Job Openings at Fairtrade Africa

Main functions

Support integration of fairtrade standards improvement measures in projects to ensure compliance and additionally support revision of Fairtrade Labelling Organisations (FLO) standards Support training and communication on standards and their updates to FTA producer members Support producer organisations develop systems for maintaining fairtrade standards Follow through certification decisions to maintain producers in the system Ensure FTA’s organisational capacity on standards is improved and maintained.

Key responsibilities

• Contribute to drafting, updating, editing and translating generic and product specific standards, both for products for which Fairtrade standards exist and for new products; consulting with the Fairtrade certification organization and with Fairtrade stakeholders, other organizations and persons as appropriate;
• Design of standard setting projects, preparation of the necessary papers (progress and final reports) to the Standards Committee and/or the Standards Director for decision making on standards.
• Whenever applicable, design of such projects by tendering of those projects, selection of consultants, guiding the consultant during the project and final endorsement of the consultant’s report;
• Comparative analysis of Fairtrade and other ethical standards and contribute to defining relationships between these;
• Contribute to the development and improvement of standards methodologies in pricing for Fairtrade labelling;
• Contribute to discussions on standards and policies on labelling of Fairtrade products, in particular within the framework of the Standards Committee;
• Ensure the updating of standards in all of FTA’s information and communication;
• Contribute to execution of general (office) tasks related to work in standards and policies as they come up;
• To collaborate with FLO, FLO-CERT and National Fairtrade Organisations (NFOs) as necessary for the purpose of consistency in certification decisions;
• Feedback certification decisions and analysis into Fairtrade policy and standards development process. Support FTA members to remain certified and to appeal certification decisions, where applicable Work effectively and collaboratively with various functions through joint planning, training and monitoring on compliance to Fairtrade Standards by producers.
• Demystify understanding of standards and certification within FTA and its stakeholders

Knowledge and Experience Required:

• Educational background in Agricultural science, Agricultural (economics) or development studies Minimum of 3 years’ relevant professional experience
• Professional experience with project management and outsourcing of projects to consultants
• Advanced knowledge of smallholder and workers’ social and economic conditions in developing countries
• Excellent knowledge and understanding of voluntary certification schemes
• Strong motivation for Fairtrade and its standard setting and guaranteeing system
• Languages: Fluency in English, working knowledge in French would be preferred
• Professional experience of work in international development, particularly small business development
• Professional experience of work in the not-for-profit sector
• Experience in working with people from different cultures and backgrounds
• Ability to work with standard operating procedures and fixed Fairtrade principles

Desired:

• Post-graduate qualification in a relevant discipline (environmental conservation, Standards and Certification, sustainable development or a related field);
• Expertise in sustainability challenges in international supply chains, certification and labeling, ethical standards and standards setting processes

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KEY PERFORMANCE AREAS

• Planning and implementation
  • Spearhead the identification of the producer needs, planning, budgeting and implementation of field level activities and producer services
  • Prepare draft annual work plans in line with programme or core objectives for approval by the line manager
  • Develop, and or update field activity implementation guidelines based on learnings from implementation and producer needs.
• Reporting and Communication
  • Effectively respond to all queries concerning field implementation
  • Regularly make follow ups and collect feedback/information from producer organizations for monitoring & evaluation of services received to inform improvements
  • Prepare summaries for the programme annual plans, reports and articles
• Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning
  • Prepare field level reports on progress of activities implementation
  • In close collaboration with the MEL team, support on all monitoring and evaluation related activities
  • Submit high quality narrative and financial reports in accordance with project and organizational requirements (monthly, quarterly, bi-annually and annually)
• Project support
  • Support FTA projects on the ground
  • Prepare and provide reports to on projects progress
  • Provide feedback on project challenges and recommend remedial actions
  • Identify opportunities for new projects, collect data and information
  • Provide support to the members in project implementation. Constantly communicate the objectives of the projects to ensure member buy in.
  • Ensure policies and procedures are in place and are adhered to
• Accounting Support and Resource Mobilization
  • Effectively track field level income and expenses
  • Prepare and/or approve budgets for his/her team members’ field activities and workshops
  • Prepare monthly and quarterly budget report on field level activities
  • Support with resource mobilization for concerned programme
• Administrative Support
  • Support provide logistical support to the organization for events and workshops
  • Represent the FTA at meetings, events/forums, and conferences in and outside the country

SKILLS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

• Graduate in Agriculture, Agribusiness management Economics, Rural Development Studies, Business Administration, or Business Management
• At least 3 years’ experience in Programme/Project development and Management
• Experience in team management, relationship building, and working with community groups / rural enterprises.
• Ability to develop, implement and assess performance metrics
• Proven record of boosting team performance and employee retention rates
• Knowledge or experience in sustainability standards such as Fairtrade will be desirable.
• Excellent written and spoken English
• Experience in report writing
• Excellent interpersonal skills with ability to interact with individuals across multi-functional and cultural disciplines
• Able to handle varied, demanding and complex tasks.
• Ability to work independently.
• Project Management training will be an added advantage
• Able to juggle competing priorities to meet tight deadlines.