Company Description

We have an exciting opportunity for an experienced and innovative professional in responsible production and sourcing of agricultural commodities, to help Proforest’s work on Production Landscape approaches as a delivering mechanism for people positive Nature Based Solutions on the ground. This includes aligning global regulatory and private sector frameworks with the realities on the ground. You will work in a dynamic, global team and have the opportunity to work with some of the world’s largest agricultural & forestry production companies, leading sectoral spaces such as the Consumer Goods Forum, and with our large network of partners (such as TFA, WWF, SBTN etc). 

About Proforest 

Proforest is a mission driven organisation with a 20-year track record of supporting the transition to sustainable production and sourcing of agricultural and forest commodities. We are a not-for profit group with a global presence across Europe, Asia, Africa and South America and work with governments, the private sector and civil society to deliver positive social and environmental outcomes in the places agricultural commodities are produced, ranging from protecting forests to recognising the land rights of indigenous peoples to improving conditions for workers. Our clients are well-known consumer brands, such as Unilever, Nestle, PepsiCo and Mars, and the world’s largest traders and integrated producers including Cargill, Olam, Wilmar and Cofco. We combine our work for companies with longer-term programmes supported by institutional funders such as DfID, GIZ, Norad and the Global Environment Facility. Developing innovative solutions and making linkages to realities on the ground is a critical component of our work, as is facilitating collaboration.

This includes sector and company collaborations, and collaboration in specific landscapes and jurisdictions. For example, we support groups including the Forest Positive Coalition of the Consumer Goods Forum, the Soft Commodities Forum and the Palm Oil Collaboration Group. For landscapes, we facilitate or directly support 10 landscape initiatives in Indonesia, Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, Brazil, Colombia and Mexico (for example, the Siak-Pelalawan Landscape Programme and Mexico Holistic Programme).  

Job Description

About the role

You’ll help shape our approach to delivering sustainability commitments in landscapes and jurisdictions, building industry collaborations and multistakeholder initiatives linked to major commodity supply chains such as palm oil, soy, cocoa, beef and pulp & paper. You’ll support our efforts to unlock greater private and public support for, and investment in, on the ground work in production landscape level initiatives. In addition to the primary focus on sustainable landscape and jurisdictional approaches, we welcome expertise in private sector engagement and industry collaboration, multi-stakeholder processes, or other specialist areas related to responsible sourcing and production of agricultural commodities.  

As part of this job you will as part of the Proforest Europe team: 

• Help develop and implement our collaborative and long-term programme work on production landscapes, and making links to key global policy regulatory frameworks (e.g. new regulations such as EUDR, CSRD, voluntary climate frameworks of SBTi and GHG Protocol, guidance for Beyond Value Chain Mitigation and the science-based targets for Nature).  

• Lead development and alignment of key concepts and approaches on building the business case for investing in landscape initiatives, and alignment of climate and nature frameworks (e.g. FPC roadmaps, SBTi, SBTN). This should involve consulting relevant internal colleagues and external relevant organisations (SBTN, WWF, TFA, CI, CDP etc) to seek feedback and then working to pull together concise and visual concept notes and summaries for internal Proforest and external audiences 

• Support proposal writing to ensure continued funding to Proforest work on landscapes. 

• Join external working groups or collaborative calls to represent Proforest and communicate our internal positions on key topics 

• Support individual companies in the implementation of company collaboration landscape strategies, including the CGF Forest Positive Coalition’s strategy as well as the landscape reporting framework.  

• Work collaboratively with other Proforest teams around the world, with frequent travels, to support implementation, alignment and share lessons learned from Proforest’s work in landscape programmes across South-East Asia, Latin America and West-Africa.  

• Support our work with company collaboration, such as the Forest Positive Coalition and the Palm Oil Collaboration Group to address sector wide issues and deliver solutions including, for example, verified deforestation.  

Qualifications

About you 

We’re looking for a deeply motivated and dynamic person who thinks in terms of opportunities and results. You will have: 

• Demonstrated strong leadership and project management skills, including organisational abilities, and an ability to plan and implement complex projects  

• Clear analytical capacity to understand how practical experience in our projects and programmes can be used to support wider initiatives and approaches to responsible sourcing and production 

• Self-motivation and ability to work independently, taking ownership of responsibilities and tasks 

• Highly developed interpersonal and team-working skills, as well as proven ability to operate in a multi-cultural environment 

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English, including high-quality report writing and presentations to simply explain complex technical challenges and activities to a range of different audiences 

• Proven ability to deliver to tight deadlines  

• Enthusiasm for and a keen interest in current trends in sustainable development and the responsible production and sourcing of agricultural commodities 

• Tertiary level qualification in a relevant discipline (e.g. natural resources management, social sciences, economics, agriculture, forestry) to Masters’ level or equivalent 

• Substantial experience working in commodity supply chains, project management and coordinating or managing multi-stakeholder initiatives. 

Desirable experience: 

• Familiarity with relevant tools and methodologies related to responsible sourcing and production of agricultural and forestry commodities, such as landscape and jurisdictional approaches, the High Conservation Value (HCV) approach, Human Rights Due Diligence, and global voluntary frameworks (especially SBTN, TNFD) and regulations (such as EUDR, CSRD). 

• Fluency in another language including French, Spanish, Portuguese, Bahasa Indonesia or Mandarin. 

Additional Information

Key information  

Location: Oxford, UK or Leiden, Netherlands (unrestricted rights to work in the country are required) 

Salary: In the region of £50,000 - £63,000 per annum OR €56,500 - €71,000 

Closing date: 10th of March (we reserve the right to close the advert early if we find our chosen candidate and therefore recommend applying at your earliest convenience) 

Working hours: We are open to applications from candidates wishing to work full or part time (minimum of 4 days per week or equivalent over more but shorter days). 

Hybrid working: Proforest operates on a hybrid basis. We encourage staff to attend the office regularly (ideally twice a week) to maximise interactions with colleagues and encourage collaboration but also appreciate individual circumstances and preferences.  

We are committed to supporting diversity throughout Proforest globally, ensuring an inclusive environment where all individuals can thrive and therefore welcome applications from all.