Dairy Management Inc. invites applications for a Vice President of Scientific Affairs

Position Title                                                                                                                                                

Position Summary  

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 in 2008, we added a commitment to sustainability as an organization.

The Vice President for Scientific Affairs will serve as NDC’s resident expert and resource on dairy foods as part of healthy dietary patterns and will focus primarily on external engagement with the scientific/academic community amplifying research about dairy’s health benefits and integrating our knowledge in nutrition with sustainable food systems. Main thought leaders in this context include scientists in academia, government, and industry, as well as health professionals and public health experts.

The Vice President will stay informed about new research and trends about the role of dairy foods in guidance in the U.S. and internationally. This person will also monitor activities of authoritative organizations on nutrition and health and dietary guidance, and to represent NDC externally to help the dairy community understand the implications of emerging perspectives. The Vice President will be a resource on dairy in dietary guidance internally and at times, work with our international dairy partners. This person will integrate a solid research background with experience in science translation, food and nutrition guidance and thought leader education.

Duties and responsibilities

Implement science-based educational programs and materials to support the role of dairy foods in dietary guidance

• Primary responsibilities involve strategic design and day-to-day management of programs to support thought leader education on the role of dairy foods in dietary guidance in the U.S., and as needed, outside the U.S. This person will work cross-functionally with NDC’s Nutrition Research, Nutrition Affairs, and Integrated Communications teams, and will also collaborate with dairy stakeholders outside of NDC, to translate and integrate knowledge on dairy foods in healthy dietary patterns and sustainable food systems into dairy programs. Responsibilities will include leading the dairy enterprise in a coordinated 5-year program on dairy in dietary guidance, attending public meetings of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee and drafting public comments about dairy’s role in nutrition and health.

As part of these responsibilities, monitor science and activities relevant to dairy foods in dietary guidance and be a resource to help the dairy community understand the implications of these activities. This will include reviewing authoritative reports and perspectives from NASEM, USDA, HHS, CDC, etc. and attending scientific and other authoritative meetings to stay informed about the food and nutrition environment.

• Manage dietary guidance working group with dairy stakeholder organizations, including technical and logistical leadership.
• Establish a dairy scientific advisory board for dietary guidance scientific input.
• Strengthen and provide strategic direction and serve in a leadership capacity for NDC partnership activities with ASN, IFT, and other food and nutrition organizations. Identify opportunities for collaboration and represent NDC in these activities.

Enhance credibility of NDC among expert audiences

Build NDC’s reputation as a credible resource about dairy in sustainable diets, health and wellness, for scientists, other thought leader audiences and dairy stakeholders.

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to plan and execute outreach and education programs on priority topics:
• Create and execute scientific symposia at key scientific meetings – from proposal development through implementation
• Oversee development of literature reviews, meta-analyses and symposia proceedings
• Organize and implement nutrition science roundtables about new areas of research for dairy
• Cultivate and manage relationships and experiences with academic scientists about dairy’s unparalleled dimensions of wellness for mind, body and environmental impact.
• Develop a body of resource materials (e.g., briefs, science summaries, toolkits) on dairy’s role in dietary patterns that translate current scientific research, in context of nutrition environment, to educate multiple thought leader audiences including health professionals, academic and government nutrition scientists, and dairy industry experts about established and emerging nutrition science on dairy and health.
• Contribute to, and execute against, a strategic plan for dairy relevant scientific publications that serve to ensure a robust peer-reviewed evidence base is available for the scientific community.
• Collaborate with nutrition research to evaluate NHANES data for the purpose of understanding consumer behavior and health, and to support/substantiate NDC messaging about dairy foods consumption and health.
• Act as resource for Sustainable Nutrition and Integrated Communications
• Provide counsel and support integration of content on dairy’s role in dietary patterns with Integrated Communications, Nutrition Affairs, Regulatory Affairs, etc. This part of the role may include interpreting new research, writing blogs, or providing guidance on federal nutrition programs.

Competitive benefits, generous 401(k), and collaborative culture. Our Rosemont office is conveniently located across from O’Hare Airport and accessible to the CTA Blue Line and Metra.

Dairy Management Inc.™ (DMI) is funded by America’s 31,000+ dairy farmers, as well as dairy importers. Created to help increase sales and demand for dairy products, 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.

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

Dairy Management Inc.™ is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, age, sex, gender, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law.