Senior Advisor Climate and Environment

Fairtrade is the most recognized and trusted sustainability label, working to make trade fairer for people and planet.

For more than three decades, Fairtrade has been making an impact on the way trade works. We believe that every farmer and worker should have access to a better way of doing business, and a better way of living.

Fairtrade International is an independent non-profit organisation representing more than two million small-scale farmers and workers worldwide. It owns the FAIRTRADE Mark, a registered trademark that appears on more than 37,000 products. Beyond certification, Fairtrade International and its member organisations (three producer networks and 19 national Fairtrade organisations) partner with producers and businesses, engage consumers, and advocate for a fair and sustainable future.

The Global Products, Policy & Programmes Unit is made up of a team of Global Product Managers and Senior Advisors in key thematic areas who provide advisory services to the Fairtrade system, in order to ensure coherent system-wide implementation of mission critical strategies.

The Senior Advisor Climate and Environment will be responsible to provide leadership to the Fairtrade International System to pursue its mission to empower smallholder farmers and workers dealing with environmental challenges. S/he will drive the development and implementation of generic and product specific strategies and coordinate system-wide interventions in this regard with Producer Networks, National Fairtrade Organizations, other relevant parts of the Fairtrade system and partners from outside the system.

The Senior Advisor will work in close coordination with relevant FI bodies and committees and in particular with producers and their networks as key stakeholders taking into consideration best practice approaches and the state-of-the-art academic debate related to climate and environment.

Reporting to the Director of Global Products, Policy & Programs, the Senior Advisor Climate and Environment will be part of the Global Products, Policy & Programs unit.

Operations:

1. Strengthening Fairtrade International’s position by leading a center of excellence in climate and environment.
2. Provide overall leadership and technical support to Fairtrade member organizations in the analysis, planning, development, and coherent delivery of climate and environmental work through facilitation, advice, and targeted capacity building.
3. Develop and test approaches and tools needed to achieve the climate and environmental objectives and targets, address the challenges and overcome barriers, in close coordination with Fairtrade International’s members, relevant FI units and industry experts.
4. Engage with and support member organizations in offering the climate and environmental offer to business to existing and prospective partners.
5. Ensure internal alignment, good understanding and coherent communication on climate and environmental strategies, their progress in implementation and on any learning throughout the Fairtrade system.
6. Provide thought leadership in climate and environment related policy and advocacy work and contribute to position Fairtrade externally and with partners, particularly relevant with regards to international trade and market’s environmental legislative frameworks.
7. Provide thematic content expertise in support of securing climate and environment related funding.
8. Build new partnerships and deepen existing ones for collaborative work.

Programme management:

1. Together with key representatives of Producer Networks, National Fairtrade Organizations and relevant Fairtrade International units, lead the implementation of a climate and environment strategy for Fairtrade.
2. Through close collaboration with product leads integrate climate and environment approaches into commodity strategies.
3. Plan and lead on coherent implementation of work across FI units, in particular with Standards & Pricing, External Relations and Global Impact.
4. Support the Global Impact Unit in defining data need assessments, monitoring framework and tools, and research projects required for evidence-based target setting and monitoring results. Support the development, coherence and overview of programmes available to commercial partners and producers.
5. Create necessary material enabling member organizations to offer climate and environmental programmes to producers and commercial partners.
6. Create necessary material enabling Producer Networks to enhance knowledge and capacity of producer organizations.
7. Advise the Global Advocacy Working Group to integrate Fairtrade’s position and strategy into the advocacy agendas and work plan for policy influencing.
8. Manage relations with like-minded partners and other actors in the sustainability sector, and identify potentials for synergies and cooperation.
9. Represent the Fairtrade system in selected conferences, workshops and seminars.
10. Provide regular progress reports to the relevant committees and internal audiences as needed.

Level of education: The position holder will have a university/master’s degree in international development, environmental sciences or another relevant field.

Years of professional experience in a relevant area of work:

A minimum of 7 years’ experience.

Knowledge / Job Specific Competencies:

Comprehensive work experience in diverse multi-stakeholder environments.

Thorough understanding of the challenges and complexities of agricultural commodity value chains and the role of smallholders and workers herein.

A commercial background is desirable.

Professional Skills:

Analytical and strategic thinking - ability to maintain strategic overview in the face of operational complexity.

Facilitation of participatory processes within multi-cultural and multi-disciplinary settings.

Highly developed social skills and ability to listen as well as communicate in different environments and cultures, ranging from rural producers to officials representing government institutions.

Programme or project management skills.

Proficiency in English; working level Spanish desirable.

Personal Qualities:

Strong leadership and influencing skills.

Strong networking and relationship-building skills.

Strong written and verbal communication skills.

Creative, pragmatic and result- and solution-oriented.

Proactive and able to work independently.

Collaborative and supportive approach to teamwork and people management.

Identification with Fairtrade’s mission and principles.

• This is a full-time position within Fairtrade International.
• Location is at Fairtrade International offices in Bonn, Germany with the opportunity for hybrid work arrangements.
• The office language is English.
• Salary as per the Collective Bargaining Agreement for the Wholesale and Foreign Trade Industries for North Rhine Westphalia Group 6b and over tariff payments.
• Holiday Bonus and 13th salary.
• 30 days of holidays per year (for full-time employees).
• Subsidised public transportation ticket.
• Subsidised meal services.
• Childcare cost subsidy.

We are actively recruiting for this role and reserve the right to close this advertisement at any time.

Please consult www.fairtrade.net for more information on Fairtrade International and the Fairtrade system.

Please note that Fairtrade International is strict on compliance with the required qualification criteria mentioned above, and only those candidates selected for interviews will be contacted.