Program Officer – IDH – The Sustainable Trade Initiative

Apply by 30th Sep 22

IDH – The Sustainable Trade Initiative drives sustainability from niche to norm; by convening companies, civil society organizations, governments and others in public-private partnerships. Together with partners, IDH designs, co-funds and prototypes new economically viable approaches to realize green & inclusive growth at scale. Our approaches are designed to drive sustainability in commodity sectors and sourcing areas, while delivering impact on the Sustainable Development Goals. IDH is supported by multiple European governments, and we work together with over 500 companies in 12 sectors and 12 landscapes with over 40 governments worldwide.

ABOUT THE PROGRAM:

‘Regenerative Production Landscape Collaborative: People, Nature, Economy’ takes an innovative approach to fostering agricultural ecosystems which conserve and enhance natural resources and build community resilience whilst enabling businesses to source responsibly.

Originally founded by Laudes Foundation, IDH and WWF India, the Collaborative aims to create systems level shifts to catalyse and scale a model where;

• producers grow agri-commodities using natural and regenerative farming principles that restore, rather than deplete, natural resources and reduce emissions from farming systems; and
• smallholder farmers and communities thrive, through improved economic stability, enhanced livelihoods and greater participation in decision making
• businesses can source responsibly while creating inclusive supply chain relationships

To achieve this, the partnership will support a locally-driven, multi-stakeholder governance structure to drive market transformation – bringing together companies that commit to sourcing responsibly, community and producer organisations for more inclusive decision-making, government institutions that enable sustainable and green growth; and impact investors and funders who seek scalable solutions that deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals.

For more information, go to www.rplcollaborative.org

Position overview

You will be based in Bhopal, India and will report directly to the Lead – RPLC Secretariat, with a matrix functioning with the Textiles & Manufacturing Business Unit at IDH. As a PO/ AM, you will contribute to all aspects of secretariat management and convening/capacity building of local stakeholders in Madhya Pradesh. This will include designing partnerships with organisations that implement field-level activities and ensuring market linkages for a variety of smallholder-grown crops through high level private sector engagement.

This role will be a part of a Secretariat (2-3 people) in Madhya Pradesh towards delivery of local priorities and stakeholders; and build strong links with internal teams such as communications, fundraising, learning & innovation and HR to strengthen the overall delivery of the program.

Key responsibilities are:

• Program Development: Responsibilities will include creating concept notes, project applications management and negotiations, contract management, budget management on a project level and monitoring & evaluation activities, as well as gathering, collating and analysis of required information.
• Management of Implementation Partners: Responsible for working with the implementation partners to ensure achievement of deliverables according to RPLC reporting guidelines and set KPIs.

o   Provide training and coaching to local stakeholders on M&E related topics and deliverables.

o   Cultivate an M&E culture and promote data-driven decision making.

• Stakeholder management: Maintain connections with existing program stakeholders and supporting outreach to drive the adoption of more sustainable practices in the industry by convening key stakeholders. Support the multi-stakeholder process in enhancing program governance and partnerships between RPL program management board, PPP and other stakeholders for joint interventions and co-funding
• Meetings, events and workshops: Responsible for logistics, reporting and review of meetings, events and workshops for RPLC. Support the planning, organization and coordination of the mentioned above meetings, events and workshops as required.
• Learning & Communications: Working with the learning & Communication working groups to facilitate the and position RPLC.
• Other Programs: You provide all around key support to the Secretariat – Lead. The PO will be guided and expected to take up certain roles, as required the program team at IDH.

Who you are

You are analytically strong, self-directed, able and willing to organize and prioritize work, multitask, and meet strict timelines independently and learn fast, maintaining a good overview whilst providing coaching on delegated tasks. In addition, you have excellent interpersonal skills. Working in a results-oriented, flexible, cooperative, and hands-on manner, you know how to drive the process, keep focus and discipline, guide and evolve to a successful planned outcome.

You are highly proficient in spoken and written English and comfortable in spoken Hindi. You have strong verbal and written communication skills.

What you bring

• 4-6 years of professional experience
• Working and thinking at Master’s degree level, preferably in business, agricultural economics, sustainable development or another relevant field of expertise;
• Experience in project management and operations eg: Working on ERP, CRM, monitoring and evaluation frameworks, Project reporting and budgeting
• Proven ability to establish strong relationships and build rapport with stakeholders and clients;
• Knowledge and thinking on agri-value chain development and understanding of international trade and critical sustainability challenges in (agricultural) value chains.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, especially a very good working knowledge of Excel and PowerPoint.
• Professional level of English language speaking and writing skills, fluency in Hindi
• Experience in research, writing papers/ proposals
• Willingness to travel

Other preferred qualities

• Experience in an international environment
• Private sector experience
• Working experience and knowledge of the agri sector and sustainability issues in Madhya Pradesh
• Experience in working with virtual or remote team members.
• Experience with geodata management and GIS software is an advantage.
• Experience with statistical analysis and software such as SAS, SPSS, R or Python is desired
• Affinity with sustainability, landscapes and international trade and development is an advantage but not an exclusion criterion.

What we offer

IDH offers a challenging position with opportunities for growth within an enthusiastic and passionate team. As an IDH team member you can contribute to positive global change. This is a full-time position.

The successful applicant will be offered an employment contract (6 months’ probationary period) with Initiative Development Hub LLP. This role is based in Bhopal, India and all candidates must be willing to live and work in Bhopal.

Interested

Would you like to apply? Just send us your motivation and resume in English.

We encourage applicants to respond as soon as possible, before 30 September 2022