Credibility Senior Manager

Term:                     This is intended as a long term position with an initial contract of one year

Time:                     100%

Location:           Ideally this position will be based in ISEAL’s London head office. In exceptional circumstances, a different location may be considered if it has strategic value to the organisation.

Salary:                   Commensurate with experience

About the ISEAL Alliance:

ISEAL is an international non-profit organisation that codifies best practice for the design and implementation of social and environmental standards systems. ISEAL shapes the context in which voluntary standards systems operate, by defining what good practice looks like for the sector, as well as through influencing how external stakeholders think about and engage with credible voluntary standards systems. 

 At the core of the ISEAL Alliance is a network of organisations that work together to improve the operation of voluntary standards and certification.  Our members include most of the leading social and environmental standards systems worldwide (e.g. Forest Stewardship Council, Marine Stewardship Council, and Fairtrade International).  They are supported by a wide range of organisations, from research institutions to capacity building organisations to certification bodies, who participate in the ISEAL Alliance as affiliates.  Collectively, this diverse group of actors makes up the ISEAL Community.

2010 was an important year for ISEAL’s work on defining practices for the implementation and management of credible standards systems and related credibility tools. Not only did we revise the Standards Code, we also launched ISEAL’s second major Code of Good Practice, the ISEAL Impacts Code, and we prepared the ground for the development of a new Assurance Code to start in 2011

The Role

ISEAL is a global leader in understanding how voluntary standards systems can deliver effectively on their social and environmental impacts and in supporting them to do so.  Through the development of our Codes of Good Practice and related Credibility Tools, we have built a broad consensus on what good practice looks like and are pushing new innovations and improvements within standards systems.  The Credibility Senior Manager will play an integral role in further refining our understanding of how to make standards systems effective.

As the number and range of voluntary standards systems continues to grow, there is an increasing need to ensure not only that these systems don’t have to learn from scratch but that they are effective in bringing about positive social and environmental change.  Thi role will complement our small Credibility Team in providing critical technical support to our members and other standards systems to improve their practices.  The Credibility Senior Manager will have a lead role in developing and delivering a wide range of resources to our members and their stakeholders, from training workshops to webinars, and from publications to technical evaluations. 

This new position will be responsible for facilitating global consultation processes that aim to achieve a widely shared understanding and agreement on the content of new credibility tools.  In the first year, this will include a consultation on a set of core Credibility Principles that underlie good practice for sustainability standards systems, and on a guide for understanding the range of sustainability claims in the market. Another area of focus will also be the development of relevant training content for standards systems and other stakeholders on technical issues.  Finally, the Senior Manager will also bring much needed technical expertise to support standards systems directly and indirectly to come into compliance with ISEAL Codes of Good Practice.  This will include acting as technical advisor and manager of ISEAL’s independent evaluation mechanism for showing Code compliance.

What We Seek:

The role of Credibility Senior Manager requires a high level professional with substantial experience and technical knowledge of sustainability standards systems. This may have been gained by working for one of ISEAL’s member organisations, other sustainability standards systems or a government, corporate, NGO or research institution with a focus on sustainability standards. The ideal candidate has been involved in the development of standards systems, understands how different standards systems function, their relative strengths and weaknesses and can conceptualise new models and innovative solutions to improve the effectiveness of these systems.

We are looking for a person who not only understands technical issues in standard-setting and certification but who can translate these concepts into clear and easily understood language and ideas.  As such, we expect the ideal candidate to be a confident and natural speaker, comfortable in leading virtual and in-person workshops, preparing a wide variety of written and recorded resources, and easily building rapport with a wide range of individuals with differing levels of understanding of standards systems. For the global consultation processes, the ideal candidate will build on experience in playing a facilitative role and will exhibit confidence in leading diverse stakeholders to a shared understanding.  This will require a nuanced understanding of the issues under discussion and an ability to identify and foster common ground.

Responsibilities

Below is a list of the main responsibilities for this role.  Please note that this may not be an exhaustive list and the successful candidate may be expected to take on additional related responsibilities.

Selection Criteria

Other Relevant Information:

Working Hours:                   Based on a full time equivalent of 37.5 hours per week.  The ISEAL Alliance operates a Flexible Working Policy and is happy to consider applications for flexible working once the probation period has been successfully completed.

Status:                                   Ideally the preferred candidate will already be eligible to work in the UK.  However, we recognise the unique combination of skills sets required for this role and encourage exceptional candidates from outside the UK/EEA area to also apply.   Should the preferred candidate need to obtain a visa to work in the UK, ISEAL will endeavour to provide support to the candidate in applying for the relevant paperwork. 

                                                Please note that it is the candidate’s responsibility to ascertain their eligibility through the Home Office’s points based system at: http://www.bia.homeoffice.gov.uk/pointscalculator.

International Travel:         The post holder will be required to undertake regular international travel including overnight stays.

Annual Leave:                      25 days per annum (including office closure between Christmas and New Year)

Equal Opportunities:         The ISEAL Alliance strives to be an equal opportunities employer and commitment to this process is expected.

Ideal Start Date:                 January 2012

How to Apply:

Interested candidates should submit a current CV, salary expectations and a statement explaining how they meet the selection criteria (below) for the position to recruitment@isealalliance.org.

This is an open application process without a specific deadline and applicants will be considered as their submissions are received.

To discuss the particulars of this role, please contact ISEAL’s Credibility Director Patrick Mallet (patrick@isealalliance.org).   For more general enquiries about the application process and terms and conditions, please contact Alke Horn, HR & Operations Manager (alke@isealalliance.org; Tel: +44 203 246 0066)