portal resources jobs companies r rainforest alliance latin america senior associate, coffee representative, south america

Senior Associate, Coffee Representative, South America 🔥


The Rainforest Alliance is creating a more sustainable world by using social and market forces to protect nature and improve the lives of farmers and forest communities. To achieve our mission, we partner with diverse allies around the world to drive positive change across global supply chains and in many of our most critically important natural landscapes.

 Our alliance spans 70 countries and includes farmers and forest communities, companies, governments, civil society, and millions of individuals. Together we work to protect forests  and biodiversity, take action on climate, and promote the rights and improve the livelihoods of rural people.

 As an international nonprofit organization with more than 30 years of experience in sustainability transformation, we understand that the social and economic well-being of rural communities is tightly connected to ecosystem health. This knowledge has shaped our rigorous programs to advance sustainable land-use and commodity production.

 At the Rainforest Alliance we combat climate change, protect forests and biodiversity, promote human rights, and improve livelihoods. The enormity of the social and environmental challenges we are facing requires working together in a broad alliance. This is why we bring farmers, forest communities, companies, and consumers together to change the way the world produces, sources, and consumes.

Why

 To protect nature and improve lives it’s becoming increasingly urgent that we approach the way we use our land and produce food and other products in more sustainable ways. For this to succeed we need to fundamentally change the way that businesses operate and source, and the choices we all make as consumers.

 How

 Our growing global alliance aims to transform our relationship with our natural resources and each other, to create a better future for people and nature together.

 The Rainforest Alliance encourages diversity and inclusion across the global organization. With this commitment to diversity, we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, color, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, ages, disability and any other protected group.

Position summary:

 The Senior Associate, Coffee Representative, South America, will drive efforts to improve the experience of our programs for our coffee sector stakeholders within the region and strengthen our value proposition for them.

 This role will have the responsibility of advising on the coffee sector plan and provide recommendations for impactful strategies towards sector transformation. This Representative will identify and leverage concrete market opportunities that accelerate our environmental, social, and economic impact.

 To execute this work, they will coordinate closely with the global coffee lead, country directors within South America and the Customer Partner Support team to develop deep collaborative bonds as well as with colleagues in other locations and functional areas such as S&A, Customer Success, Markets, Supply Chain Excellence, Communications, Themes and other departments per needed.

 Other responsibilities will include support to the enhancement of South America network, acting as account manager when needed for key regional partners, and supporting certification related projects development.

 Responsibilities: 

  • The Rainforest Alliance’s Core Values are Impact, Change, Collaboration, Openness and Trust and as such they form the basis of the behaviours we demonstrate;

 Strategic and technical excellence:

  • Develop a proposal for a more integrated approach for the coffee sector to enhance our value proposition in South American countries.
  • Serve as the representative for RA’s field-related coffee sector transformation work, within the region. This work will be carried out in close coordination with regional staff and global counterparts.
  • Propose innovative tools and approaches for coffee sector interventions.
  • Provide strategic advice to the country directors and staff in the South America region to support integration of coffee sector priorities into country strategies and plans, and donor funded initiatives.
  • Facilitate that all relevant staff have easy access to, and understand how to apply, global and regional approaches and tools for coffee sector initiatives.
  • Identify and advise on risk related issues in the coffee sector.
  • Deliver thought leadership and represent Rainforest Alliance from an origin perspective on coffee related issues (i.e. staying abreast of internal and external trends, delivering periodic internal presentations and webinars to relevant teams).
  • Facilitate and coordinate access to data from certification programs, promoting horizontal and vertical information flow, and providing technical support to staff when requested;
  • Facilitate quarterly cross-functional sector working group review meetings within the region. 

   Advocacy and external engagement:

  • Support the Advocacy department on coffee risks and other needs per requested;
  • Cultivate and maintain results-based partnerships with a subset of strategic coffee sector partners (companies, unions, government, NGOs, others.), and function as RA representative in selected regional and global multi-stakeholder fora.

Business development and fundraising:

  • Contribute strategic advisory and technical reviews to writing and budgeting of fundraising proposals, with a specific focus on securing the support of coffee related partners and addressing their critical needs within the region;
  • When required support lead writers for coffee related content on selected proposals and donor reports;
  • Proactively identify funding opportunities and cultivate long-term relationships with senior leads and decision makers from selected regional-level intergovernmental organizations, companies, NGO partners, aid agencies and other donors;
  • Act as account manager when needed for some regional or local accounts;
  • Other tasks as assigned by supervisor.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

  • This position may supervise vendors and consultants and may oversee staff.

Qualifications: 

  • Bachelors’ or advanced degree in natural resource management, forestry, agriculture, marketing, business administration or a related field, or equivalent professional experience;
  • At least 7 years’ experience in the development and execution of market-based conservation initiatives.
  • At least 3 years working within the coffee sector.
  • Knowledge and understanding of Rainforest Alliance´s Theory of Change; Rainforest Alliance and UTZ certifications and/or other certification and verification standards and systems;
  • Outstanding interpersonal and communication skills, both written and verbal;
  • Written and verbal proficiency in Spanish, Portuguese, and English.
  • Demonstrated ability to deliver excellent customer service; good listening skills; accessible, knowledgeable, and courteous.
  • Demonstrated commitment to the RA mission and values.
  • Ability to travel a minimum of 30% per year, nationally and internationally.

 Salary:

Commensurate with experience.

 

Deadline: October 14, 2022

 

Notes:

Only candidates authorized to work in Brazil, Colombia or Peru will be considered.

 

If you have any questions about the job vacancy, please contact the HR department: recruitment@ra.org

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