(Senior) Programme Manager

Senior Programme Manager

Managing programmes to support performance improvement in farms and industry across the sugarcane world

Do you have a passion for supporting improvement in the sugarcane industry?  Have you got the on the ground experience to know what works and what doesn’t, and the programme management skills to help Bonsucro support change on a global scale? 

 Bonsucro, the global sugarcane platform, is striving for a world where successful, professional, responsible sugarcane production is commonplace.  We are a global membership organisation backed by the world’s largest brands and over a quarter of the industry.  In support of this ambition we own and operate the world’s most credible standard for certified sugarcane derived products.

 This is a new position as part of a global programmes team created to accelerate the pace of change as we strive to achieve our ambitious 2020 change goals. In essence, this position drives our value proposition for farms and mills coming into Bonsucro membership. Providing valuable support to producers, i.e. growers and milling companies, is at the heart of our challenge and forms the core task of this new position. The Programme Manager will be responsible for two flagship programmes: The Certification Fast Track programme, supporting producers that pursue Bonsucro certification in a clear and cost-effective way; and the Productivity & Professionalism programme, which also supports producers if they don’t have an immediate interest in getting certified, but want to improve their performance.

 Within the next two years, we would expect the post holder to have converted our current, relatively ad-hoc support for producers into:

 A clear plan with reporting against targets for mills and farming communities engaged in improvement programmes, including - but not limited to - those linked to certification

• Full mapping of mills and farming communities and supply chains interested and/or engaged in improvement
• Targeted capacity building programmes and partnerships (including with change consultancies and training partners)
• Design and roll out of user friendly tools and support materials available in all relevant languages

  The role will ideally be based in our London office, and will work closely together with the Standards & Innovation and Impact Partnership teams, and our regional directors in Latin America, Africa and Asia. The role combines practical planning aspects with regards to training and support of growers, mills and service providers, while also contributing to the development of more effective and efficient ways to drive performance improvement.

 The ideal candidate will have excellent planning skills and be able to command the respect of relevant actors in producer communities around the world. S/he also has a good understanding of certification based systems, a flexible attitude and will excel at building relationships. Ideally, the preferred candidate has already demonstrated their ability to deliver under pressure in a multi-cultural and multi-stakeholder work setting.

  Role Overview

 Accountability for:

 Maximising both the cost-effectiveness and the efficiency of the certification process for users without compromising the level of assurance that Bonsucro certification provides

1. Developing and implementing strategies to increase the support to producers seeking to improve their levels of productivity and professionalism, with or without the explicit goal of achieving certification
2. Building an effective network of support agents and partnerships for supporting growers and mills in going through a performance improvement process
3. Developing and implementing strategies to increase the uptake of Bonsucro certification based on market needs analysis

Key Responsibilities and Dimensions of Role

 1.       Programme management and development

• Develop effective programme plans and relevant budgets
• Lead on programme implementation in close liaison with relevant Bonsucro colleagues
• Continue to review and develop programme in response to stakeholder feedback and priorities

 2.       Training strategy and planning

• Support set up and improve training programmes for:

                                                            i.       mill and agricultural staff

                                                            ii.       auditors and certification bodies

                                                           iii.      buyers of certified product

                                                           iv.      service providers to mills and growers

• Identify and build relations with suitable training providers for local training delivery

 3.       Partnership development

• Build network of and develop effective partnerships with mill and agricultural support agents
• Effectively recruit and retain relevant auditing firms in key geographies and support them in marketing Bonsucro certification
• Support the regional directors in developing  national / regional Certification Fast Track as well as Productivity & Professionalism strategies for key geographies
• Co-develop technological solutions for making performance measurement and tracking more accessible and efficient in laison with internal and external tech providers

 4.       Certification Fast Track Strategy

• Lead on development of Certification Fast Track strategy in cooperation with members and stakeholders
• Assess and identify ways to address bottlenecks in certification and flow of certified product to the market
• Develop and support the dissemination of an attractive narrative around certification to various stakeholders
• Provide feedback about system characteristics to Standards & Innovation team

 5.       Productivity & Professionalism Strategy

• Lead on development of Productivity & Professionalism strategy in cooperation with members and stakeholders
• Develop the network and relationships to support programme implementation
• Connect Productivity & Professionalism agenda in sugarcane to relevant developments inside and outside the sugarcane sector
• Support the development of monitoring, evaluation, accountability & learning as well as showcasing positive outcomes and impact.

The employee may be required to undertake such other tasks and responsibilities as may be directed, from time to time, by the Chief Executive that are consistent with the nature of the job described above.

Person specification

Other information

How to apply

Please send your CV along with a statement explaining how you feel you can meet the requirements of this role to recruitment@bonsucro.com. We will consider applicants on a rolling basis with the final  deadline for applications on 16 January 2017. Early submission is strongly encouraged. Please note that we will only be contacting shortlisted candidates.

This job description reflects the core activities of the post.  As the service and the post-holder develop, there will inevitably be some changes to the duties, and possibly to the emphasis of the post itself.  We expect that the post-holder will recognise this and will adopt a flexible approach to work.  This could include undertaking relevant training where necessary.  The line manager will consult the post-holder if significant changes to the job description become necessary.  Any changes will be reflected in a revised job description.