Rainforest Alliance, Sri Lanka – Certification Partner Support Program
Summary Information
Department: Region APAC
Location: Colombo, Sri Lanka
Commitment: Full-time, consultant
Desired start date and duration: 15 Sept 2024
Under direction of: Director South Asia
Consultancy Summary
About the Rainforest Alliance
Rainforest Alliance, a New York-based 501(c)3, and UTZ, an Amsterdam-based foundation, merged in 2018. Together, the new Rainforest Alliance is now a $70 million per year organization with offices in 17 countries (and growing) and over 5000 staff. The merged organization has two main offices—one in Amsterdam and one in New York City.
The Rainforest Alliance is creating a more sustainable world by using social and market forces to protect nature and improve the lives of farmers and forest communities.
We work towards making responsible business the new normal through our certification program, tailored supply chain services, landscape and community work, and advocacy.
Overview
The Rainforest Alliance is seeking a full-time consultant to be hired in Sri Lanka to:
a) improve the customer experience, and
b) deliver value-added services for certified members of our 2020 Certification Program.
The function aims to provide the first point of call for Certification Partners and falls under the responsibility (directly or indirectly) of the Country Director. There is by default close coordination with international and local functional departments to provide accurate and timely responses to Certification Partners and consistent information sharing and messaging. The consultant is required to provide information, training, and ongoing customer support on the full 2020 Certification Program, including the requirements of the Sustainable Agriculture Standard (Farm and Supply Chain), Assurance Rules, Registration, Traceability, etc. This approach enables Certification Partners to get support in their own language and from the nearest RA team.
The Certification Partner Support staff will be responsible for identifying the specialized training and technical assistance capacity required at the country level and coordinating the prioritization and timing of delivery. S/he is also accountable for closely liaising with global departments and topic owners to ensure consistency of monitoring and evaluation tools, content, and approaches and providing clear feedback to inform learning for improvement of the certification system.
Responsibilities
The local Certification Partner Support consultant staff:
Is the first point of contact for Certification Partners (farmers and supply chain actors working with or interested in RA’s certification program) in Sri Lanka.
Answers all first-line technical, administrative, and systems questions about the certification program.
Ensures timely escalation of issues to specialized colleagues.
Identifies needs for training, technical assistance, or other value-added services with inputs from Customer Success, S&A, and relevant Topic Owners.
Based on this needs assessment, develop and implement a yearly local training plan to support all Certification Partners (for both Farm and Supply Chain Requirements).
Identifies appropriate training providers with content specialized capacity on key issues detected through the planning process, including set up and ongoing support/maintenance of the Associated Trainers Network (ATN - where applicable).
Work with the certificate holders to train on specific social issues such as assess and address, gender equality, grievance mechanisms, etc., as a continuous learning where the community are made to understand these important social issues.
Ensures that Certification Partners have access to training in all aspects of the 2020 Certification Program on time (either by the Certification Partner Support staff themselves, ATNs, virtual, through the Rainforest Alliance Learning Network, or otherwise).
Develops and updates local training materials, in line with global generic training materials developed by RA, and ensures that training for Regional Plantation Companies (RPC) and Small Farmer needs are addressed separately.
Safeguards the quality of the ATN through the development, implementation, and monitoring of a trainer accreditation system.
Facilitate independent self-assessments of training done either personally or through the ATN and collate these assessments for future development.
Co-develops consistent training methodologies, monitoring, and data collection systems to assess training reach and effectiveness, and facilitates reporting, learning, and continuous improvement for the 2020 certification program’s training program.
Supports relevant field pilots.
Develops and maintains good relationships and liaises with Certification Partners and relevant related stakeholders.
Supports the identification, development, testing, and implementation of other value-added services for Certification Partners including for example on SD/SI, Farm Intelligence App, etc.
Support the Sri Lanka team on any other relevant RA activity that is required and instructed by the Country Representative or Director or South Asia Director.
General terms and conditions for Request for proposal
Proposals and/or any additional information received after the submission time and date are subject to rejection by The Rainforest Alliance. Incomplete proposals may be rejected by RA at its discretion.
The Rainforest Alliance reserves the right to request additional information at any time during the procurement process.
RA is at liberty to make multiple or no selections as part of the proposal process. RA also reserves the right to cancel the procurement.
All proposal costs shall be borne by the applicant and will not be reimbursed by RA.
Selection Criteria
The following qualifications, demonstrated skills, and knowledge are required:
Basic degree in agronomy/rural development/sociology/environmental science/forestry;
Minimum 5 years experience in sustainable agriculture certification and tea, spices, coconut, and coffee supply chains or equivalent; additional 3 years experience if the candidate comes outside the requirement above;
Prior experience in conducting training programs/ workshops is needed.
Proficient in Microsoft Excel, Word, and Outlook with demonstrated experience in accounting software and working knowledge of PowerPoint.
Outstanding interpersonal and communication skills, both written and verbal;
Ability to form and maintain collaborative networks both internally and externally;
Strategic mindset, able to identify trends, respond to challenges before they become issues, and provide insights into broader strategies and work plans;
Able to work independently with a passionate mindset to get the job done;
Fluency in verbal and written communication skills in Sinhalese and English is required, Tamil proficiency will be an added qualification;
Proficiency in productivity software such as Microsoft Office, Cloud-based applications, web meeting applications (Zoom, Teams), and Geographic Information Systems (ArcGIS, QGIS, Google Earth);
Demonstrated commitment to the RA mission and values; and
Ability to travel with a minimum of 50% per year in the region and/or internationally.
Application requirements
To apply, please submit your application by email or through the Hire Hive Portal with the subject header ‘Certification Partner Support Program, Consultant’ to jcanagaretna.consultant@ra.org and npandhare@ra.org by 31 August 2024. The work is expected to commence from 15 September 2024.
Thank you for your interest in working with The Rainforest Alliance