Director of Strategic Initiatives - Volunteer

About Us

The Humane Choices Foundation empowers the next generation of educators and change-makers by addressing critical global issues such as animal welfare, climate resilience, sustainable food systems, public health, and food insecurity as interconnected challenges. We work across farmed animal welfare initiatives, ocean and marine life protection, and public education around the environmental impact of industrial animal agriculture. Our roots are in campus and youth engagement, and that is still where much of our energy lives. We believe young people are not just the future of this movement, they are the present, and we build everything with that in mind.

The Opportunity

We are looking for a Volunteer Director of Strategic Initiatives who can take our public and external programs from promising to powerful. This is a senior leadership role that touches everything from how we show up on university campuses to how we educate and inform policymakers on the other side of the world. You will lead the Campus Ambassador Program, build the partnerships that extend our reach, develop the strategies that sharpen our impact, and make sure that every educational campaign, communication, and student-led effort we run is connected to a clear and compelling vision.

This role is for someone who has a background in leading strategic programs or community organizing, understands what it takes to educate people and institutions, and wants to channel that experience into a cause that deserves it.

What You Will Do

Campus Ambassador Program

• Lead and support HCF's Campus Ambassador Program across colleges and universities worldwide.
• Develop toolkits, messaging guides, and training resources that help ambassadors educate and engage their communities effectively.
• Oversee the September program launch and build a sustainable rhythm of engagement through the academic year.
• Identify strong ambassadors and create pathways for them to grow into greater leadership roles.

Strategic Initiatives and Educational Campaigns

• Develop a global strategic framework that positions HCF as a credible, evidence-based voice on animal welfare, sustainable food choices, and related environmental and public health issues.
• Plan and coordinate public education campaigns tied to key awareness milestones, working across the content, digital, and video teams to ensure everything is cohesive and well-executed.
• Build an initiatives calendar that gives the team predictability while staying responsive to new opportunities.

Partnerships and External Relations

• Build and maintain strategic partnerships with animal welfare organizations, environmental nonprofits, academic institutions, and student networks.
• Cultivate relationships with stakeholders in priority issue areas, representing HCF in public policy dialogues with credibility, objectivity, and preparation.
• Directly supervise the External Relations Manager and support their work day to day.

Communications and Research

• Craft strategic communications including public statements, educational narratives, op-eds, and policy submissions that are grounded in animal welfare and objective evidence.
• Conduct and synthesize research that supports our educational initiatives and strengthens our public positions.
• Develop messaging guides so ambassadors, volunteers, and partners can communicate HCF's research and positions accurately.

Team Building

• Recruit and build out the strategic initiatives team as the organization grows, working with HR to identify gaps and bring in the right people.
• Set clear expectations and check in regularly with direct reports to keep work moving and people supported.
• Foster a team culture that is collaborative, transparent, and mission-first.

What We Are Looking For

Required

• Demonstrated experience in managing strategic initiatives, public education, community organizing, or a closely related field.
• Strong strategic thinking with the ability to develop plans that are ambitious, realistic, and clearly connected to outcomes.
• Excellent written communication skills, particularly the ability to write for policy, public, and youth audiences in distinct and appropriate voices.
• Experience building or managing partnerships with external organizations or institutions.
• Comfortable working across cultures and time zones in a remote, volunteer-led environment.
• Strong project management skills and the discipline to keep complex, multi-stakeholder work moving forward.
• Deep personal alignment with animal welfare, sustainable food choices, and the intersectional values of the Humane Choices Foundation.

Nice to Have

• Experience in campus organizing, student government, or youth engagement programs.
• Familiarity with Canadian and international policy processes relevant to animal welfare, environment, or public health.
• Background in nonprofit communications, public affairs, or strategic planning.
• Experience managing volunteers or distributed teams across multiple locations.
• Knowledge of the global animal welfare landscape including key organizations, educational campaigns, and policy dialogues.
• Academic background in political science, environmental studies, law, public policy, or a related field.

Why Join Us Strategic initiative work at its best provides the necessary evidence and education to change the conditions that make suffering possible. That is exactly what this role is positioned to do. You will not be running educational campaigns for awareness alone; you will be building the strategies, relationships, and student networks that provide evidence-based insights to shift how institutions think and how policies are shaped.

• Senior leadership authority over HCF's global strategic direction.
• The opportunity to shape a campus ambassador program with genuine global ambitions.
• A remote, flexible volunteer arrangement that works alongside your existing commitments.
• Close collaboration with a passionate, mission-driven leadership team.
• The chance to build something that outlasts any individual initiative and contributes to a movement that is growing.

We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and lived experiences. The Humane Choices Foundation is committed to building an inclusive and equitable team.

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