Director, Policy and Research Institute
8 days ago
Washington
Job Description DEPARTMENT: Policy & Research Institute (PRI) REPORTS TO: Managing Director, Policy & Programs LOCATION: Washington, DC Bread for the World is a Christian advocacy organization urging U.S. decision makers to do all they can to pursue a world without hunger. Our mission is to educate and equip people to advocate for policies and programs that can help end hunger in the U.S. and around the world. PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: To provide leadership and direction for Bread’s domestic and global hunger policy analysis and advocacy, research, institutional outreach, grant-related fundraising, and PRI’s financial and personnel management. PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES/ACTIVITIES: Policy Development and Advancement • Provides thought leadership on domestic and global hunger issues, the development and prioritization of the organization’s public policy agenda, and the impact of public policies on communities disproportionately impacted by hunger and poverty, including historically marginalized communities based on race, gender, and class., • Directs PRI’s internal team and departmental functions, including their work with other Bread departments and serves as a lead in developing Bread’s policy agenda. This includes co-creation and management of a departmental (PRI) work plan and budget, individual staff work plans, an inter-departmental work plan and relevant grant proposal and budgets., • Sustain supportive inter-departmental relationships with Directors and Executive Leadership to ensure collaborative decision making on grant proposals and budgets, sign-on decisions, advocacy messaging, and unison in Bread for the World’s external voice., • Work collaboratively with Deputy Director on day-to-day needs of PRI staff, internship recruitment, interdepartmental liaising, and delegation of work and responsibilities as needed., • Works with the President and CEO, Managing Director, Vice Presidents, and Program Directors in seeking grant funding; builds and maintains relationships with foundation staff, supports the development of proposals and manages program grants (when requested to do so) received by the organization., • Provides intentional leadership for PRI staff, fostering a supportive, accountable, and inclusive work environment. This includes setting clear performance expectations, coaching and developing staff through regular feedback and professional development, supporting workload prioritization and delegation, and building team capacity to achieve individual, departmental, and organizational goals., • Monitors PRI’s compliance with 501(c)3 and 501(c)4 status., • Participates in Strategy Council (department directors) meetings., • Prepares materials for and represents the department at Board meetings., • Supports long-range and three-year strategic planning of the organization., • Represents Bread for the World in key U.S. and global coalitions as needed to advance Bread’s policy change agenda., • Builds and maintains relationships with key USG officials, policy organizations, think tanks, foundations, research and academic institutions, and civil society organizations., • Serves as a spokesperson and representative of Bread in the media, at professional conferences, at partner events, and other public-facing engagements, • Directly Supervises Deputy Director, PRI, Senior Advisors, and Project Manager, • Professional or Advanced degree with minimum 10 years’ experience in a related field with progressively responsible work experience., • Commitment to the mission and faith basis of Bread and the ability to communicate the case for supporting the organization’s mission., • Demonstrated experience conducting and/or leading qualitative, quantitative, or mixed-methods research (short-term or long-term) related to one or more of the following topics on a domestic or global scale: hunger, poverty, nutrition, climate and environmental change, international financial institutions, international development assistance, or other relevant issue area., • Deep understanding of domestic and international hunger and poverty issues., • Strong understanding of racial and gender inequities exacerbating hunger and poverty rates and ability to communicate viable technical solutions to redress these inequities., • Experience building coalitions to support policy advocacy goals., • Strong network of contacts and relationships in the global and/or domestic hunger space., • Experience managing and coaching a department or team demonstrating strong, collaborative management skills and the ability to work in a fast-paced environment on a multitude of issues simultaneously., • Ability to seek and manage grants., • Experience using Microsoft Suite tools for day-to-day management and communication (MS Outlook Email, PowerPoint, Word, and other programs), • Experience using multi-modal communication and project management tools for day-to-day functions (Slack, Monday.com, or other platform), preferred, • Strong writing, editing and verbal communication skills, including ability to identify and engage target audiences and communicate complex ideas or issues tailored to the audience, using appropriate formats and media., • Ability to communicate highly complex information at high- level meetings and to external contacts to influence results and achieve strategic goals related to Bread’s policy and advocacy priorities, • Strong public speaker., • Working knowledge of 501(c)3 and 501(c)4 regulations., • Ability to work independently as performance and outcomes are monitored by executive leadership., • Ability to formulate short-range and long-range policy recommendations that have significant impact, requiring consultation with organizational leaders and external partners to determine appropriate solutions., • Experience approving decisions that commit financial and human resources to a course of action, which is subject to executive review., • Personable, trustworthy, diplomatic, and perceived as such by colleagues and direct reports., • Must be responsive to emails and phone calls off-site during evenings, weekends, and holidays to support time-sensitive matters., • This position is based in Washington, D.C. The incumbent will be required to work in-person from the D.C. office at least two days per week to include designated weekly “anchor” days. Anchor days as of January 2026 are Tuesdays. The designated weekly anchor day, as well as the number of in-person days per week, may be subject to change in keeping with Bread policies., • Some domestic and international travel required. Bread is committed to advancing racial equity externally and internally, all staff members play a vital role. In the course of our work, each staff person should work to apply a racial equity lens to their work and practices; and participate in racial equity on-going training. Bread is also committed to being an equal opportunity employer. OUR VALUES: • We value our faith. Our faith in Christ is the foundation for our hope, story, mission, and values, and compels us to love our neighbors near and far., • We value human flourishing. We believe that every human being, created in the image of God, has inherent dignity that affords an opportunity to be in right relationship with God, self, neighbor, and the environment, and to freely access enough nutritious food for good health., • We value justice. We seek to establish effective systems, structures, and policies that affirm equality and advance equity among all human beings and protect people who experience hunger and poverty from oppression., • We value courage and prophetic voice. In a spirit of wisdom and love, we will be bold in articulating and pursuing our vision of a world without hunger., • We value nonpartisanship. We believe that effective and sustainable public policies are made when, in good faith, we employ a civil and politically unbiased approach to develop and implement laws and programs to achieve our mission., • We value collaboration. We believe in working alongside and building community with diverse churches, institutions, and individuals, including people experiencing hunger, to achieve our mission. Background and reference checks will be conducted on all final candidates. The information in this job description indicates the general nature and level of work expected of employees in this classification. It is not designed to contain, nor to be interpreted as, a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, qualifications, and objectives required of employees assigned to this job.