US Corporate Relations Lead, Animal Welfare

WHO WE ARE

The Humane League (THL) is a global nonprofit ending the abuse of animals raised for food. THL fosters a high-energy culture of teamwork and mission-driven problem solving, and we have earned recognition as Top Charity from Animal Charity Evaluators for all of their rating periods. Over the past few years, we’ve grown to a staff of 100+ talented individuals dispersed across the country and around the world. At THL, how animals are treated in the food system is at the forefront of our everyday work. As such, many of our staff are vegan by personal choice, and all of our THL-hosted events offer fully vegan menus. We welcome all mission-aligned candidates to apply, no matter where you are in your journey to end the abuse of animals raised for food.

YOUR OPPORTUNITY

As Corporate Relations Lead, you will play an integral role in our organizational strategy to engage with corporations and advance protections for animals in the food supply chain. You’re motivated to make a difference in the lives of animals and have the passion needed to encourage and inspire corporate decision makers to do the same. Your primary goal is to get issues of animal welfare in front of key decision makers at food companies and their business affiliates. When your research and outreach are executed successfully, you will have the opportunity to engage directly with decision makers on animal welfare reform. You are a self-driven, experienced communicator who can negotiate high-impact animal welfare policies with the country’s largest food companies. You are ideal for this position because you can confidently and clearly deliver a message in a high-stakes corporate environment and thrive in a position that requires autonomy, creativity, and drive. This position reports directly to the Corporate Relations Manager.

This is a full-time, remote position. This position provides the opportunity for optional domestic and international travel, equivalent to 2 or more trips per year, with each trip being 1-3 nights in duration. While travel is not required, we have a preference for candidates who are interested in traveling. This position is based in the United States. The successful candidate must be authorized to work in the United States.

We will be holding a webinar on Thursday, November 13th at 5:00pm PT/6:00pm MT/7:00pm CT/8:00pm ET for you to find out more about the role and ask any questions you may have. The webinar will be hosted by Liz Fergus (Corporate Relations Manager), Beth Anne Hendrickson (Senior Associate Director of Corporate Relations), and Debbie Malenke (Senior Corporate Relations Lead). If you’re interested, please register here. The webinar will be recorded and available here by November 14th.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Confidently and clearly convey our proposed animal welfare measures to decision makers at food companies via email, written materials, phone calls, virtual and in-person meetings, and other forms of communication, and maintain relationships with these decision makers in order to further advance protections for farm animals. 
• Engage in high-pressure negotiations with executives with the primary purpose of persuading food companies to commit to—and fulfill—animal welfare policies.
• Conduct extensive research and gather and monitor contact information, data, and key details about food companies and their executives and business affiliates.
• Plan and maintain the strategic direction and schedule of your corporate outreach. 
• Analyze and comprehend the broader industry landscape on animal welfare issues as well as the nuances of the individual animal welfare policies THL is requesting of companies. 
• Work cohesively and collaboratively with colleagues within and across teams to coordinate on campaign targets and actions and to develop resources to support our work.
• Leverage a variety of digital tools and platforms, such as Salesforce, Google Workspace, Asana, and other software, to contact decision makers, create outreach materials, and keep data organized.

In addition to the above essential job duties, other duties may be assigned as business needs arise. These may include non-essential, marginal job duties.

REQUIRED SKILLS

• Experience: 2+ years of professional or non-professional experience in corporate relations, the food industry or other corporate work, animal science, communications, economics, farm animal advocacy, law or policy, negotiations work, sales, or other related fields.
• Leadership: Ability to guide and motivate others in support of team and organizational goals. Drives project success and seeks out opportunities to take on leadership roles. 
• Resilience: Comfort with conflict and high-pressure negotiations with C-suite executives, both in person and over calls. Demonstrates persistence when faced with rejection from contacts or as a result of meetings. Ability to handle potential setbacks and pivot to find new solutions. 
• Technology and Data Analysis: Experience using Google Workspace and Asana, or similar platforms. Ability to learn Salesforce, with training, and leverage it to maintain highly detailed information with accuracy and generate reports from data. 
• Problem Solving and Decision Making: Independently resolves problems, identifies recurring issues, and suggests improvements. Ability to identify and evaluate short- and long-term impacts when making high-stakes decisions, utilizing discretion and independent judgment. Provides recommendations and justifications for decisions, contributing to effective task and project management.
• Initiative, Proactivity, and Adaptability: Self-directed, with the ability to work with a high level of autonomy and think, act, and communicate quickly in order to adapt to changing situations. Uses creativity and resourcefulness to find novel solutions to daily challenges. Takes on additional responsibilities independently, seeking out challenges and opportunities for growth.
• Verbal and Written Communication: Ability to present THL’s message confidently and effectively in both verbal and written formats, including emails, presentations, phone calls, and meetings with corporate executives. Skilled at creating and presenting visual resources and Google Slides presentations. 
• Collaboration and Interpersonal Skills: Experience building rapport with professional contacts and maintaining organizational relations. High level of diplomacy required to collaborate effectively with internal stakeholders and corporate contacts. Actively supports team goals and contributes valuable ideas. Ability to build trust, address conflicts, and adapt to changing dynamics.
• Organization: Excellent organizational skills, with the ability to competently and independently prioritize and manage time to ensure efficient task completion. Optimizes workflows by identifying inefficiencies and implementing improvements.
• Research: Ability to locate hard-to-find information, keep up with changes in the food industry, and use research to inform strategic decisions.
• Strategic Thinking: Demonstrated understanding of organizational strategy and policies, with the ability to recognize how individual tasks align with strategic objectives. Contributes to strategic discussions and develops and implements process enhancements in line with team and organizational goals. 
• Global Perspective: Approaches work with a comprehensive understanding of the global nature of the organization’s programs. Demonstrated awareness of global factors and their relevance to specific projects and responsibilities.
• Financial Acumen: Manages routine budget tasks independently and contributes to the preparation and analysis of budget data. Ability to track expenses, prepare financial summaries, and ensure budget compliance.