Head of Corporate Engagement

The Good Food Institute

The Good Food Institute (GFI) is an international network of nonprofit think tanks working to build a more sustainable, secure, and just food system. In partnership with scientists, corporates, and policymakers, we accelerate the development and adoption of plant-based, fermentation-enabled, and cultivated proteins. Our goal is to make these foods delicious, affordable, and accessible to consumers around the world.

Powered by philanthropy, GFI advances alternative proteins as a critical solution to some of the world's most pressing challenges, including climate change, food security, public health, and biodiversity loss. Our mission is simple: A thriving world, fed sustainably.

About the role

The private sector will play a critical role in determining how quickly alternative proteins can scale across the Asia-Pacific region. Companies shape product development, manufacturing capacity, supply chains, investment decisions, consumer access, and the commercial pathways needed to make alternative proteins widely available.

While the sector has made significant technological progress, major barriers remain to achieving commercial scale. Access to affordable capital, manufacturing infrastructure, strategic partnerships, supportive policies, and coordinated ecosystem support will be critical to determining how quickly alternative proteins can mature and compete. 

Many of these barriers cannot be solved by industry alone. Success will require coordinated action across companies, investors, governments, research institutions, and other stakeholders. GFI APAC’s Corporate Engagement team strengthens the enabling environment for alternative proteins by working across sectors to identify opportunities, build partnerships, align stakeholders around shared goals, and accelerate the development of a more resilient, investable, and competitive alternative protein ecosystem across the region.

As Head of Corporate Engagement, you will lead GFI APAC’s industry work to strengthen the commercial ecosystem for alternative proteins. You will set the direction for our Corporate Engagement strategy, lead a small team, and identify where GFI APAC can play a credible and catalytic role in addressing market barriers.

This is a senior leadership role within a small, entrepreneurial nonprofit. You will need to work with significant autonomy, make sound strategic choices in a rapidly evolving sector, and translate broad organisational goals into practical initiatives. Success will require a combination of commercial insight, ecosystem thinking, partnership-building, and disciplined execution. You will work closely with GFI APAC’s Policy team to help align industry needs with policy opportunities, supporting efforts to unlock investment, strengthen innovation ecosystems, and accelerate sector growth across the region.

How you will make a difference 

1. Set the strategic direction for GFI APAC’s Corporate Engagement work

You will lead the development and execution of GFI APAC’s Corporate Engagement strategy, ensuring our work is focused on the highest-impact opportunities to accelerate alternative protein growth across the region. Key responsibilities include:

• Developing and implementing a clear strategy for engaging companies, investors, and other private-sector stakeholders across APAC.
• Identifying systemic barriers to alternative protein scale-up, including challenges related to ingredients, manufacturing, infrastructure, supply chains, investment, commercialisation, and consumer access.
• Using market insights, industry data, and stakeholder input to identify priority interventions where GFI APAC can add value.
• Developing initiatives that strengthen the enabling environment for alternative proteins and support progress towards taste, price, and accessibility.
• Ensuring Corporate Engagement priorities are aligned with GFI APAC’s broader organisational strategy and long-term goals.
• Working closely with the Policy team to advance initiatives, by translating industry stakeholder needs into recommendations that inform GFI APAC’s policy priorities, advocacy efforts, and engagement with public-sector stakeholders.
• Collaborate and strategise with our Director of Strategic Partnerships to explore opportunities for engagement and partnership development in China to strengthen GFI APAC’s corporate engagement framework.

2. Build relationships to influence corporate action and advance GFI’s mission

You will position GFI APAC as a trusted, evidence-based partner to companies and investors working across the alternative protein value chain. Key responsibilities include:

• Develop and oversee GFI APAC's Corporate Engagement strategy, cultivating and strengthening relationships across the alternative protein ecosystem, including industry leaders, investors, strategic partners, and other key stakeholders, to advance GFI's mission and regional priorities.
• Identifying opportunities for strategic partnerships, industry collaborations, reports, convenings, and other initiatives that can unlock sector progress.
• Educating stakeholders about opportunities and helping align interests around shared goals.
• Representing GFI APAC at industry events, forums, meetings, and media engagements.
• Collaborating closely internally to maximise impact and identify opportunities.
• Maintaining a strong understanding of the APAC industry landscape and identifying emerging opportunities, risks, bottlenecks and trends.

3. Lead and develop the Corporate Engagement team

You will lead and support GFI APAC’s Corporate Engagement team to deliver focused, high-quality work. Key responsibilities include:

• Managing, supporting, and developing two team members.
• Setting clear priorities and performance expectations.
• Overseeing budgets, team development and other line management duties.
• Strategically support GFI Korea and GFI Japan with their Corporate Engagement activities and ensure alignment across the region.
• Helping the team translate ambitious strategies into practical execution.
• Creating a collaborative, evidence-based, inclusive, and outcome-oriented team culture, and actively nurturing a strong sense of belonging and shared purpose within a remote and internationally distributed team.

4. Strengthen alignment across GFI

• You will work closely with colleagues across GFI to ensure Corporate Engagement contributes effectively to shared organisational goals. Key responsibilities include:
• Building strong internal collaborations and accurate information flows within GFI APAC’s programmatic teams.
• Representing GFI APAC within GFI's global Corporate Engagement community and contributing to organisation-wide Corporate Engagement initiatives. Through these engagements, you will ensure APAC’s work is informed by and contributes to GFI’s broader strategy.
• Contributing to cross-functional projects where private-sector insight or industry relationships can strengthen impact.
• As part of a small, agile team, you will also contribute wherever needed to advance organisational priorities, including providing interim coverage for other policy team members when required.
• A bachelor’s degree in business, economics, finance, food systems, international relations, environmental studies, or a related field. A master’s degree is an advantage.
• At least 10 years of relevant experience in areas such as food and agriculture, alternative proteins, corporate strategy, management consulting, corporate affairs, investment, venture capital, innovation, sustainability, or other relevant fields.
• Experience developing and executing strategies that influence companies, investors, or industry ecosystems.
• Strong commercial judgement and the ability to understand how companies make decisions about investment, innovation, partnerships, and market entry.
• Demonstrated ability to engage senior corporate stakeholders, build long-term relationships, and influence decision-makers.
• Experience leading, managing, and developing teams.
• Strong analytical skills and the ability to translate complex information into actionable insights and recommendations.
• Strong organisational and project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-changing environment.Excellent written, verbal, presentation, and public speaking skills in English; proficiency in an additional Asian language is an advantage.

Who you are

• Deeply committed to GFI APAC’s mission and motivated by creating a more sustainable, secure, and resilient food system.
• Strategic and commercially minded, with the ability to identify where GFI can have the greatest influence.
• Entrepreneurial and self-directed, comfortable working with limited precedent and turning broad goals into concrete action.
• Able to quickly develop expertise in complex subject areas, including food systems, alternative proteins, their underlying science, and the levers needed to accelerate their adoption.
• A skilled and persuasive relationship-builder who can engage credibly with executives, investors, entrepreneurs, and technical experts.
• Analytical and evidence-driven, able to use data, market insights, and stakeholder input to shape decisions.

We want the best people, and we don’t want biases holding us back. We strongly encourage people of every colour, orientation, age, gender, origin, and ability to apply. Because we value a diverse workplace, we prioritise an inclusive climate free of discrimination and harassment during the application process and after you join the team.

Application process: 

1. Please submit your application through this application form

2. An initial screening conversation with our recruitment partner, Impact Ops

3. An interview with the GFI APAC team

4. Additional assessment and interview stage(s), depending on the candidate’s profile and previous rounds

Application deadline: Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. We encourage interested candidates to apply as early as possible, as the position may close once a successful candidate has been identified.