Website Beyond Beans Foundation
THE ORGANISATION
The Beyond Beans Foundation is the implementing partner of agricultural commodities trader ETG for sustainable cocoa programmes. These are developed with and for industrial chocolate makers.
In close cooperation with our Sustainability Team in West Africa, cocoa suppliers and programme partners we support farmers to improve their farming practices towards a living income, we help communities to tackle child labour, we strive for women’s economic justice, and we protect the natural environment with agroforestry and conservation efforts. Beyond Beans is a foundation based in the Netherlands with subsidiaries Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Ecuador, Ghana, Nigeria, and Togo.
With our international and driven team of 250+ project and field officers we build dedicated sustainable supply chains towards skilled farmers, resilient communities, and healthy environments.
The Job
We are looking for a Project Coordinator in Côte d’Ivoire to oversee our local sustainability projects in cashew.
The Cashew Project Coordinator will have a key role in the design, implementation, Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) of projects that we are upscaling in the supply chains of local exporters from whom we buy sustainable cashew. This will mainly include sustainability certifications (e.g. fairtrade, Rainforest Alliance).
You will collaborate with our local commercial team to represent ETG | Beyond Beans towards our local farmer groups and partners, and you will be in close contact with our Project Managers in The Netherlands as well as our larger cashew clients. Your role will encompass a broad range of activities, from monitoring certification, traceability and farm mapping to supplier relations, project development and partnership management.
We are seeking an individual with entrepreneurial acumen, as RA certification is a novel concept in the cashew industry. The individual will collaborate with the procurement team to locate and focus on the present group of suppliers and transition from conventional quantities to sustainable quantities. The aim is to implement sustainable supply chain certification practices from farm to export.
The Coordinator reports to the Programme Manager Cashew with day-to-day reporting to the Country Manager Sustainability for Cocoa & Cashew.
Key activities and responsibilities
Rainforest alliance certification compliance of all direct suppliers and third parties regarding cashew associated to the Beyond Beans Farmers/ETG supply parties in Côte d’Ivoire.
- Building capacity to address gaps in RA certification compliance of suppliers
- Conducting needs assessments per IMS team on ‘certification readiness’ according to Beyond Beans’ expectations of upholding RA certification standards
- Coaching suppliers on best certification practices based on identified gaps in certification readiness.
- Continuously monitoring of and reporting on uptake of recommended best practices by suppliers
- Communicating progress, projection on timelines and possible risks in suppliers’ certification processes to Beyond Beans management
- Supplier relation management and procurement support
- Maintain relations with our local Procurement team, exporters and farmer groups to facilitate project execution and procurement.
- Support annual contracting with local exporters and farmer groups on raw cashew nuts volume and sustainability premiums.
- Standardizing RA certification procedures, methods, and protocols for IMS teams
- Together with BB M&E team, developing best practices on digitizing all certification related data collection and data management with suppliers
- Developing multi-level (farmer, IMS staff, etc.) training curriculums that meet certification requirements as well as internal standards, in close cooperation with BB certification teams
- Developing all necessary approved and standardized documents for certification purposes, as well as training IMS teams on their use and implementation. Including but not limited to:
- Environmental Protection Plans
- Child Labour & Forced Labour Policy
- Health & Safety Guidelines
- Increasing understanding within Beyond Beans Côte d’Ivoire and suppliers of the content as well as implications for implementation of new standards
- Generating a deep understanding with IMS teams of RA 2020 standard and developing a roadmap for implementation with suppliers
- Supporting and providing consultation on the development of internal standards, as well as developing implementation guidelines
- Design, implement and oversee our sustainability Projects, monitor progress of certification, mapping and traceability activities of our cashew suppliers and coordinate M&E digital data collection with field staff.
- Directly manage the certification and partnerships in the planning and execution of field activities (such as farmer trainings, certification audits, premium payments) in close collaboration with our local exporters. Ensure that certification requirements are being met.
- Support local exporters in the design, budgeting, and execution of project operations.
- Report to HQ on project indicators and with narrative reports for client/donor projects.
The Team
You will be part of a fast-growing organisation and broad network with excellent future career opportunities. Working in our dynamic sustainability team that is spread over the Netherlands (Amstelveen), Dubai, West and East Africa (Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Togo, Benin, Mozambique and Uganda).
Based in our Offices in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, with colleagues from both the Cashew & Cocoa Team – taking regular trips to the field. You will be actively working with our Procurement team at our office and our local exporters, including their field staff. Internationally, you will be in contact with our head office team in Amstelveen and Dubai as well as other origin teams to collaborate and exchange knowledge.
Qualities we are looking for
- A bachelor’s or master’s degree, preferably in Sustainable Agriculture, International Development, or a related field.
- At least 3 years’ experience in sustainability, operational management and/or agriculture, with a minimum of 1 year in a managerial/project lead position.
- Experience in managing field activities in a rural setting and/or working with farmer organizations
- An understanding of sustainability certifications or sustainability projects in the agricultural domain
- Experience designing and implementing sustainability projects, both environmental and community development focused.
- Affinity with intercultural communication and both corporate and not-for-profit environments.
- You thrive in a fast-paced working environment, and you can balance different priorities.
- Self-starter and all-round mentality; willing to execute simple tasks as well as manage big portfolios.
- A passionate and ambitious worker; accurate, efficient, and problem-solving.
- Fluency in English and French.
What we offer you
We offer substantial freedom in your work, engagement in a broad range of sustainability topics, and personal development opportunities. Beyond Beans offers a competitive salary and good secondary employment conditions including insurance.
Interested?
Please fill in the below form.
To apply for this job please visit beyondbeans.org.