Strategic Project Manager

Food Systems Transformation

The British Nutrition Foundation exists to give people, educators, and organisations access to reliable information on nutrition. Grounded in science, working with experts, we support people and organisations on their journey towards a healthy, sustainable diet. Our vision is that everyone can access healthy, sustainable diets, and we contribute to this by translating evidence-based nutrition science in engaging and actionable ways.

 

Changing the food environment is a critical pillar of our strategy. We drive change by engaging with existing and new members, to help corporate nutritionists and other stakeholders develop and implement effective strategies for improved nutrition and support creation of healthier, more sustainable products.

Role

The purpose of this role is to position the BNF as a progressive, challenging, and valued advisor to the food industry, and strategically increase our influence through a clear and compelling membership proposition and on-time in full delivery of commissioned projects or consultancy. This will be done through:

  • Developing a 18-24 month plan to build upon existing relationships with member organisations and engage across member businesses at a senior level
  • Coordinating the timely, cost-effective delivery (across the British Nutrition Foundation) of membership benefits and member-funded projects.
  • Acting as the day-to-day point of contact for larger members and engage BNF colleagues as appropriate.
  • Developing opportunities to expand membership and non-member income through exceptional added-value expertise.
  • Delivering a programme of commissioned projects and communications - engaging members to share best practice and demonstrate added value.
  • Line management support, coaching and development for a team of Nutrition Scientists.
  • Critically reviewing outcomes and evaluate the impact of our work.

Our successful candidate will

  • Hold a degree or equivalent in a relevant field. Holding a nutrition science degree is not essential however qualifications should be rooted in science, with experience of interacting with scientific and research communities.
  • Have strong experience of project management and ideally used to working with collaboration tools such as Monday or Microsoft Project etc.
  • Have experience in the type of environments familiar to BNF members. This may be Agriculture, Food Manufacturing, Catering or Retail.
  • Have significant experience leading complex projects across the food or science sectors with a track record of on-time, to budget project delivery. This is likely to have been in a senior role in areas such as Nutrition, R&D, Product Development or in commercial areas such as Project Management, Marketing or Business Development in the food sector.
  • Have a strong interest in sustainability and knowledge of ESG reporting and the impact on the food industry.
  • Have excellent written, interpersonal and communication skills, with an ability to explain technical solutions in plain English.
  • Excellent analytical and influencing skills with strong commercial acumen.
  • Track record of fostering a productive and supportive working environment, and of developing people to progress further, delegating responsibilities as appropriate and supporting career development.
  • Ability to manage change and to adapt positively to unexpected demands and a positive ‘can-do’ attitude.
  • Experience of consultative selling and business development, ideally in the food sector (Food Manufacturing, Retailing, Catering, QSRs, Hospitality or other) would be an advantage.

Applicants should email their CV and cover letter to recruit@beststarthr.com by Friday 12 April 2024. 

Our values

The values of the British Nutrition Foundation are integrity, collaboration, quality, and positivity, and
we have a strong commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion as set out in our EDI Strategy.
We expect all colleagues to seek to demonstrate these values and to promote them widely in their
work and behaviours.

 

We welcome applications from all groups. Our approach to diversity is simple —it’s about
embracing everyone, and everyone is welcome at the British Nutrition Foundation. We are
committed to welcoming all applicants with the right skills, regardless of gender identity,
orientation or expression, age, race, physical or mental ability, ethnicity, and perspective.
Diversity fuels innovation, brings diversity of thought, and connects us more closely to the
organisations and people we work with. If you need any specific arrangements to be made or
considerations to be taken during our recruitment and selection process to enable you to
perform at your best, please let us know.

Where next?

Our values

Our values are the fundamental beliefs, attitudes and behaviours of the British Nutrition Foundation. These are purpose, integrity, confidence, connection and openness.

Our strategy

Our ambition is that by 2028, we will have doubled our reach and evidenced our contribution to healthier, more sustainable diets

Contact us

Contact us for expert spokespeople and accurate, evidence-based, practical information about healthy, sustainable diets and food education in schools.

Working in Nutrition FAQs

People working in the field of nutrition are typically registered nutritionists or dietitians.

Nutrition is the study of nutrients in food, how the body uses nutrients, and the relationship between diet, health and disease.

 

Nutritionists create and apply scientific knowledge to promote an understanding of the effects of diet on health and wellbeing of humans and provide information about food, diet and healthy eating. They are not qualified to provide information about special diets for medical conditions and cannot work with hospitalised patients without supervision from a dietitian.

 

The professional association for registered nutritionists is the Association for Nutrition. 

 

Dietetics is the application of the science of nutrition to the construction of diets and the selection and preparation of foods, in health and disease.

 

A dietitian will have undertaken training in a hospital and/or community setting as part of his/her course and is specially trained to give practical advice to individuals about their diets to enable them to make healthy diet and lifestyle choices, or in clinical specialities and in patients with complex medical disorders and needs e.g. oncology, renal disease and malabsorption.

 

Dietitians are the only nutrition professionals to be regulated by law and are governed by an ethical code to ensure that they always work to the highest standard.

 

The professional association for registered dietitians in the UK is the British Dietetic Association.

Nutritionists can work in a number of different settings, including research, the food industry, Government, non-government organisations, public health, education, media and communications, and in sports and exercise.

 

There are also a variety of food-orientated careers within the related field of food science and technology. Most of the major food manufacturers and retailers employ nutritionists and food scientists, and opportunities also exist abroad. For example, nutritionists can work in emergency relief or development projects in low income countries. 

You will need to have undertaken a degree course in Nutrition (or a closely related bioscience) in order to become a nutritionist. Most careers will require at least an undergraduate degree (BSc) in a nutritional science or related subject, and some may require postgraduate study too.

 

Some nutrition courses which meet a strict set of standards of professional education in nutrition are accredited with the Association for Nutrition (AfN). Graduates of these courses are eligible for direct entry onto the UK Voluntary Register of Nutritionists (UKVRN). In order to become a registered nutritionist in the UK you will need to have completed an undergraduate or postgraduate course that is accredited by AfN.

The Association for Nutrition (AfN) is the professional body for qualified nutritionists. The AfN maintains the UK Voluntary Register of Nutritionists (UKVRN), a competency-based register of individuals who are qualified and competent in nutritional science and practice.

 

The term ‘nutritionist’ is not a protected title, however only those registered with the UKVRN can call themselves a Registered Nutritionist. A Registered Nutritionist will have specialist competencies in nutrition or public health nutrition, will usually have graduated from an AfN accredited degree course and have at least three years assessed postgraduate experience.

 

Registered Nutritionists follow the Code of Ethics and Statement of Professional Conduct and keep up to date through Continuing Professional Development (CPD). A vocational qualification alone is not enough to join the UKVRN because you will not have enough underpinning scientific knowledge to meet AfN’s competencies. However, it is a good starting point and can help you progress towards undertaking higher level study such as a BSc. For information on how to register as a Nutritionist, visit the Association for Nutrition website.

A list of all accredited nutrition courses can be found on the Association for Nutrition (AfN) website.

 

Most nutrition courses will require A-levels in at least one science subject (usually biology), but often look for a second (normally Chemistry). However, some universities may offer a foundation year for students who wish to complete the degree but do not have any science-based A-levels. Some university courses may offer a professional work placement as part of the course, which enable students to gain some first-hand experience in nutrition.

You can still become a nutritionist and apply to join to UK Voluntary Register of Nutritionists (UKVRN) if you have completed a degree that is not accredited with the Association for Nutrition (AfN).

 

However, the registration process is lengthier and graduates are required to undertake an additional assessment. For further details please visit the AfN website here.

It is necessary to have a degree approved by the Health Care Professionals Council (HCPC) to qualify to work as a dietitian.

 

The minimum requirement is a BSc Hons in Dietetics, or a related science degree with a postgraduate diploma or higher degree in Dietetics.

 

Further information about the undergraduate and postgraduate routes can be found on the British Dietetic Association (BDA) website. All courses require a period of supervised practise in a clinical setting.

A lot of dietitians spend some or all of their time working in the community rather than solely in a hospital. Many of these are eligible to apply for registration in public health nutrition as well as being registered dietitians (RD).

 

In the community, a dietitian’s work is more about health education, although many also run clinics in doctors’ surgeries for people who need specialist dietary counselling. Dietitians also work in research, the food industry, Government, non-government organisations, sports and exercise nutrition, the media, public health and education.

 

The title ‘dietitian’ can only be used by trained professionals who are registered with the Health Care Professionals Council (HCPC). Registered professionals must keep up-to-date through compulsory Continuing Professional Development (CPD). Further information is available from the British Dietetic Association.