Job Title: Chief Impact Officer (CIO)
Organisation: EIT Food
Location: Belgium, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Germany, Spain, or Poland
Work Type: Full-time
Work Arrangement: Flexible remote and hybrid options available depending on local policies
Application Deadline: 17 May 2026
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About the Organisation
EIT Food is Europe’s largest food innovation ecosystem, bringing together partners, startups, researchers, educators, and industry leaders to transform the food system through innovation, sustainability, and collaboration.
The organisation works to create healthier, more sustainable, and resilient food systems across Europe by supporting innovation, entrepreneurship, education, and impact-driven programmes.
EIT Food promotes a culture of collaboration, inclusivity, innovation, and continuous learning, empowering teams and partners to drive meaningful transformation within the global food sector.
Role Overview
EIT Food is seeking an experienced and visionary Chief Impact Officer (CIO) to lead the organisation’s impact strategy and programme delivery across its core missions.
Reporting directly to the CEO and serving as a member of the Executive Management Team (EMT), the CIO will play a central leadership role in ensuring EIT Food’s programmes generate measurable and transformational impact across Europe’s food systems.
The successful candidate will oversee strategic portfolios spanning resilient agriculture, biotechnology, startup acceleration, education initiatives, impact evaluation, and large-scale innovation projects.
This is a high-level executive leadership opportunity for a strategic professional passionate about innovation, sustainability, public funding, ecosystem development, and food systems transformation.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership and Executive Management
- Serve as a member of the Executive Management Team and contribute to organisational strategy and governance
- Engage with the Supervisory Board on impact-related priorities and strategic objectives
- Lead the Impact Office to ensure mission-aligned delivery and measurable outcomes across programmes and portfolios
- Drive organisational growth while shaping the future of food innovation in Europe
Programme and Portfolio Oversight
- Lead programme delivery across EIT Food’s three core missions
- Oversee thematic leadership in resilient agriculture and biotechnology innovation initiatives
- Guide value delivery activities, including large consortium-led innovation projects and impact evaluation
- Supervise business creation programmes, accelerators, and startup investment initiatives
- Oversee education programmes including Erasmus+ and EIT Community initiatives
- Strengthen collaboration across EIT Community Strategic Synergies clusters
Impact, Innovation and Operational Excellence
- Develop and implement impact measurement and performance frameworks
- Ensure programmes accelerate breakthrough innovations with commercial and societal impact
- Support operational excellence by collaborating closely with Finance and Operations teams
- Improve processes, delivery standards, and KPI performance across funded initiatives
- Oversee intellectual property and intellectual asset management activities
Stakeholder Engagement and Ecosystem Leadership
- Build strategic relationships across the food innovation ecosystem
- Collaborate with partners, innovators, startups, funders, and senior stakeholders
- Champion innovation as a driver for sustainable food systems transformation
- Inspire internal teams and external partners toward ambitious impact goals
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Essential Requirements
Applicants should demonstrate:
- Proven senior leadership experience at C-level or equivalent
- Strong track record of leading impact-driven programmes and strategic initiatives
- Experience within innovation, food systems, sustainability, or related sectors
- Ability to lead cross-functional and geographically distributed teams
- Experience developing measurable impact frameworks and scalable innovation models
- Strong stakeholder management and partnership-building skills
- Experience working within publicly funded or grant-funded environments
- Excellent strategic thinking, communication, and leadership capabilities
- Ability to navigate complex organisational and funding environments while driving collaboration and innovation
Desired Skills and Competencies
The ideal candidate will demonstrate:
- Strong understanding of food systems transformation and sustainability challenges
- Experience working with innovation ecosystems and startup acceleration initiatives
- Knowledge of European innovation and funding environments
- Strong operational leadership and problem-solving abilities
- Collaborative leadership style with the ability to inspire diverse teams
- Excellent communication and public engagement skills
- Experience leading through organisational complexity and change
Benefits and Working Environment
EIT Food offers:
- Competitive executive-level salary and benefits package
- Flexible remote and hybrid working arrangements
- International and collaborative work environment
- Opportunity to lead transformational innovation initiatives across Europe
- Inclusive and values-driven organisational culture
- Engagement with leading organisations, startups, researchers, and innovators within the food ecosystem
Locations
This role may be based in any of the following countries:
- Belgium
- United Kingdom
- Netherlands
- Germany
- Spain
- Poland
Applicants must be legally authorised to work in their chosen location.
How to Apply
Interested candidates are encouraged to apply as early as possible, as applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and the vacancy may close before the official deadline.
Application Deadline
17 May 2026
Equal Opportunities
EIT Food is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Applications are welcomed from candidates of all backgrounds regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, disability, religion, sexual orientation, or any other protected characteristic.
