Senior Director Scientific Affairs

Rosemont, Illinois, United States | In-office Tuesday through Thursday; visa sponsorship and relocation are not available for this position

People. Planet. Community.

Dairy’s journey starts on the farm, and the road we travel demonstrates our unwavering commitment to sustainable nutrition, as our farmers provide lasting and meaningful nourishment to people, the planet and our communities, both urban and rural.

We are a nonprofit organization located in the greater Chicagoland area and we're always looking for talented people to join our team who share the passion and motivation to promote the goodness of dairy.

The Dairy community’s health and sustainability commitment has a broad vision to provide consumers with the nutritious dairy products they want in a way that is economically viable, environmentally sound, and socially responsible. National Dairy Council (NDC) has a 100-year legacy in nutrition and a commitment to sustainability as an organization. NDC is modernizing its Nutrition, Regulatory, and Sustainability Affairs (NRSA) approach to engage diverse technical audiences that include nutrition scientists/academics, health professionals, and authoritative health and wellness organizations in efforts to educate and amplify the science on the role of dairy foods in health, wellness, and sustainable food systems.

Position Overview

The Senior Director for Scientific Affairs will report to the Senior Vice President for Scientific Affairs and will help NDC amplify research about dairy’s health benefits and integrate knowledge and expertise in nutrition, product, and environmental research. The strength of dairy science within nutrition guidance is foundational to the work of the Scientific Affairs function, whose main aim is to protect and maintain dairy’s position in domestic and global food-based dietary guidelines. The Senior Director for Scientific Affairs will have a strategic leadership role in the overall nutrition guidance strategy development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation. The Senior Director will provide strategic guidance to educate scientists, health professionals and the dairy community about dairy’s role in sustainable diets nationally and globally. They will foster cross-functional collaboration and integration of Scientific Affairs with Nutrition Research, Nutrition Affairs, Sustainability Affairs, and Communications team, as well as other dairy partners and food and nutrition key opinion leaders. 

In this role, the candidate will represent the dairy community for Dairy Management Inc. and National Dairy Council, as appropriate. 

Dairy Management Inc .™ (DMI) is funded by America’s nearly 26,000 dairy farmers, as well as dairy importers. DMI and its related organizations work to increase demand for dairy through research, education and innovation, and to maintain confidence in dairy foods, farms and businesses. DMI manages National Dairy Council and the American Dairy Association and founded the U.S. Dairy Export Council and the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy. DMI works with state and regional promotion organizations to implement these programs across the country.  

National Dairy Council ®(NDC), the non-profit organization founded by dairy farmers and funded by the national dairy checkoff program, has been committed to research-based nutrition education and communications since its start in 1915. NDC is dedicated to bringing to life the dairy community’s shared vision of a healthy, happy, sustainable world – with science as its foundation. NDC’s staff of registered dietitians, researchers, and nutrition educators communicate about dairy’s contributions to health and sustainable food systems.

DMI and its related organizations cannot engage in policy or lobbying activities.

Key Accountabilities:

Translate science and develop science-based content on dairy’s role in a healthy diet and sustainable food system

Act as an expert scientific resource on dairy and contribute scientific expertise and leadership to NDC’s nutrition guidance strategy

Lead in science writing of key knowledge products that amplify the latest science on the role of dairy foods in health, wellness and sustainable food systems e.g., science summaries, public comment

Collaborate with cross-functional teams including Nutrition Research, Nutrition Affairs, Sustainability Affairs and Communications team to interpret and translate science to develop educational resources, POVs and scientific symposia (e.g., ASN)

Evaluate new relevant studies published in peer-reviewed literature; educate dairy community on implications, as needed

Ensure research outcomes are credible, peer-reviewed, and communicated effectively to scientific and regulatory audiences

Author papers for peer-review journals and partner with key opinion leaders to draft and finalize consensus, perspectives and proceeding papers to amplify dairy science 

Educate key opinion leaders about science on dairy’s role in heath, wellness and sustainable food systems

Develop outreach and education programs for expert and scientific audiences on priority topics

Create and execute scientific symposia at key scientific meetings

Oversee development of literature reviews, meta-analyses and symposia proceedings

Organize and implement science roundtables about new and emerging areas of research on dairy foods

Identify and engage with respected scientists, academics and health professional organizations with relevant expertise that complements internal capabilities to fill knowledge gaps, as needed

Attend scientific and other authoritative meetings of existing and emerging organizations focused on health and sustainability; review relevant authoritative reports and policy documents; submit public comments as appropriate

Support advancing amplification of dairy science in global food systems, food-based dietary guidelines, and relevant global efforts and initiatives.

Advance NDC deliverables supporting global dairy industry partner priorities

Monitor global food-based dietary guidelines approaches and their impact on US nutrition guidance processes

Stay abreast of emerging global food systems research and implications for dairy

Assist with nutrition/health metrics & indicators work to advance it across the dairy industry and encourage adoption within key global frameworks

Assist with science-based education and engagement, including global reports and events support

Lead internal and external partnerships to advance nutrition guidance priorities

Position NDC as a trusted thought leader in nutrition, health, and sustainability

Lead technical team that supports nutrition guidance process

Support Enterprise-wide development of nutrition guidance priority outcomes and coordination of implementation

Build relationships with key opinion leaders, health professional organizations (e.g. American Society for Nutrition), and academic societies aligned with NRSA team strategic plans

Serve as NDC representative in key partner organizational convenings and committees

Requirements

Education & Experience

At least 5years of experience in related disciplines such as food and nutrition, agriculture, public health/policy, food systems

Master’s degree in nutrition, Dietetics, Public Health, or related studies

Experience in global nutrition and food systems work is a plus

CPG experience is a plus

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

Excellent written and verbal communication skills

Research background and experience in science translation and thought leader education

Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously

Strategic and analytical thinker who can translate complex science into credible, engaging information to educate expert and scientific thought leaders

Strong interpersonal and leadership skills

Demonstrated capacity to be self-directed within a team and have a passion for collaborative efforts

Analytical and technical skills essential

Other:

Willingness to travel approximately up to 25% of time

New Hire Salary Range --$117,000-$135,000 annually. This is a salary range that DMI believes, at the time of this posting, that it might be willing to pay for the posted job in the location specified.

Benefits

We know that in order to meet our goal of growing dairy demand, we need the best people. We offer competitive compensation and generous benefits to help our employees balance their work and personal lives. Our office is conveniently located, taking less than 10 minutes to walk from CTA's Blue Line Rosemont station (or you can hop on the free, Riverway, shuttle). We offer regular and chocolate milk on tap.

Our comprehensive health and welfare plans offer medical, dental, vision, paid parental leave, life insurance, short-term and long-term disability and flexible spending accounts (health care, dependent care, transit and parking). Our 401k provides up to a 10% match and includes a Roth account. DMI reserves the right to change or end its benefits plans or programs at any time.

Dairy Management Inc.™ is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, ethnicity, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

We regret it is not possible to communicate with candidates except those who most closely match our requirements. Thank you.