Manager, Sustainable Value Chains

IMPORTANT:  This Advertiser has requested that applicants MUST be National Residents / Valid Work Permit-holders.  Other applicants need not apply.

 

The Rainforest Alliance is an international nonprofit organization that works to conserve biodiversity and ensure sustainable livelihoods by transforming land-use practices, business practices and consumer behaviour. Based in New York City, with offices throughout the United States and worldwide, the Rainforest Alliance works with people whose livelihoods depend on the land, helping them transform the way they grow food, harvest wood and host travelers.

Under the auspices of the Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN), an international coalition of leading conservation groups, the Rainforest Alliance’s Sustainable Agriculture Division works with farmers to ensure compliance with the SAN standards for protecting wildlife, farm land, workers’ rights and local communities. Farms that meet these rigorous environmental, ethical and economic standards are awarded the Rainforest Alliance Certified™ seal.  The Sustainable Agriculture Division consists
of the Sustainable Landscapes Program, the Sustainable Value Chains Program, the Traceability Unit and Program Administration. The work of the Sustainable Agriculture Division is closely linked to the work of the SAN Secretariat,
housed in Rainforest Alliance’s Costa Rica office.

Sustainable Value Chains (SVC) is the market-facing arm of Sustainable Agriculture and works with 3000+ companies globally to increase demand for crops grown on Rainforest Alliance Certified farms.   It builds markets for certified products by facilitating market linkages between companies, traders and producers. Products grown in a Rainforest Alliance Certified farm can be sold as Rainforest Alliance Certified and carry the Rainforest Alliance green frog seal on the pack. The SVC team coordinates with various programs of the Rainforest Alliance, to guide companies on the different processes and protocols to sell certified products, including licensing agreements, assisting companies scale up plans for certified products
and reviewing and approving products for the use of the Rainforest Alliance Certified seal.

Position Summary:

The Manager will be responsible for developing market growth opportunities for products from Rainforest Alliance Certified™ (RAC) farms.  S/he will manage existing business relationships and seek to engage new business with specific emphasis in increasing demand of RAC cocoa and supporting existing relationships with companies already engaged in the Rainforest
Alliance cocoa programme. He or she will also place a special emphasis in developing the markets in continental Europe to increased demand for Rainforest Alliance sustainably produced goods. The Manager will liaise with the broader Sustainable Value Chains, Sustainable Landscapes, Traceability, and Communications-Marketing teams to coordinate company activities related to RAC seal use, promotional campaigns and events. 

Responsibilities:

• Engage key businesses in continental Europe to stimulate market demand for certified farm products;
• Manage relationships with key businesses to source and promote RAC cocoa in continental Europe; guide and oversee company strategies in the use of these products, conduct training and workshops for key sales and marketing teams and be the interface with other Rainforest Alliance teams in order to fulfill the needs of that business relationship;
• Facilitate supply chain linkages for cocoa and support the launch of campaigns by companies in coordination with the global SVC and Communications teams;
• Support the preparation of market-related fundraising proposals and the negotiation and development of service agreements with companies supporting the work of Rainforest Alliance;
• Serve as a spokesperson for Rainforest Alliance by engaging key opinion leaders and cultivating change agents within the industry;
• Work with the Senior Manager, Sustainable Value Chains, to define and implement a market demand strategy for Rainforest Alliance in the French market;
• Work with the Traceability team on furthering the development and implementation of traceability systems and participation agreement collection; and
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

• University degree; preferably in Business Administration, Sales & Marketing, Agriculture Economics or relevant field.
• 7 - 10 years of experience, demonstrating progressive levels of responsibility in business development, sales, marketing, procurement or supply chain management;
• Experience and knowledge of cocoa industry highly preferred;
• Knowledge and experience of working to further conservation objectives that are aligned to local and or international needs;
• Computer literacy and knowledge of Microsoft Office and Internet;
• Professional fluency in English and French (written and spoken); Spanish language skills highly desirable;
• Impeccable interpersonal skills and an excellent team player;
• Abilityto manage multiple projects at a time and to work with minimum levels of supervision;
• Outstanding organizational skills, attention to detail and ability to juggle multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment;
• A passion for sustainability and the environment; understanding and experience of ethical sourcing and certification programs highly desirable; and
• Ability to travel nationally and internationally up to 30 % of the time.

Only candidates authorised to work in the United Kingdom or the Netherlands will be considered for this position 

To apply:

Send CV, cover letter and salary history to Human Resources, Rainforest Alliance, Warnford Court, 29 Throgmorton Street, London, EC2N 2AT. E-mail: ukpersonnel@ra.org. If emailing, use the following format in the subject line: first name and last name, job title of position you are applying for.

The Rainforest Alliance is an equal opportunity employer.