Director, Food Is Medicine

Position Overview

The Director plays a crucial part in the Foundations Food is Medicine (FIM) initiative a $100M effort to integrate healthy food and nutrition programs into healthcare to improve health outcomes enhance nutrition security reduce costs and support sustainable food systems. Based in New York and reporting to the Vice President Food the role shapes strategy and execution for FIM including grantmaking partnerships and cross-functional collaboration. It also drives thought leadership through convenings research agendas and publications that elevate science and success stories. The Director will manage a Program Associate on the FIM team as well as occasional graduate interns and/or consultants.

The Director has deep expertise in the U.S. food system including supply chains public-private innovation and the roles of public and private sectors in diet and health. Success depends on the ability to design effective strategies deliver on specified goals across multiple workstreams and build trust-based partnerships across diverse stakeholders. Passion for advancing food nutrition and policy solutions that create lasting impact is essential.

Hiring Range:$172051 - $193600.This represents the present low and high ends of the Foundations pay range for this position. Actual pay will vary based on various factors including but not limited to experience.

Work Schedule: This role is based in New York NY and required to be in the office on Mondays Tuesdays Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities

• Strategically design and lead new and existing program areas within the FIM initiative ensuring alignment with organizational priorities and leveraging the FIM market to advance local regenerative and good food producers.
• Forge and sustain key partnerships at both community and national levels to drive market growth and impact including deepening the FIM teams collaborations with the private sector and leaders in the food supply chain.
• Translate complex systems-change opportunities into actionable multi-year strategies and initiatives. Oversee the sourcing structuring and stewardship of grants investments and partnerships that deliver measurable impact and advance the Foundations mission.
• Collaborate with internal stakeholders ensuring strategic coherence across the Foundations food FIM and U.S. portfolios. Champion alignment of program objectives with broader organizational goals and assets including Communications and convenings.
• Serve as a recognized thought leader and RF representative in FIM food supply chains good food procurement and food policy. Influence external discourse and policy through high-level engagement and expertise.
• Deliver strategic communicationswritten and verbalon program strategy outcomes and impact to diverse internal and external audiences. Represent the Foundation through published works public speaking media interviews and thought leadership platforms.
• Lead high-priority collaborations with public sector leaders (state and federal) private sector partners (investors companies) and non-profit organizations (researchers advocates) to advance shared objectives and systemic change.
• Curate and mobilize a network of experts influencers and practitioners to inform strategy and accelerate impact with a focus on FIM food systems and nutrition.
• Build and maintain trust-based relationships managing complex multi-partner initiatives and multi-workstream efforts to achieve measurable outcomes.
• Recruit and engage additional funders to co-invest with the Foundation amplifying resources and accelerating progress toward shared goals.
• Oversee a robust grant portfolio including the identification and onboarding of new grantees the development of grant scopes and the effective management of ongoing relationships to advance FIM strategies.
• Champion a culture of accountability and continuous improvement by supporting monitoring learning and evaluation plans across the team.
• Drive operational excellence and OneRF collaboration overseeing budgeting grant making and internal reporting for the FIM team.
• Ensure timely and high-quality execution of grant-making and strategic processes independently advancing workstreams and effectively communicating progress to senior leadership.
• Lead and be accountable for select initiative-wide processes as delegated by the VP such as equitable grant-making commitments for the Food team ensuring alignment with organizational values and strategic priorities.

Education Experience and Skills

• Generally expected to have at least 10 years of progressive leadership experience in Food is Medicine food entrepreneurship food/agriculture supply chains and social impact within food systems.
• Significant experience working with the private sector and food/agricultural markets with a track record of advancing strategic initiatives and partnerships.
• Bachelors degree in a related field.
• Demonstrated expertise in navigating the U.S. food system and/or nutrition interventions including building and sustaining public-private partnerships with senior leaders at national state and local levels spanning diverse communities and geographies.
• Proven success in developing leading and implementing multi-party projects with clear objectives deliverables and robust monitoring and evaluation frameworks.
• Entrepreneurial mindset and demonstrated ability to drive work forward in evolving ambiguous environments; comfortable adapting responsibilities and approaches as strategy develops.
• Strategic relationship builder able to engage and influence senior stakeholders across sectors.
• Strong analytical communication and project management skills with a focus on measurable impact and continuous improvement.
• Willingness and ability to travel domestically as needed to advance program objectives.

Qualifications and Competencies

• Balances Stakeholders: Anticipates and balances the needs of multiple stakeholders.
• Develops Talent: Develops people to meet both their career goals and the organizations goals.
• Directs Work: Provides direction delegating and removing obstacles to get work done.
• Manages Complexity: Makes sense of complex high quantity and sometimes contradictory information to effectively solve problems.
• Values Differences: Recognizes the value of different perspectives commits to being self-aware and respectful and seeks to learn from new and different voices.

About The Rockefeller Foundation

The Rockefeller Foundation is a pioneering philanthropy built on collaborative partnerships at the frontiers of science technology and innovation that enable individuals families and communities to flourish. We make big bets to promote the well-being of humanity in food health energy and finance including through our public charity RF Catalytic Capital (RFCC). For more information sign up for our newsletter at and follow us on X @RockefellerFdn and LinkedIn @the-rockefeller-foundation.

The Rockefeller Foundation offers a comprehensive and competitive benefits package that includes health insurance programs tuition reimbursement and student loan repayment a generous 401K parental leave and various forms of paid time off all to help our employees feel energized cared for and engaged.

As an organization we focus on six values to advance our culture and continue our success. We are dedicated to being Transparent Optimistic Accountable Collaborative Trusted and Equitable. We expect all employees at the Foundation to contribute by developing their unique perspectives and talent challenging conventional wisdom through evidence and reason and amplifying marginalized voices.

The Rockefeller Foundation is committed to the principles of equal employment opportunity and compliance with all federal state and local laws concerning employment discrimination including the Americans with Disabilities Act. To this end the Foundation ensures equal opportunity to all employees and applicants regardless of race color age gender sexual orientation religion marital status national origin or ancestry citizenship lawful alien status physical mental and medical disability veteran status liability for service in the United States Armed Forces or any other protected status.

The Rockefeller Foundation is an Equal Opportunity Employer.