to carry out varied research in cutting-edge, challenging fields in a friendly international environment.

Responsibilities:

• Contribute to the development of our research agenda, particularly at the intersection of agriculture and food systems and climate change.
• Conduct research and policy analysis to inform legal, policy, and institutional reforms for more equitable, sustainable, and resilient agriculture and food systems.
• Author or co-author research papers, policy briefs, articles, and other outputs for publication.
• Provide policy analysis and advice to policy-makers and other stakeholders.
• Monitor international developments, processes, and debates in relevant areas and keep up to date with research in these areas.
• Engage with and contribute to international normative processes and policy debates.
• Represent IISD at relevant events (meetings, forums, conferences, etc.).
• Support the organization of IISD events.
• Promote and disseminate the team’s work, including through social media channels.
• Contribute to building the team’s network of researchers, practitioners, and policy-makers working in relevant areas.
• Liaise with partner institutions and explore and develop opportunities for collaboration.
• Contribute to the development of research proposals.

Knowledge and Qualifications:

Essential

• A demonstrated interest in promoting sustainable development and more equitable, sustainable, and resilient agriculture and food systems.
• A degree and post-graduate degree in a relevant discipline (e.g., public policy, economics, law, politics, international relations, development studies, environment, and climate change).
• At least 3 years of experience in an international policy development research environment (e.g., a think tank, university, intergovernmental organization, or civil society organization) conducting applied research and policy analysis, as demonstrated by publications and reports.
• Experience working in—or with a focus on—developing countries, particularly sub-Saharan Africa.
• A good understanding of and experience working on one or more key issues in sustainable development, including agriculture policy; environmental sustainability; climate change; food security and nutrition; sustainable food systems; responsible agricultural investment and environmental, social, and government investing; and agricultural value chains.
• A track record of producing high-quality research and analysis in a short period of time and for different audiences.

Desirable

• A good understanding of and experience working on issues at the intersection of agriculture and climate change.
• Experience working in or with developing country governments or regional organizations.
• Experience working with other relevant stakeholders, including the private sector, parliamentarians, civil society organizations, research institutes, and intergovernmental organizations.

Skills, competencies, and attributes:

Essential

• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate effectively with people from a wide range of backgrounds.
• Excellent analytical, research, and writing skills.
• Fluency in English.
• Strong presentation and networking skills.
• Excellent IT skills (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• Willingness and ability to travel internationally for work.
• Ability to work effectively in a remote, asynchronous team.
• Flexibility and adaptability to work effectively across different topics and themes at the same time and to pick up knowledge on new topics quickly.
• Ability to work on own initiative and under minimal supervision.
• Strong commitment to the ideals, values, and mission of IISD.

Desirable

• Fieldwork experience
• Experience with quantitative and qualitative data analysis
• Working proficiency in French

For more details on what we are looking for in our candidates, please refer to the IISD competencies on our website.

Location: Home-based. We especially encourage applications from candidates in Europe, the United Kingdom, or Africa.

Candidates must hold an appropriate work authorization for locations where they expect to be based, without any sponsorship from IISD.

Salary: Salary commensurate with experience and locations

Employment type: indefinite

Start Date: ASAP

Closing date: Open until filled

The candidates will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and the position will be closed once filled

Application Procedure

Applications will only be accepted through Bamboo HR. Please include the following:

https://iisd.bamboohr.com/hiring/jobs/475

• A CV (no longer than two pages)
• A cover letter (one page)
• IISD Voluntary Self-Identification Questionnaire
• All submissions must be in English

Only those candidates we wish to interview will be contacted. Resumes will be kept on file for one year.

IISD has implemented a COVID-19 Vaccination Policy that requires employees who are required or choose to be at an office or participate in in-person team events or in-person meetings/events to be fully vaccinated. Anyone unable to be fully vaccinated, either because of a sincerely held religious belief or a medical condition or a disability that prevents them from being fully vaccinated, can request a reasonable accommodation.

IISD is committed to fostering a more equitable and sustainable world and welcomes candidates who uphold our values of diversity, equity, and inclusion. In addition, to correct the conditions of social injustice and disadvantage in employment around the world, we encourage candidates from historically marginalized groups, including women, Indigenous Peoples, people with disabilities, people from different racial and ethnic backgrounds, and those who identify themselves as 2SLGBTQIA+ to apply for this position. Preference will be given to the equity-deserving groups during the hiring process. We offer reasonable accommodations in our recruitment process and seek applicants’ advice on how best to accommodate their needs. Please self-identify and answer our employment equity questions on our applicant tracking system when you apply.