Shape the national conversation on healthier, more sustainable food

Two Board vacancies, each aligned to a distinct skill area

Voluntary, based anywhere in Australia, around six hours a month The National Nutrition Foundation (NNF) is seeking expressions of interest from experienced non-executive directors to fill two voluntary vacancies on our Board. We recruit against a board skills matrix rather than filling generic vacancies, and each vacancy is aligned to a distinct skill area. Public health nutrition and food policy is our immediate priority.

About us For 45 years NNF has worked to improve the nutritional wellbeing of Australians. We are an independent registered charity delivering government-funded public health programs nationally, including the Healthy Eating Advisory Service, FreshSNAP and FoodChecker, and we work across primarily early childhood, schools, and other sectors to advocate for healthier food environments.

We are now extending our reach, diversifying our income and building our position as a leading national voice on healthier, more sustainable food systems. These two appointments will help us get there.

About the role

As a non-executive director, you will provide strategic leadership and governance oversight, while supporting NNF's mission and long-term sustainability.

You will

- Set strategy alongside your fellow directors and the CEO and hold the organisation to account for delivering it.
- Oversee financial sustainability, risk and compliance, including our obligations as an ACNC registered charity.
- Bring the perspective of your skill area to Board decisions and ask management the questions others in the room may not.
- Act as an ambassador for NNF, opening doors to partners, funders and policy makers.
- Contribute to one sub-committee or working group and support the CEO while holding the executive team to account.

The two vacancies

Our current directors bring solid governance, legal, financial, and people and culture capability. We are seeking to complement that with direct experience of the sectors NNF works in. Please nominate the one skill area you are applying for.

Public health nutrition and food policy:

Senior standing in public health nutrition, food policy, dietetics or population health, gained in government, academia, clinical practice or the NGO sector.



A working command of Australia's food environments, dietary guidelines and health equity, and relationships across state and federal health portfolios that extend NNF's reach and influence.

Marketing, brand and digital:

Senior experience in brand, communications, digital strategy or data, and a practical sense of how digital platforms, applications and content extend the reach of a national organisation. NNF is looking for a director who can ask the right questions of management on digital investment in both capital expenses (digital infrastructure) and operational expenses (brand, marketing and communications strategy), data governance, privacy and/or cyber risk.

Essentials and desirable

Essential. Senior standing in one of the two skill areas above, and a sound working understanding of a director’s duties.

Desirable. Prior non-executive board experience, and current membership of the AICD or ICDA. A formal governance qualification is well regarded. Examples include the AICD Company Directors Course and the ICDA Diploma of Governance. None of these is mandatory, and we will consider strong candidates making a first board appointment.

About you

You will bring

- Senior standing in one of the two skill areas set out above.
- A genuine commitment to NNF's purpose and to improving the nutritional wellbeing of Australians.
- Sound understanding of a director's duties, including under the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) and the ACNC Governance Standards.
- Strategic judgement, and the confidence to constructively challenge and contribute in the boardroom.
- The highest standards of integrity and independence of mind, and a willingness to declare and manage conflicts of interest, including any commercial interests in the food and beverage industry.

Why join NNF

- A substantive role in shaping national public health nutrition programs that reach Australians at every life stage.
- A collegial Board that welcomes constructive challenge,



and reimbursement of reasonable out-of-pocket expenses.
- Cover under NNF's directors' and officers' liability insurance.

Commitment

- Six Board meetings a year, held in person or online.
- An annual strategy day.
- Membership of one sub-committee or working group.
- Board meeting preparation and engagement between meetings. Around six hours a month in total.
- A three-year term, renewable to a maximum of nine continuous years under NNF's Constitution.

This is a voluntary position. Reasonable out-of-pocket expenses, including travel and accommodation associated with Board duties, are reimbursed. Appointment is subject to a National Police Check and to conflict of interest and fit-and-proper-person declarations.

A national and diverse Board

NNF operates nationally and our Board should reflect that. Board meetings may be held using technology, so directors do not need to be based in Melbourne, and we welcome applications from every state and territory.

We strongly encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, people with disability, LGBTIQ+ people, and people living in regional and remote Australia.

How to apply

Please submit the following as a single PDF to the Board Chair, Andrea Spencer, at [email protected], with the subject line NNF Board EOI [skill area].

- A cover letter of no more than two pages, naming the skill area you are applying for and setting out how your experience fits it.
- A board CV of no more than four pages, including current and recent directorships, and any governance qualifications or memberships (for example AICD, ICDA or a Diploma of Governance).
- The names and contact details of two professional referees, who will not be contacted without your consent.

Applications close at 5.00 pm AEDT on Monday 30 November 2026. Applications are assessed by the Board against the criteria set out above, and all applications are treated in confidence.

Enquiries

Confidential enquiries are welcome. Please contact Andrea Spencer, Board Chair, on 0417 591 718 or at [email protected]. More about our work: nationalnutritionfoundation.org.au

Help us make the healthy choice the easy choice for every Australian.

📌 Expression of Interest - Two Non-Executive Directors (Melbourne)
🏢 National Nutrition Foundation
📍 Melbourne