Field Liaison - Contractor (CAFE' Project)

Role Title: Field Liaison - CAFE Project

Grade: N/A

Reports to (title): TBD

Version date: December 2024

Business Background:

LRQA stands for dedication to clients, market firsts, and deep expertise in risk management. We’ve grown to become a leading global assurance provider, bringing together outstanding expertise in certification, customized assurance, cybersecurity, inspection, and training.

While we’re proud of our heritage, it’s who we are today that really matters, because that’s what shapes who we and our clients can become tomorrow. By staying true to our shared values and combining decades of collective experience, we support our clients in building a safer and more sustainable future.

What do we do?

We help our clients negotiate a rapidly changing world by working with them to manage and mitigate the risks they face. We serve a wide variety of industries, with a core focus on Food & Beverage, Consumer Goods, Transportation & Mobility, Technology & Telco, Construction & Manufacturing, Energy and Renewables, and Chemical & Processing.

Our products and services range from independent third-party auditing to certification and training; we also offer consultancy services, real-time assurance technology, and data-driven supply chain transformation programs. Our innovative end-to-end solutions help our clients shape their own future, rather than letting it shape them.

LRQA currently operates across 51 countries, has more than 2,500 colleagues, generates around £350m in revenue, and supports more than 60,000 clients across a diverse range of sectors and markets.

The Next Chapter for LRQA:

As the preferred assurance partner for our clients, we are relentless in helping them respond to the era of Assurance 4.0.

Our decades of sector expertise in assuring assets and management systems, ensuring product integrity, responsible sourcing, navigating the energy transition and achieving net zero, and strengthening cybersecurity maturity will help them to anticipate, mitigate, and manage risk wherever they operate, freeing them to focus on growth.

With solid expertise and heritage in our sector, coupled with well-timed accelerated investment and a leadership team that is fully committed to delivering our vision, LRQA’s next chapter is set to be an exciting, transformational period of growth. We’re well placed to build on everything we’ve done and further our ambitions for the future. At such an exciting time, key talent is critical, and this role is a great opportunity to be part of our next chapter.

Role Purpose:

Our Consulting team specializes in helping clients to design and implement responsible sourcing programs and sustainability/ESG strategies in their supply chains.

This role provides candidates with the opportunity to build skills in sustainability consulting, a dynamic and growing sector. It is also an excellent opportunity for an entrepreneurial individual to join a rapidly growing and successful business that is disrupting traditional approaches to sustainability, responsible sourcing, and supply chain management.

The candidate will be heavily involved in the CAFÉ Project (Comprehensive Action towards Forced Labor Eradication). The project, a partnership between the Global Fund to End Modern Slavery and LRQA, aims to combat forced labor in Brazil’s coffee industry, with a specific focus on Minas Gerais, the country’s largest coffee producing region. The project seeks to address labor abuses through protection, prosecution, and survivor inclusion. As part of this initiative, a grievance mechanism in the form of a helpline has been established to enable coffee workers to report human rights violations and forced labor situations.

LRQA is seeking a dedicated individual to conduct onsite visits to coffee farms in Minas Gerais. The field representative will engage with coffee workers, introduce them to the helpline, formalize their participation, and provide necessary training on its use.

Responsibilities:

Coordinate a set of interventions to reduce forced labor in the coffee sector, including direct worker engagement and implementation of a grievance mechanism (80%):

1. Reach out to and set up meetings with coffee producers in Minas Gerais and international companies sourcing coffee from Minas Gerais.
2. Ensure buy-in among producers, traders, & retailers; formalize their participation in the grievance mechanism.
3. Support in the deployment of a worker-centric grievance channel together with project team members.
4. Engage in field activities to train farmers and workers and follow up on implementation.
5. Support monitoring and evaluation data collection and reporting.
6. Support reporting procedures such as financial reports, quarterly reports to project partners, among others.
7. Participate in and contribute to meetings with project partners.

Support local supply chain consulting and assessments (20%):

1. Participate in planning and briefing sessions of the local Consulting team.
2. Conduct analysis and provide expertise on projects related to supply chain sustainability & responsible sourcing, particularly in agriculture and food sector.

Requirements and qualifications:

1. Knowledge of the legal and regulatory framework on labor issues in Brazil.
2. Knowledge of the food & agriculture industry.
3. Strong project management abilities; able to plan and implement work independently.
4. Ability to proactively communicate and network with a variety of stakeholders.
5. Ability to communicate tactfully and manage sensitivities, especially in talking to workers in rural and low-income settings.
6. Strong problem-solving skills to anticipate challenges and identify solutions as they arise.
7. Portuguese skills (native speaker preferred).
8. Advanced English skills (written and spoken, to engage in professional meetings and generate client-facing reports).
9. Basic computer skills and ability to adhere to new technologies.
10. Valid driver's license in Brazil to facilitate transportation during onsite visits.

Highly desirable:

1. Knowledge of and/or experience in the Brazilian coffee sector.
2. Knowledge of and/or experience in human rights.
3. Knowledge of and/or experience in forced labor.
4. Knowledge in social certifications and auditing protocols.
5. The ideal candidate should preferably be based in Minas Gerais, Brazil. However, there is flexibility for individuals willing to travel to the region for shorter periods. All travel expenses related to farm visits will be fully covered.