Director of Policy & Regulation

About us

Vow is a food company - a very different one. We’re creating real meat products from animal cells instead of the animal itself. 

We’re bringing together cutting-edge innovations in science, engineering, culinary and design to make sustainable food that’s both irresistible and available to billions of people worldwide.

The role:

We’re looking for a passionate and enthusiastic Director of Policy & Regulation to lead Vow’s policy and regulatory strategies across multiple markets, including Singapore, Australia, and the US. You’ll be responsible for refining our regulatory strategy, building and managing critical relationships with stakeholders around the globe, and interpreting and influencing policy to support Vow’s expansion.

Within Vow, you’ll report directly to our CEO but will work cross-functionally across the business to establish and build a regulatory function and to ensure that Vow’s internal activities comply with regulatory and policy goals and standards.

The experience you bring: 

• 5+ years of regulatory and / or policy-related experience. This could be in a government department or internally with a company.
• 2+ years of experience at another rapidly growing startup which operates in a regulated environment (e.g., Uber, Airbnb, Impossible, Perfect Day).
• Experience in launching or expanding products across multiple countries.
• Proven track record of fostering and maintaining strong relationships with regulators, policymakers, lobbyists, etc.

You will: 

• Refine and help us to articulate a regulatory strategy for launching Vow products across multiple markets.
• Collaborate directly with regulatory bodies to understand and influence approval processes for novel food products in priority markets.
• Build relationships with key stakeholders in target markets to help influence positive progress in cultured food regulation.
• Maintain a continuous improvement mindset and a desire to break the status quo, even when it comes to regulatory timelines and previously set standards.
• Monitor and assess regulatory developments, track trends, and anticipate future developments that lead to changes in our products.
• Develop Vow’s voice on novel food policy, including helping policymakers to craft new standards or writing articles, research papers, etc which seek to clarify and articulate the path forward for cultured meat.
• Influence Vow’s internal quality systems and processes to ensure smooth regulatory progress around the globe.

What success looks like: 

Success in this role will require someone who can redefine what a well-oiled regulatory machine looks like, and who can enable Vow to take a proactive approach in defining what the regulatory pathways for cultured meat products should look like around the world. 

In your first few months, you’ll ramp up on all things cultured meat and will start to build critical relationships in this space. In your first year, you’ll play a critical role in helping us to launch our first product in Singapore, and you’ll have a clear vision and roadmap for the next iteration of Vow products and exactly how we can work to get regulatory approval in new markets for these.

After a year, you and your team at Vow will be seen as a vanguard of regulatory and policy work in the cultured meat space, and others will be looking to us as a model for fast-paced yet thoughtful regulatory strategy.

Vow, more than just a job.

Who we are and why join:

• We are building a diverse, mission-driven dream team of “Vowzers.” Our mission is to make food products for everyone. To do that well we need a workforce that’s representative of the people we serve. We celebrate multiple approaches and points of view - so we’re building a culture to match. Be yourself and come as you are.
• Work on cutting-edge technology. We’re bringing together cutting-edge innovations in science, engineering, and food, to recreate the world’s most tantalising and unique culinary experiences. All without compromising on ethics or our planet along the way. Since our inception in 2019, we have held the title of being the first startup to cultivate meat from the cells of an undomesticated animal, and have served up our exotic meats ranging from kangaroo dumplings to alpaca sliders in tastings with world-renowned chefs.
• Work with and learn from the best. Our team includes some of the world’s leading scientists, innovators, operators, and creatives with decades of industry experience. Despite our experiences though, we all strive to build, break, learn, and repeat. We see the impossible as temporary and strive to learn and support our company and fellow Vowzers' growth as much as possible.
• We’re fully funded and ready to go. We are a growing Aussie biotech start-up backed by Square Peg Capital, Blackbird Ventures, Grok Ventures and Tenacious Ventures. Read more about why our investors are so excited about the future of Vow here.

Vow perks and benefits:

• Everyone is an owner. In addition to competitive base salaries, each and every ‘Vowzer’ owns equity in the company so we can all benefit from our hard work and future success.
• Generous paid parental leave. We offer 12 weeks for primary carers and 4 weeks for secondary carers.
• Generous relocation budget & support. Support for interstate or overseas individuals and their families (including pets!)
• Flexible working hours and location. We value work-life balance. While we’re mostly back in the office, you’re free to decide the best way for you to work.
• Unlimited Personal Leave. At Vow we recognize that sometimes you need time off to recuperate, look after your mental health, or simply deal with an emergency. We put unlimited personal leave in place to empower you to truly bring your best self to work every single day and you are always paid for days taken off as personal leave.
• Transparent culture. Active transparency to let you effectively contribute to every facet of the business.
• Heaps of tasty samples from our culinary centre. Our fantastic "food inventors" on the Vow team are always cooking up new product prototypes, and all Vowzers are given the opportunity to taste, give feedback, and learn from their culinary prowess
• Company wide professional development & coaching. A huge focus on career support and growth, with access to lots of learning and development opportunities through lunch and learn events, access to webinars and conferences, and networking with our investor and tech community.
• Company wide social events. Monthly birthday celebrations, "Bio Beers" happy hours, breakfast before our fortnightly companywide "All Hands”, annual end of year event and many more. 
• An awesome converted warehouse office in Alexandria. Complete with a glass-walled lab, free snacks, a culinary centre and professional-grade coffee machine + premium coffee bean subscriptions available for all to use in the cafe, and a DIY workshop for all hands-on projects.
• Human and dog friendly office! An inclusive community and culture, in a welcoming office, complete with friendly “Vowzer” dogs!
• A variety of social clubs. We encourage all our Vowzer’s to build the culture with us and share what you love by creating social clubs across the business. From book clubs to hiking groups, we’re always looking for ways to learn and engage with our team.