The phrase "a key problem facing" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when discussing significant issues or challenges that are currently being encountered by individuals, organizations, or societies.
Example: "A key problem facing the education system today is the lack of funding for essential resources."
Alternatives: "a major issue confronting" or "a significant challenge facing".
Predicting the maximum inclusion size in a large volume of clean steel from observations on a small volume is a key problem facing the steel industry.
A key problem facing forecasters in Britain is the jet streams: these are narrow ribbons of fast-flowing air that are found at altitudes of around 35,000ft.
A key problem facing the unemployed in New York City is the fact that extended unemployment insurance benefits are triggered by the statewide share of the work force receiving benefits, which tends to be much lower than that of the city (news article, June 10).
A key problem facing Sun is that it has not kept pace with new products offered by its competitors.
A key problem facing researchers studying convection in fluid-saturated porous media is the lack of a general, non-invasive method for pattern visualization and wave number measurement.
In Europe and Central Asia, one out of three people see corruption as a key problem facing government.
A key problem faced in the design of heat exchangers, especially for cryogenic applications, is the determination of convective heat transfer coefficients in two-phase flow such as condensation and boiling of non-azeotropic refrigerant mixtures.
According to the incumbent congressman, who is also a climate change denier, the key problem facing California farmers is "extreme environmentalists" who have tried to depopulate the land by depriving residents of water with "relentless determination".
Lax and Sebenius describe what they call, "the negotiator's dilemma" as the key problem facing everyone in a consensus building or dispute resolution process.
The key problem facing organizations with respect to digital disruption is the different rates at which people, organizations, and policy respond to technological advances.
I've interacted with him often enough to know that Schwyzer has a very dry sense of humour, so I suspect there was an element of ironic self-deprecation at play here, but either way he illustrates the key problem facing any high-profile, self-identifying male feminist.
