Sector Development Strategist

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 the 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 Sector Development Strategist, you will help shape the conditions needed for alternative proteins to scale across the Asia-Pacific region. Reporting to the Head of Corporate Engagement, you will work at the intersection of industry, finance, philanthropy, and policy to identify systemic bottlenecks and develop initiatives that unlock sector growth.

This is a highly strategic and entrepreneurial role. Rather than managing established programmes, you will identify opportunities, test ideas, build coalitions, and help translate promising concepts into practical initiatives. A major initial focus of the role will be to explore catalytic and blended financing pathways to mobilise affordable capital for alternative protein research, infrastructure, and scale-up. You are expected to 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. Shape GFI APAC’s sector development strategy

You will help identify and address systemic barriers to the growth of the alternative protein sector in APAC. Key responsibilities include:

• Developing and executing strategies that strengthen the commercial ecosystem for alternative proteins across the region and catalyse more investment into the sector by 2030.
• Identifying market failures, funding gaps, and ecosystem bottlenecks, and advancing solutions, partnerships, and enabling conditions that could unlock sector growth.
• Building GFI APAC’s thought leadership on sector development, affordability, financing, and industrialisation.
• Conducting research and analysis on commercialisation pathways, scale-up challenges, and innovative financing mechanisms and translating these insights into practical initiatives.

2. Catalyse investment and ecosystem development

A core focus of this role is helping to mobilise the capital, partnerships, and coordination needed for the sector to scale. Key responsibilities include:

• Exploring catalytic finance, blended finance, and other innovative funding mechanisms that could accelerate alternative protein development and deployment.
• Identifying lessons and models from adjacent sectors that could be applied to alternative proteins.
• Developing initiatives that reduce scale-up risk, improve affordability, and strengthen commercial viability.
• Convening stakeholders and building coalitions and partnerships around shared opportunities and challenges that unlock investment, infrastructure, research capacity, or market adoption.

Working closely with GFI APAC’s Policy team to advance initiatives that strengthen the commercial environment for alternative proteins, by translating industry insights and stakeholder needs into evidence-based recommendations that help inform GFI APAC’s policy priorities, advocacy efforts, and engagement with public-sector stakeholders.

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

A significant portion of this role involves engaging senior stakeholders and positioning GFI as a trusted partner and thought leader. Key responsibilities include:

• Building and maintaining relationships with investors, development finance institutions, government agencies, philanthropic organisations, industry leaders, and other key stakeholders.Educating stakeholders about opportunities and helping align interests around shared goals.
• Representing GFI APAC in meetings, workshops, conferences, roundtables, and public forums and establish yourself as a credible partner and thought leader.
• Collaborating closely internally to maximise impact and identify opportunities.
• Sharing insights, opportunities, and best practices across GFI APAC and with strategic partners to strengthen collaboration and amplify impact.
• As part of a small, agile team, you will also contribute wherever needed to advance organisational priorities, including providing interim coverage for other "Corporate Engagement" team members when required.

What we're looking for

The ideal candidate will have

• 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 7 years of relevant experience in sectors such as agri-food, biomanufacturing, climate finance, economic development, infrastructure finance, venture development, innovation ecosystems, or related fields.

• Experience developing strategies, partnerships, or initiatives that support industry development, commercialisation, investment mobilisation, or systems change.

• Demonstrated success in convening and influencing diverse stakeholders across industry, government, finance, philanthropy, or research institutions.

• Familiarity with investment, financing, or business evaluation frameworks, and an understanding of how commercial, financial, and sustainability considerations influence decision-making.

• Experience with public-private partnerships, blended finance, catalytic finance, development finance, or related funding models is an advantage.

• Analytical skills and the ability to translate complex information into actionable insights and recommendations.

• Organisational and project management skills and the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously.

• 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.

• Entrepreneurial, curious, and comfortable operating in areas with high ambiguity and limited precedent.

• 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 enjoys bringing together stakeholders with different interests and perspectives.

• A strategic thinker who can connect disparate ideas, identify opportunities, and develop compelling pathways forward.

• Comfortable working independently, exercising sound judgement, and driving initiatives from concept to execution.

• Adaptable and resilient, thriving in a dynamic, rapidly evolving environment.

• Willingness to travel regularly across APAC for government and stakeholder engagement, policy forums, and regional events, as well as annual global GFI meetings.

• Comfortable working remotely and collaborating effectively across countries, cultures, and time zones within an international nonprofit organisation.

We want the best people, and we don’t want bias to get in the way. We welcome applicants of every background and are committed to an inclusive, harassment-free workplace. Research indicates that men tend to apply for jobs when they meet just 60% of the criteria, while women and other marginalised groups only apply if they are a 100% match. If you’re excited about GFI’s mission but don’t meet every single requirement, please still apply — we’d love to hear from you.

The fine print

• Terms of employment: Full-time

• Reports to: Head of Corporate Engagement

• Location: APAC region

• Pay range: Annual salary between $85-115K SGD based on qualifications and experience. If candidates are based outside Singapore, the annual salary will be adjusted to the local rate.

• Benefits: Working from home, flexible working hours, opportunity to create real impact, respectful managers, and supportive colleagues.

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.

We know what AI can do; here, we are hoping to get to know you. Please prepare your application in your own voice so that we can better understand your experience, motivations, and perspective.

If you have any questions about the role, application process, or expected timelines, please contact us at ***email_hidden***. Thank you!