Food Policy Specialist

Terms of employment: Full time, permanent

Position Location: Remote, in the UK (mandatory to travel to London once a month, at own cost)

Line Manager: Executive Director

Final date to receive applications: Accepted on a rolling basis

Animal Equality is an international animal protection organisation working with society, governments and companies to end cruelty to farmed animals. Animal Equality has offices in the United Kingdom, United States, Germany, Italy, Spain, Mexico, Brazil and India.

Animal Equality releases investigative materials captured from inside factory farms and slaughterhouses, exposing the conditions that farmed animals face around the world. We publish our findings on television, in newspapers and online. We routinely secure mainstream media coverage, including on the BBC, ITV, Sky news, The Times, the Guardian, New York Times and many more.

Animal Equality also advocates for political change. Our current campaigns include a UK ban on foie gras imports, increased enforcement of existing animal protection laws, legal protections for farmed fish, and Government subsidies for transitioning towards a plant-based food system.

We focus on farmed animals because of the scale and severity of the issue. More than a billion animals are confined and killed for human consumption every year in the UK. Farmed animals also often suffer in some of the worst ways: pigs typically endure painful mutilations, many chickens die of heart attacks, fish are confined in underwater cages, and some farmed animals are victims of deliberate abuse and neglect.

But the problem is solvable! By utilising effective campaigning strategies, Animal Equality is having an impact for animals around the world and building a future where all animals are respected and protected, and are no longer exploited for human consumption.

Animal Equality UK’s current key campaigns include:

• Strengthening enforcement of animal protection laws
• Halting the expansion of Scotland’s salmon farming industry
• Achieving a ban on foie gras imports
• Securing species‑specific slaughter legislation for fish
• Inspiring the public to eat plants, not animals

We are seeking a strategic, personable, persuasive, and policy‑savvy Food Policy Specialist to spearhead Government relations and stakeholder outreach. This highly impactful role bridges high‑level advocacy with on‑the‑ground influence, and involves advising Government Ministers, politicians, expert bodies, and sector stakeholders to promote policies that support plant‑forward dietary shifts aligned with the UK’s sustainability, public health, and animal welfare commitments and priorities.

The Food Policy Specialist will report to the UK Executive Director and oversee our diet change (‘Love Veg’) programme and team members working on diet change campaigns, with the objective of encouraging the public to eat plants, not animals.

General Responsibilities

• Government and stakeholder engagement: Develop and sustain strong working relationships with Government Ministers, MPs, Parliamentary officials, senior civil servants, advisory groups, and other influential stakeholders across food, health, sustainability, and agriculture sectors. Coordinate carefully with Animal Equality’s Policy and Legal Advocacy Specialist to ensure communications are streamlined accordingly across all campaigns.
• Policy influence and advice: Deliver expertly crafted, evidence‑based briefings and position papers that advocate for meaningful legislative and policy shifts toward plant‑based diets and reduced the consumption of animals.
• Representation and advocacy: Support Animal Equality’s UK Executive Director, as required, to represent the organisation in Parliamentary Committees, Government consultations, policy round tables, and strategic coalitions.
• Campaign collaboration: Work closely across Animal Equality’s UK and global departments – including campaigns, communications, marketing, philanthropy, and legal advocacy – to convey and amplify our advocacy efforts, helping to frame issues, mobilise support, and align messaging across platforms.
• Trend scanning and strategic analysis: Monitor emerging…