Policy Officer

Imperial Enterprise; Gloucester; Hybrid; GBP 42,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive pay

39 days annual leave

Generous pension scheme

Inclusive work culture

Job summary

Imperial College London’s Bezos Centre for Sustainable Protein and Microbial Food Hub seeks a proactive policy-focused researcher to deliver influential policy reports and coordinate high-impact events. You will work closely with the Regulation and Scale‑Up Manager and Centre leadership to advance sustainable protein research, policy engagement, and grant collaborations.

The role emphasizes collaboration with policymakers, regulators, and industry partners across the UK and EU, contributing to

Qualifications

• Proven experience writing reports and coordinating events.
• Strong stakeholder engagement and communication skills.
• Able to manage multiple projects with tight deadlines.
• Familiarity with alternative proteins, sustainability, or biotech is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Deliver key policy reports and horizon scanning in collaboration with partners.
• Coordinate events such as workshops, conferences, webinars, and launches.
• Support planning and delivery of impact-focused projects with Centre leadership.
• Build networks across Imperial and partner organisations.
• Represent the Centre at stakeholder meetings and external events.

Skills

Policy writing

Event coordination

Project management

Stakeholder engagement

Communication

Networking

EU/UK policy knowledge

Science communication

Education

Degree in a relevant discipline

Job description

Are you passionate about sustainability, and the future of food? Do you want to work at the intersection of policy and cutting‑edge research? Join the Bezos Centre for Sustainable Protein and Microbial Food Hub at Imperial College London; the regional flagship hub leading the UK’s sustainable protein revolution.

Based within the Department of Bioengineering, the Centre connects science, industry, and policy to accelerate the transition toward nutritious, affordable, and sustainable protein solutions. You will play a key role in delivering the Centre’s high‑profile policy focused research projects, workshops, events and collaborative grants that bring together policy makers, regulators, global leaders, innovators, and researchers.

What you would be doing

In this dynamic role, you will:

• Deliver the Centre’s key policy reports; from leading UK ecosystem research and horizon scanning in collaboration with GFI, to working with regulatory groups to best inform innovators.
• Coordinate events such as workshops, conferences, webinars and launches.
• Work closely with the Regulation and Scale‑Up Manager and Centre leadership to support the planning and delivery of impact‑focused projects.
• Build and maintain networks across Imperial, partner universities, and the wider ecosystem of start‑ups industry, and policy stakeholders.
• Work in partnership with organisations such as the Good Food Institute, the Alternative Proteins Association and NFX UK to deliver impactful policy recommendations.
• Work to inform policy makers across predominately the UK and at times EU stakeholders on the science and opportunities surrounding alternative proteins.
• Help capture and report on the Centre’s outputs, contributing to its growing visibility as the regional leader driving the sustainable protein transition.
• Representing the Centre at stakeholder meetings and external events.

What we are looking for

We’re seeking a proactive, organised and enthusiastic individual who can thrive in a fast‑paced, cross‑disciplinary environment.

You will have:

• Proven experience writing reports, coordinating events and managing multiple projects simultaneously.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders.
• Strong attention to detail and confidence working to deadlines.
• A friendly, professional, and solutions‑focused approach.
• Familiarity with alternative proteins, engineering biology, or sustainable food systems.
• A degree in a relevant discipline.
• An understanding of the academic, research, or innovation landscape; ideally within food systems, sustainability, or biotechnology.
• Experience of working on policy in the EU or UK, or at a national or multilateral level, for example in a government, public institution, political party, NGO, think tank, industry association, public affairs agency, consulting firm, lobbying organisation or other relevant institution.
• A demonstrated ability to work effectively with scientists, research organisations, and think tanks.
• Experience working on UK or EU policy related to research & innovation, food, biotechnology, or agriculture.
• Experience in science communication.
• A strong network of relevant contacts.

What we can offer you

• The opportunity to join a world‑class university driving global impact through science and innovation.
• A front‑row seat in one of the UK’s most ambitious initiatives transforming how we produce and consume food.
• Exposure to major partners across academia, industry and government.
• A collaborative, inclusive and forward‑thinking team environment.
• Competitive pay, 39 days annual leave (including public holidays) and a generous pension scheme.
• Be part of a diverse, inclusive and collaborative work culture with various staff networks and resources to support your personal and professional wellbeing .

Further information

This is a fixed‑term position for 6 months, with potential for extension depending on funding.

If you’d like to learn more about the role, please contact:
John Murphy, Regulation and Scale‑Up Manager, Bezos Centre for Sustainable Protein
[e-mail]

Join us at the forefront of the sustainable protein revolution; where science, innovation and impact meet to shape the future of food.

Attached documents are available under links. Clicking a document link will initialize its download.

Please note that job descriptions are not exhaustive, and you may be asked to take on additional duties that align with the key responsibilities mentioned above.

We reserve the right to close the advert before the stated closing date, should we receive a high volume of applications.

About Imperial

Welcome to Imperial, a global top‑ten university where scientific imagination leads to world‑changing impact.

Join us and be part of something bigger. From global health to climate change, AI to business leadership, here at Imperial we navigate some of the world’s toughest challenges. Whatever your role, your contribution will have a lasting impact.

As a member of our vibrant community of 22,000 students and 8,000 staff, you’ll collaborate with passionate minds across nine London campuses and a global network.

This is your chance to help shape the future. We hope you’ll join us at Imperial College London.

Our Culture

We work towards equality of opportunity, to eliminating discrimination, and to creating an inclusive working environment for all. We encourage applications from all backgrounds, communities and industries, and are committed to employing a team that has diverse skills, experiences and abilities. You can read more about our commitment on our web pages .

Proud signatory of the Armed Forces Covenant. We welcome applications from the Armed Forces community.

Our values are at the root of everything we do, and everyone in our community is expected to demonstrate respect, collaboration, excellence, integrity, and innovation.