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Project
Director Food Safety – Washington, DC
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Job ID:
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2009-1927
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Location:
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Washington-DC
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Department:
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Pew
Health Group
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Posted Date:
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9/18/2009
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Apply for this job:
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More information about this job:
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Overview:
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The
Organization
The Pew
Charitable Trusts is driven by the power of knowledge to solve today's most
challenging problems. Pew applies a rigorous, analytical approach to
improving public policy, informing the public and stimulating civic life.
Based in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., Pew produces fact-based
research and develops practical solutions to challenging issues.
We are an independent nonprofit organization--the sole beneficiary of seven
individual charitable funds, with assets of $3.88 billion at the end of
June 2009, established between 1948 and 1979 by two sons and two daughters
of Sun Oil Company founder Joseph N. Pew and his wife, Mary Anderson Pew.
Pew provides an exciting learning environment and the opportunity to work
with highly talented individuals. It is a dynamic organization that values
creativity and innovative thinking and fosters strong teamwork with mutual
respect.
Pew
Health Group
The Pew
Health Group aims to improve Americans' health and well being by minimizing
the risks associated with consumer products and services; scanning for ripe
policy issues where Pew's investment can make a difference; supporting
rigorous nonpartisan research that informs balanced policy solutions; and
launching strategic and winnable campaigns to achieve policy reforms.
The Pew Health Group's initiatives expose hidden health risks, promote safe
practices by industry, and strengthen federal and state laws and
regulations. The Pew Health Group is also home to projects that
promote emerging science, including a fellowship program to support
biomedical research. The position offers the opportunity to be
part of a growing team within an innovative nonprofit organization.
Position
Overview
The Food
Safety Project Director would carry out a number of core functions,
including:
The
director will develop and implement strategic and operational plans for the
food safety project, which includes components, including efforts to
achieve:
- Authorization of the FDA to
order recalls or suspend food facility licenses when necessary to
protect the public.
- Improved coordination within
the Department of Health and Human Services' (DHHS) agencies working
on food safety, including the FDA and Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC), as well as with the U.S. Department of Agriculture
(USDA) and state governments.
- Implementation of electronic
tracking systems to allow officials to rapidly trace contaminated
products back to the original source.
- Strong and understandable
standards for food safety. Modernized standards would help ensure that
food producers, government officials and the public can rely upon
enforceable guidelines for manufacturing, processing, testing and
handling.
- New rules to require routine
inspections of domestic and overseas food facilities, especially at
locations with poor performance or unsatisfactory results.
- An increase in the FDA's food
safety budget to support more inspections and stronger research,
investigation and standard setting.
- FDA publication of a
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking requiring domestic produce growers and
packagers to implement HACCP plans.
- Development of policy options
for improving the oversight of imported foods by the FDA and
communicated to policy makers.
- Completion of a blueprint of
short- and long-term "next steps" for improving the CDC's
ability to report food-borne illness outbreaks.
This
position currently has an end date of March 31, 2011. The project may be
extended pending the success of the effort, board approval and additional
funding.
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Responsibilities:
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The
Project Director will represent Pew before local, state, tribal and federal
policymakers and with nonprofit organizations and universities. The
director will recruit and maintain superb relationships with the project's
consultants and advisors.
The
director will supervise a staff of approximately four in Washington, DC,
and work in partnership with other Pew departments,
This
position is based in Washington, DC and will report to the Director of Food
and Consumer Product Safety of the Pew Health Group.
The ideal
candidate will have significant and substantive work experience in food
policy, food safety, legislation, and public education and advocacy issue
campaigns in these areas, as well as strong networks of relationship with
the field's key leaders. Additionally, s/he should have published
reports or articles on food safety-related issues, including for example
produce safety. The candidate should demonstrate an understanding of the
research and advocacy necessary to move policymaking in the food safety and
food policy arenas.
Work with
Pew staff, national experts, stakeholders, consultants, evaluators and
funders to develop and implement the strategy for a national effort to
promote food safety.
The
Project Director will use his/her expertise and contacts in the food safety
sector to advise the campaign on technical issues related to the safety of
produce and other foods.
Develop
programmatic objectives, workplans and oversee day-to-day operations for
the project's coordinating center and public and policymaker education and
outreach efforts, including:
- Reviewing campaign materials
to ensure accuracy
- Attending weekly campaign
meetings and developing and managing assignments originating from
those meetings;
- Accompanying campaign staff
on Congressional visits;
- Developing and assisting with
Congressional strategy and targeting
- The Project Director will
respond to inquiries from press, government officials, and others
regarding the work of the food safety project and, where appropriate,
will use those inquiries to support and promote the goal of the
campaign.
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Requirements:
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- Experience in managing
a successful advocacy campaign(s).
- At least 15-20 years of
relevant professional experience, including a solid understanding of
the federal policy-making process, especially in domestic policy
issues. Significant experience working with the federal government
(including Congress and federal agencies) or at issue-based national
advocacy groups is strongly preferred.
- Knowledge and experience at a
senior level with key tools in advocacy and policy change, including
policy analysis, issue campaigns, communications strategies, and
grassroots or grasstops organizing.
- Able to oversee staff in
setting short- and long-term planning goals in line with program
strategy. A task-oriented style, with focus on achieving clear and
ambitious goals. Demonstrated ability to meet multiple deadlines by
maintaining a high level of organization. Able to develop and move
projects forward with a high degree of independence and autonomy.
- Excellent written and oral
communications skills, including an ease in briefly summarizing the
essence of issues and means to address them. Strong oral,
presentation, facilitation, and written communication skills such that
complex ideas, thoughts and concepts are clearly articulated for a
general audience. Clear, effective writing style.
- Strong interpersonal skills;
able to develop and manage productive relationships with consultants,
partners and others who contribute to the development of a project by
anticipating possible outcomes. Excellent listening skills. Highly
articulate.
- Media-savvy and politically
astute. Able to use effective marketing techniques and media exposure
to communicate the impact of current polices on food safety.
- Exhibit skills of diplomacy.
Able to work productively with a wide array of different people and
institutions that frequently disagree with and are in competition with
one another.
- Strong understanding of how
to manage by influencing others and the ability to read nuances of
meaning accurately.
- Seasoned judgment tested by
difficult circumstances, able to make decisions, justify
recommendations, and be responsive, clear and firm with colleagues and
partners.
Travel
It is
anticipated that the individual in this position will travel periodically,
including to PCT's Philadelphia office as needed.
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