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Assistant Director, Global Agriculture and Food

4:16:00 PM

POSITION: Assistant Director, Global Agriculture and Food

DEPARTMENT: Global Agriculture and Food

REPORTS TO: Executive Director, Global Agriculture and Food

SUMMARY

The Chicago Council on Global Affairs, founded in 1922, is a leading independent, nonpartisan organization

committed to influencing the discourse on global issues through contributions to opinion and policy formation, leadership dialogue, and public learning. As neither an advocacy organization nor a sector‐specific actor, it is able to bring together stakeholders from different sectors and serve as an honest broker able to sort through and synthesize diverse viewpoints. Its analyses and policy recommendations have had direct impact on federal policymaking and in shaping public opinion.

The Chicago Council’s portfolio on Global Agriculture and Food includes a suite of projects focusing on the U.S. government role in global agricultural development in Africa and South Asia; U.S. domestic agriculture policy; the role of girls in rural development; and the nexus between agriculture and health. Please see below for a list of current projects.

The Chicago Council is seeking an Assistant Director to support its Global Agriculture and Food portfolio. The primarily responsibilities of the Assistant Director are to manage the production and dissemination of the portfolio’s intellectual products, including reports, white papers, and commentaries. As part of this responsibility, the Assistant Director will also work closely with the Executive Director, Global Agriculture and Food to engage the Global Agricultural Development Initiative Advisory Group and manage other operational components of the Initiative.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

  • Work closely with the Executive Director in providing operational management to the Global Agricultural Development Initiative including, but not limited to, budget management, creating and overseeing work plans, and representing the Initiative to external funders and stakeholders
  • Design and manage the study, publication, and dissemination processes for Global Agricultural Development Initiative policy papers, issue briefs, and other studies
  • Assist with Global Agricultural Development Initiative events including meetings of the Initiative’s advisory group, consultations with senior policymakers and experts, working group sessions, etc.
  • Draft correspondences, project marketing materials, and opeds/articles as needed or upon request
  • Supervise support staff and interns as assigned
  • Provide support at Council events approximately 3 - 4 times monthly (registration, ushering, etc.), requiring some evening and early morning hours;
  • Perform other projects as assigned

QUALIFICATIONS

  • A master’s degree with a focus on international affairs or related field of study and at least five years of experience in the policy arena, preferably experience working in the foreign, development, and/or agriculture policy realms
  • Demonstrated ability to work closely with others to effectively manage and carry out various portions of complex projects with multiple activity streams being realized under tight timelines with minimal supervision
  • Excellent management and organizational skills, strong attention to detail, desire and ability to take initiative and work independently, and professional maturity
  • Demonstrated experience in event planning for delegation trips, meetings, and conferences involving senior individuals (domestic and foreign dignitaries, CEOs, senior policymakers, Member of Congress, etc.)
  • Superior verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to communicate complex concepts and topics clearly, thoroughly, and succinctly, and support decision making in consensus-based processes
  • Strong writing and editorial skills, preferably experience with policy-relevant writing
  • Desire and ability to work effectively and efficiently in a fast-paced, dynamic, and demanding environment; flexible schedule in working late evenings/early mornings on occasion
  • Innovative problem-solver and a proactive spirit.

TO APPLY

Please e-mail a cover letter and résumé as Word documents to hr@thechicagocouncil.org. You can also apply via the Council’s Web site at www.thechicagocouncil.org in the Career Opportunities section. EOE

SUMMARY OF GLOBAL AGRICULTURE AND FOOD PROJECTS

Global Agricultural Development Initiative (July 2008 – present): Over half of the 925 million people that are chronically malnourished live in rural parts of Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia and depend on agriculture for their livelihoods. The Initiative supports a renewed U.S. focus on global agricultural development as a means to increase food security, alleviate poverty, and spur economic development. It provides technical assistance and new thinking towards the formulation and implementation of U.S. global agricultural development policies and offers external evaluation and accountability for U.S. progress on its policy commitments. Cochairs: Catherine Bertini, former executive director, UN World Food Program; Dan Glickman, former secretary, USDA

global Food for Thought News Brief (2009 – present): Released each Friday, the news brief summarizes media, research, and policy developments on issues surrounding global agricultural development. Briefs provide summaries of and links to articles, reports, events, and publications on issues such as agriculture, hunger, poverty, climate change, development, water, commodities, and agribusiness. Information is drawn from more than 50 publications and 100 organizational Web sites.

U.S. Agriculture and Food Policy Panel (March 2011-June 2012): In anticipation of the 2012 Farm Bill, the U.S. Panel explored how U.S. agriculture, farm, and food policy can be more efficient, environmentally sustainable, healthy, and cost-effective. In September 2011, the panel cochairs released a white paper with initial recommendations to inform the deliberations of Congress’s Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction. In June 2012, an expanded white paper, endorsed by the panel, was released to the U.S. Congress. Cochairs: Catherine Bertini, former executive director, UN World Food Program; August Schumacher Jr., former undersecretary, Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services, USDA; Robert Thompson, former Gardner Chair in Agricultural Policy, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Advancing Agricultural Development at the 2012 G8 (January – May 2012): The Chicago Council convened a working group to identify opportunities for the U.S. government to advance global agricultural development and food security in its role as chair of the 2012 G8. The group put forward recommendations in a white paper released in March 2012. In May 2012, The Chicago Council hosted a symposium on agricultural development and food security on the eve of the G8 meeting. New commitments to food security and nutrition were announced by President Barack Obama; Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton; heads of state from Benin, Ghana, Tanzania, and Ethiopia; and several CEOs from multinational companies. Cochairs: Doug Bereuter, president emeritus, The Asia Foundation; Carol Bellamy, former executive director, United Nations Children’s Fund

Girls Grow: A Vital Force in Rural Economies (July 2010 – October 2011): The 285 million rural adolescent girls in the developing world are often invisible in development and rural economic growth strategies. Girls Grow examined how adolescent girls contribute to rural economies in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, and the Caribbean, and identified opportunities to better equip girls and young women to be agents of social and economic change. The project’s final report was released in October 2011 in London, UK. Chair: Catherine Bertini, former executive director, UN World Food Program

Bringing Agriculture to the Table: How Agriculture and Food Can Play a Role in Preventing Chronic Disease (February – September 2011): Diet is an independent risk factor for chronic diseases, which in 2008 caused 63 percent of all global deaths and are one of the leading causes of mortality in low- and middle-income countries. This initiative explored the relationship between agriculture, food, and the global rise in nutrition-related chronic diseases. It identified future opportunities to support agriculture and food systems that encourage healthy consumption while balancing economic, development, and health agendas. The findings and recommendations of the project were released in September 2011 in advance of the UN General Assembly on the Prevention and Treatment of Non-Communicable Diseases in New York, NY. Chair: Rachel Nugent, senior research scientist, Department of Global Health, University of Washington

Qualifications

See Job Description

Contact Details

Email:
hr@thechicagocouncil.org

Application Instructions

TO APPLY

Please e-mail a cover letter and résumé as Word documents to hr@thechicagocouncil.org. You can also apply via the Council’s Web site at www.thechicagocouncil.org in the Career Opportunities section. EOE

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