We are looking for an Executive Director to lead GFI Europe’s strategy and team, play a key role in shaping and advancing GFI’s global strategy, and foster the relationships and organisational strength needed to accelerate the shift towards a resilient and sustainable food system.

You will have high responsibility and high impact. Reporting to, and appointed by, the Board of GFI Europe, you will lead a ~50-person team working from nine European countries. 

You will:

• Enable strategic focus:
  • Align the team around a clear and compelling organisational direction that aligns with the GFI network’s mission and theory of change.
  • Translate organisational direction into high-level priorities in collaboration with GFI Europe’s Leadership Team.
  • Ensure Europe’s strategic decisions are made well – soliciting the right input from the right people, preserving autonomy in areas of specific expertise, and making decisions when organisation-wide trade-offs are required.
  • Take ultimate responsibility for maximising outcomes and impact in pursuit of our mission.
• Provide leadership to the team:
  • Empower, develop and inspire a high-performing, people-centric team. 
  • Lead GFI Europe’s Leadership Team, formed of six department heads, ensuring they continue to function on a ‘first-team’ basis to achieve organisational objectives. 
  • Champion and uphold a values-driven culture built upon transparency, autonomy, collaboration, accountability, and psychological safety. Champion the integration of diversity, equity and inclusion into the team’s day-to-day work.
• Represent GFI Europe in GFI’s international network:
  • Participate in international strategic and coordination workstreams as a member of GFI’s Regional Leadership Group, comprising GFI’s affiliate leads.
  • Act as the primary liaison between GFI’s affiliates and European teams on strategies, processes and goals. Ensure the Europe team can successfully connect with, influence, support and navigate a complex international network, including global workstreams such as fundraising and impact reporting.
  • Participate in discussions about global strategy and resource allocation so as to maximise GFI’s overall mission impact, including communicating GFI Europe’s strategy, resourcing needs and contributions as part of the international GFI network.
• Represent GFI Europe in front of donors and external stakeholders:
  • Work closely with global and Europe-based fundraising teams to help ensure GFI achieves its fundraising goals.
  • Build and maintain strong relationships with donors, prospective supporters and key stakeholders.
  • Serve as a public representative of, and spokesperson for, the organisation by speaking at conferences, events, and with the media. 
• Oversee organisational health:
  • Ensure strong governance, legal compliance, financial sustainability and reporting in partnership with the Board and the Head of Operations. 
  • Be the main legal representative of the organisation, reviewing and signing all legally relevant agreements and organisational documents.
• Perform other duties as appropriate.