Engagement Manager, Accountability Framework Initiative at Rainforest Alliance

Position summary:

We are looking for a motivated and dedicated sustainability professional to join the AFi Backbone Team. The Engagement Manager will be responsible for supporting companies, industry groups, service providers, other sustainability initiatives, and AFi Coalition members to apply the Accountability Framework. The goal of this engagement is to establish and scale up effective policies and practices to address deforestation and conversion and to ensure full respect for human rights in agricultural and forestry supply chains. The Engagement Manager will be an integral part of the AFi Backbone Team and collaborate closely with the global AFi Coalition and other high-impact partners.

Candidates should have significant experience working to address environmental and social risk linked to agricultural or forestry supply chains, as well as familiarity with specific implementation mechanisms such as internal management systems, traceability, procurement systems, supplier engagement, farm- and landscape-level investment, monitoring and verification, and reporting and disclosure. They should also have up-to-date familiarity with major corporate sustainability mandates and approaches, including climate and nature target-setting and accounting; sustainability-related disclosure standards and requirements; and supply chain due diligence.

Responsibilities: 

• Co-develop – and lead the implementation of – the AFi’s strategy for stakeholder and user engagement to drive widespread application of the Accountability Framework;
• Provide proactive and responsive support to companies (at all stages of the value chain) to understand and apply the Accountability Framework;
• Collaborate with industry associations and multi-stakeholder initiatives to support the creation of consistent market expectations and metrics for soft commodity sectors, aligned with the Accountability Framework;
• Together with AFi Coalition members, further develop resources and support for financial institutions that conduct lending or investing related to forest-risk commodities;
• In collaboration with the AFi Communications Lead and other team members, develop and strengthen the AFi’s package of promotional, explanatory, and instructional resources to further raise awareness and support application of the Framework by its target users;
• Manage engagement with the AFi Coalition, including working with the Director to plan and run Coalition meetings and workshops as well as managing relationships across the Coalition membership;
• Train and support colleagues from AFi Coalition member organizations to effectively engage with users to understand and apply the Framework;
• Support robust learning and adaptive management of the AFi by collecting and synthesizing user feedback and using this information to improve the Framework’s value to users over time; and
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications: 

• We seek candidates who are familiar with the implementation of responsible supply chains in agriculture or forestry and can bring practical experience combined with original thinking to support widespread adoption of good practice consistent with the Accountability Framework. Candidates should have excellent written and verbal communication skills and a strong service orientation to understand and respond to the needs of those interested in applying the Accountability Framework. Candidates should be highly collaborative and eager to contribute to a tight knit, committed and passionate team.

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree, or equivalent in business or in a sustainability-related field (e.g., natural resource management, forestry, agronomy, or social sciences); Master’s degree preferred;
• At least five years of progressively responsible experience related to the position, including experience working in or with private companies, industry groups, or financial institutions to develop and implement responsible supply chains;
• Knowledge of the agribusiness and/or forestry sectors and their respective sustainability risks and solutions, e.g., related to nature/biodiversity, climate, human rights, livelihoods, and regulatory compliance;
• Demonstrated ability to effectively represent an organization, brand, or service to its customers/users and stakeholders;
• Superior English written and verbal communication and presentation skills, including a proven ability to persuade through effective communications;
• Excellent organizational and analytical skills; and
• Willingness to travel approximately 10-15% of the time, domestically and internationally.

Preferred:

• Proficiency in French, Portuguese, Spanish, or Bahasa Indonesia.