Director, Global Food Sovereignty Movements Program

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Position description

WhyHunger believes a world without hunger is possible. We provide critical resources to support grassroots movements and fuel community solutions rooted in social, environmental, racial and economic justice. We are working to end hunger and advance the human right to nutritious food in the U.S. and around the world. Founded in 1975, WhyHunger has been at the forefront of the movement to address the root causes of hunger and build a more just and equitable food system for 50 years. Our approach is intersectional, partnering with social movements, artists, philanthropy, and grassroots leaders to drive systemic, lasting change. Learn more at WhyHunger.org.

The Opportunity

WhyHunger seeks a visionary and experienced Director to lead and deepen the organization’s international work at a pivotal moment for global food justice. The world is at a crossroads: over 295 million people in 53 countries face acute food insecurity, while climate disruption accelerates and structural inequities grow more entrenched. Against this backdrop, the Director will serve as a senior leader, strategic thinker, and movement ally, stewarding WhyHunger’s long-standing relationships with global social movements and grassroots organizations, while deepening and expanding the organization’s global programs strategy.

This is a unique role, sitting at the intersection of movement building, philanthropy, advocacy, and program design and facilitation. The Director will work closely with grassroots organizations, community organizers, social movement leaders and allied funders to strengthen collective efforts to advance global food sovereignty and the right to food. The Director will lead the global movements programs team and will shape strategic direction, develop and lead programmatic activities, build and steward diverse partnerships, and represent WhyHunger on the global stage and within international coalitions, networks, and advocacy spaces.

The global movements programs team collaborates with international partners across ~25 countries. WhyHunger has a US programs team that focuses on US partnership and programs. The Director will occasionally collaborate with the US programs leadership where priorities and activities overlap.

The Director will supervise the Global Movements Program Manager, manage consultants and special projects, and collaborate extensively with colleagues across Programs, Development, Communications, and Finance.

Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

• Develop and execute a multi-year strategy for WhyHunger’s Global Movements Program that is aligned with organizational priorities
• Identify emerging opportunities, challenges, and trends within global food sovereignty, anti-hunger, agroecology, Indigenous food pathways, climate justice and resilience, economic justice, human rights and ancillary movement-building spaces
• Monitor and evaluate program impact; adapt strategies based on research, learning and feedback; and report on impact data

Program Development, Partnerships & Grantmaking

• Build and maintain trusted relationships with grassroots organizations, social movement leaders, networks, and coalitions advancing food sovereignty
• Design innovative programs that respond to partner needs and strengthen movement capacity, such as leadership cohorts, agroecology school networks, peer-learning exchanges, and movement convenings
• Develop and manage a portfolio of strategic grants that advance food sovereignty and movement-building objectives
• Lead due diligence, proposal review, funding recommendations, grant monitoring, and partner stewardship processes
• Identify and cultivate new partnerships with movement leaders, grassroots organizations, and global networks
• Ensure WhyHunger’s partnership development and grantmaking practices are strategic, impactful, efficient and reflect our values of solidarity and mutual accountability

Coalition Building, Advocacy & Policy

• Identify, cultivate, and deepen partnerships with global, regional and national coalitions that are aligned with our work
• Develop and advance WhyHunger’s international advocacy agenda, including the right to food, food sovereignty, peasant rights, land rights, etc.
• Convene and facilitate exchanges, gatherings, learning communities, and collaborative initiatives among partners and allies that advance shared policy goals
• Serve as an internal expert, regularly sharing insights, developments and strategies to inform advocacy and narrative change strategies

Resource Mobilization

• Partner closely with the development team to identify, cultivate, secure, and steward institutional and major individual funding opportunities supporting WhyHunger’s global portfolio
• Represent WhyHunger in meetings with institutional funders, philanthropic partners, donor prospects, and site visits
• Contribute to grant proposals, donor reports, concept notes, and funding strategies
• Cultivate relationships with aligned philanthropic partners and movement funders

Strategic Communications

• Partner with the communications team to create opportunities for strategic storytelling and amplification of partner communication efforts and calls to action
• Contribute to organizational messaging, content creation, thought leadership, public education campaigns, and opinion pieces
• Serve as a public spokesperson on relevant topics through media interviews, speaking engagements and multimedia content

Team Leadership & Operations

• Supervise and support the Global Movements Program Manager
• Manage consultants and contractors, as needed
• Develop, manage and monitor the global programs budget
• Ensure effective planning, reporting, compliance, and cross-functional coordination of global programs projects
• Contribute to organizational initiatives and leadership discussions as a member of the Program Leadership Team

Qualifications

Required

• 10+ years of progressive experience in food sovereignty, food systems, international development, philanthropy, social movement building, human rights, or related fields
• Deep understanding of global food systems, food sovereignty frameworks, agroecology, climate justice and/or Indigenous food pathways, including the structural drivers of hunger
• Established credibility and existing relationships within food sovereignty or adjacent movements
• Significant experience developing and managing strategic partnerships with social movements, community organizers, grassroots organizations or community-based networks in the Global South
• Experience developing program strategies with clear outcomes and aligned activities that have demonstrated measurable impact
• Experience developing and managing grantmaking portfolios
• Demonstrated success designing and leading complex projects and multi-stakeholder initiatives, with the ability to create effective deliverables and outcomes on time and within budget
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including public speaking. Comfort engaging with diverse audiences
• Experience managing diverse staff and consultants
• Ability to work and represent WhyHunger at evening or weekend events, and travel domestically and internationally as needed

Preferred

• Fluency or professional proficiency in Spanish, Portuguese, or French
• Experience cultivating and stewarding relationships with institutional funders, major donors, and other philanthropic partners
• Experience representing an organization within global coalitions and advocacy spaces
• Experience serving as a spokesperson and speaking with press
• Experience designing and executing innovative organizational capacity-building programs
• Experience engaging in multilateral policy processes (UN, FAO, WFP, or similar) and/or advocacy with U.S. policymakers on international food and agriculture issues

We encourage you to submit an Application even if your experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description.

Compensation and Benefits

The base salary range for this role is $105,000-$115,000. Final compensation will be determined based on the candidate’s relevant experience, skills, qualifications, and location.

This employee will be eligible for WhyHunger’s generous benefits package, which includes medical insurance coverage for the employee and family, 30 days of paid vacation plus office closure for a week in the summer and a week at the end of the year, 5-hour Fridays, 403(b) retirement plan with discretionary employer contribution, and more.

EEO Statement

WhyHunger is committed to creating a workplace that respects and promotes diversity, fairness, inclusion, and belonging. It is the organization’s policy to provide equal opportunity in all areas of employment practices and to adhere to all federal, state, and local laws on the basis of any protected characteristic. It is our intent that all employment policies, procedures and actions be applied in a manner to prevent any unlawful discrimination so that no employee or applicant for employment will be unlawfully discriminated against because of race, color, creed, religion, gender, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, transgender status, citizenship, age, disability, medical condition, marital status, sexual orientation, domestic partnership status, military status, ancestry, veteran status, union membership, socioeconomic status or any other protected category under federal, state or local law.

Application instructions

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