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.

ABOUT THE ACCOUNTABILITY FRAMEWORK INITIATIVE

The Accountability Framework initiative (AFi) is a collaborative effort, led by a diverse group of 25+ NGOs from around the world, to bring about a “new normal” of ethical supply chains that are protective of forests, other natural ecosystems, and human rights. Rainforest Alliance leads the secretariat for this initiative, which is responsible for developing strategy, coordinating AFi coalition activities and decision-making, developing Accountability Framework materials and resources, supporting users to apply the Framework, and leading communications and program administration. For more information, please visit: https://accountability-framework.org.

Position summary:

We seek a motivated, impact-driven, and pragmatic professional to join the AFi secretariat. The Implementation Manager will be responsible for supporting private companies (i.e., producers/processors, traders, manufacturers, retailers, and financial institutions), 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, practices, guidelines, and systems to address deforestation and ecosystem conversion and ensure full respect for human rights in commodity supply chains. The Implementation Manager will be an integral part of the AFi secretariat and collaborate closely with the AFi’s 25+ coalition members and other high-impact partners.

The ideal candidate will have significant experience working in or otherwise engaging with companies that produce or source agricultural or forestry commodities. They will be knowledgeable about the systems and practices that companies use to address environmental and social risk, such as internal management systems, traceability, procurement mechanisms, supplier engagement, investment at origin, monitoring and verification, and reporting and disclosure. They will also have up-to-date familiarity with broader corporate sustainability mandates and approaches, such as climate and nature targets, business contributions to meeting the SDGs, financial and non-financial disclosure mechanisms related to ESG, and supply chain due diligence regulations.

Responsibilities:

• Contribute to refining the AFi’s strategy for driving widespread application of the Accountability Framework;
• Provide proactive and responsive support to private companies to understand and apply the Accountability Framework;
• Engage and support service providers to integrate the Accountability Framework into their service offerings;
• Collaborate with industry associations and multi-stakeholder initiatives to create consistent market expectations and metrics for soft commodity sectors, aligned with the Accountability Framework;
• Together with AFi coalition members, further develop the AFi’s resources for financial institutions that conduct lending or investing related to forest-risk commodities;
• In collaboration with the AFi Communications Manager 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;
• Train and support colleagues from AFi coalition member organizations to effectively engage with users to understand and apply the Framework;
• Develop and co-manage the AFi’s approach to collecting user feedback and utilizing this information to improve the AFi’s value to users over time.

Qualifications & Experience:

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 tight-knit, purpose-driven team.

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree in business or in a sustainability-related field (e.g., natural resource management, forestry, agronomy, or social sciences); Master’s degree preferred;
• At least seven years of progressively responsible experience related to the position, including experience working in or with private companies 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 biodiversity, climate, human rights, livelihoods, and legal 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 10-20% of the time nationally and internationally.

Preferred:

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

Salary:

Commensurate with experience

Deadline: Applications will be reviewed beginning May 31, 2022 and continue on a rolling basis until a successful candidate is selected.

Notes:

The Rainforest Alliance is an equal opportunity employer. Only candidates authorized to work in the UK, Netherlands, or United States will be considered.

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