Met Council is America's largest Jewish charity dedicated to serving people in need. We fight poverty through comprehensive social services and by treating each client with compassion, integrity, and respect. Our programs are staffed by experts who help over 325,000 clients each year and advocate on behalf of all needy New Yorkers. Our services include 100% affordable housing at 21 locations, family violence services, Holocaust survivor assistance, geriatric social work, crisis intervention and the largest free kosher food distribution program in the world. Our network of 101 food pantries, affordable housing sites, and affiliated JCCs provide services directly in neighborhoods across New York City.

Position Summary:

Met Council is seeking a Food Policy Associate to conduct research, analysis, and outreach to help us provide emergency food to, and advocate on behalf of, the food insecure. The associate will examine the emergency food ecosystem at all levels of governance, including in New York City, New York State, and nationally. Based on this work, the associate will work with Met Council's Policy Director to execute a vision and public policy agenda to address gaps in the supply of emergency food as well as infrastructure and supply chain weaknesses. The Food Policy Associate will ultimately provide critical support for the growth of Met Council's kosher/halal food network.

Please note: This is currently a hybrid position (3 days on-site & 2 days remote).

Principal Responsibilities:

• Conduct analyses and identify advocacy opportunities in key local, state, and federal policy and legislative processes and contribute to the development of legislative agendas and engagement strategies that support food-insecure kosher and halal New Yorkers.
• Act as Met Council Food Programs' primary expert on emergency food policy, legislation, and budget-making that impact communities served by Met Council Food Programs and our partner organizations.
• Develop an understanding of emerging trends and outcomes within the kosher and halal food network.
• Develop briefs, reports, and other materials on legislative and budgetary priorities for target audiences, including elected officials, foundations, corporate and individual donors, and the general public.
• Assist in creating a vision and public policy advocacy agenda to address gaps in the emergency food systems.
• Provide support for Met Council's government relations, policy, and food network teams through policy messaging, including talking points, hearing testimony, and other content for advocacy use by the Government Relations team in external communications and response to requests from government officials and partners.
• Maintain programmatic knowledge and legislative goals to participate in external advocacy as needed
• Engage a network of providers and key stakeholders, including Met Council's direct service staff, in developing an evolving policy platform.
• Additional responsibilities as assigned.

Competencies:

• Demonstrated interest in food and poverty policy.
• Excellent administrative and organizational skills and ability to work in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to operate with a high level of professionalism.
• Ability to communicate complex ideas effectively through written reports and oral presentations.
• Ability to work effectively in collaboration with other individuals and organizations and operate with a high degree of professionalism.
• Must have a passion for supporting vulnerable populations

Skill and Education:

• Master's degree or equivalent work experience in public health, public policy, nutrition, or a related field
• Demonstrated interest in food and poverty policy
• Strong ability to perform a wide range of research and analysis with tools such as ArcGIS, Tableau, Stata, R, and/or Excel
• Strong knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite
• Excellent oral and written communication skills to effectively communicate issues to multiple audiences from generalists to technical experts
• Ability to articulate goals, objectives, and progress in written form for grant applications and reporting
• Familiarity with local, state, and federal nutrition and food systems policy required

Compensation: $62,400 - $72,000 per year

Benefits: Major medical, dental, vision and life insurance; pre-tax commuter benefits; FSA; 403(b) with employer contribution; plus generous vacation, sick leave and holidays.