Driving investment and capital flows into the alternative protein ecosystem

The Good Food Institute (GFI) is a nonprofit think tank working to make the global food system better for the planet, people, and animals. Alongside scientists, businesses, and policymakers, GFI’s teams focus on making plant-based, fermentation-enabled, and cultivated meat delicious, affordable, and accessible. Powered by philanthropy, GFI is an international network of organizations advancing alternative proteins as an essential solution needed to meet the world’s climate, global health, food security, and biodiversity goals.

How you will make a difference

In this position, you will have the opportunity to lead and grow GFI’s efforts to champion the inclusion of alternative proteins (APs) in investment portfolios, identifying opportunities and solutions to mobilize capital for alternative protein scale-up and commercialization. While GFI’s work does not deploy capital directly to companies, this position will focus on shaping investment ecosystems, informing capital allocation decisions, engaging with investors, and accelerating capital flows through analysis, education, and strategic engagement. GFI’s Investor Engagement Manager will be responsible for:

Engagement with investors, corporate venture arms, and financial institutions:

• Building and managing relationships with investors, corporate venture arms, and financial institutions, and growing GFI’s network of investor contacts.
• Crafting and executing an annual strategy to position alternative protein solutions for capital mobilization to achieve scale-up, by informing stakeholders about financial and economic factors relevant to industry growth and opportunities.
• Developing pathways for derisking investment in alternative proteins, including securing partnerships to explore novel capital solutions to support scale-up and commercialization and convening capital providers around specific bottlenecks.
• Regularly securing and giving presentations to educate audiences on investment trends and capital mobilization challenges and opportunities in the alternative protein industry. 
• Collaborating across GFI and with external partners to analyze and expand the public investment landscape for alternative proteins. 

Analysis & resource development:

• Developing, disseminating, and presenting educational materials on R&D, commercialization, and infrastructure funding needs and opportunities for alternative proteins. 
• Shaping the narrative around investment trends in APs through analyzing and sharing market and investment data.
• Making the case for alternative protein inclusion in thematic investment strategies, including AI themes, ESG strategies and sustainability goals, and other timely or long-term topics.
• Contributing to sharing information and building open-access resources regarding public investment opportunities in alternative proteins, production capacity, infrastructure opportunities and challenges, and alternative protein scale-up needs (e.g., techno-economic assessments, risk and opportunity assessments, and infrastructure analyses).
• Expanding and maintaining GFI’s publicly available library of investment-related educational resources and databases.
• Representing GFI at industry events and in the media to educate potential investors and the public about alternative proteins and the investment landscape in the sector.

Supervision & leadership:

• Supervising the Startup Innovation Lead, providing strategic direction, performance management, and professional development support, and overseeing GFI’s initiatives for engaging with startups, including developing a strategy for engaging with distressed companies.
• Identifying opportunities and barriers to alternative protein investment that could be addressed through education and advocacy efforts, and developing and executing on related initiatives.   
• Securing an understanding of innovation ecosystem health, trends, and needs around financing APs, and sharing insights to and from startups and investors on the AP financing landscape.
• Providing strategic insights to internal teams to inform corporate engagement, policy, and communications priorities related to investor engagement and capital mobilization.
• Coordinating with affiliates to identify global financing opportunities and challenges and lead or support cross-regional initiatives.
• Partnering with other NGOs or stakeholders to collaborate on joint initiatives on AP financing, investment, and capital mobilization.
• Performing other duties as assigned.

Who we’re looking for 

An ideal candidate for the Investor Engagement Manager position will have experience that reflects the following:

• A minimum of 5 years of relevant work experience in investment, finance, or investor engagement, including experience in nonprofit, public interest, or mission-driven contexts.
• A bachelor’s degree in finance, economics, business administration, or accounting from an accredited college or university is preferred (MBA or equivalent experience is a plus). Degrees in related fields with significant coursework in economics, finance, quantitative analysis, or business strategy will also be considered.
• Demonstrated experience managing and developing employees or project teams.
• A demonstrated strong work ethic, a high degree of self-motivation, and intellectual curiosity.
• Strong analytical, writing, and presentation skills. 
• Persuasive and engaging interpersonal skills; the ability to build effective working relationships with senior executives and investors.
• A thorough understanding of the investment industry, including venture capital, capital formation, and fundraising dynamics for startups.
• Ability to work independently and use sound judgment in decision-making, including setting and managing priorities and meeting competing deadlines.
• The strongest candidates for this position would also have experience in the following areas:
• Experience working as an investment analyst, investment associate, venture associate, or similar position within the broader investment industry. 
• Familiarity with the alternative protein industry (plant-based meat, eggs, and dairy; cultivated meat; and fermentation). 
• Experience successfully managing large cross-functional projects.
• A commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and to building an inclusive workplace where everyone feels like they belong.
• Comfort working remotely and in a rapidly growing and evolving organization.
• Strong support for GFI’s philosophy and mission; demonstrated interest in plant-based & other alt proteins, public health, environmentalism, climate change, animal protection, or hunger relief.
• A commitment to GFI’s values: believe change is possible, do the most good we can, share knowledge freely, act on evidence, and invite everyone to the table.

GFI wants the best people and is committed to a fair hiring process. We use a third-party anonymizing tool to redact personal information from submitted applications — including name, location, contact details, and several other factors — to increase fairness in our process. We also prioritize an inclusive work environment absent of discrimination and harassment during the application process and after you join the team. Please see our full Equal Opportunity Statement: https://gfi.org/careers/#EEOC-and-visa-disclaimer. 

If you are passionate about GFI’s mission, think you have what it takes to be successful in this position, and meet many of the job requirements — even if you don’t check all the boxes — please apply. We’d appreciate the opportunity to consider your application. 

The fine print

• Terms of employment: Full-time, exempt
• Reports to: Emma Ignaszewski - Associate Vice President of Corporate Engagement
• Direct report(s): Pat McAuley, Startup Innovation Lead 
• Location: Remote; United States
• Travel: Occasionally up to 10% time with two weeks per year for organization retreats (reasonable accommodations for and exemptions from organization retreats considered on a case-by-case basis).
• Benefits: Working from home; paid employee base medical coverage; dental, vision, and other medical insurance options; a 401(k) plan with employer match; 14 paid holidays; personal, sick, and vacation time; paid family/parental and medical leave; lifestyle spending account; opportunity for advancement; and, respectful and collaborative culture. More information here: https://tinyurl.com/GFIBenefits. 
• This is a U.S.-based position: In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work for any employer in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire. At this time, GFI's policy is not to sponsor or take over sponsorship of employment visas.
• Salary: $106,828.02 - $111,016.88 (depending on experience and qualifications)

Note: This position focuses on catalyzing investment and capital flows across the alternative protein industry—not fundraising or deploying GFI’s own capital.

Important dates

Application deadline: May 19, 2026 

Anticipated start date: June 29, 2026

Application instructions

GFI uses an anonymized hiring system that redacts key identifying personal information from all applications. We use this tool as part of a wider effort to reduce bias in our hiring process. Following these instructions will help to ensure your application is not delayed by a failed redaction. 

• Where possible, limit the creative formatting of your documents. If the name on your resume is an inserted image file or is styled with large spaces between each letter, for example, the redaction is likely to fail. Colors and designs are OK, but wherever possible, the text itself should just be regular text. 
• Please use consistent names. It helps to ensure that the name you use in your resume and cover letter is the same as the name you type into the application below. For example, if your name is Jennifer, please sign your cover letter as “Jennifer” rather than “Jenny.” 
• Submit PDF or .docx files only. Other file formats, like .txt, are likely to fail redaction. 
• Please do not include personal identifying information in your responses to the application questions. Referencing past education, work experience, and mission-alignment is OK. 
• If you use smart technology, use it wisely. We want to get to know you — not a robot. Please ensure your application materials reflect your own voice and experience. 
• Please do not contact the role’s supervisor or any potential member of the hiring team. If you have questions, please email careers@gfi.org. 

Thank you for helping us to ensure that the redaction process works smoothly and to review your application as quickly as possible!