Senior Program Officer

Job title: Program Officer, ISLA, IDH Vietnam

Organization: IDH, The Sustainable Trade Intiative

Reporting to: Country Director IDH, Vietnam

Deadline: 30/5/2016

IDH, The Sustainable Trade Initiative

IDH, The Sustainable Trade Initiative helps to accelerate and upscale sustainability within mainstream international commodity markets, driving sustainability from niche to norm. We build ambitious public private coalitions of companies, civil society organizations and governments and high-impact programs in order to benefit people, planet and profit. Partnering with over 350 companies, 60 NGOs and numerous governmental organizations, IDH is a dynamic organization of about 86 staff members based in Utrecht, The Netherlands, with hubs in Vietnam, Indonesia, East Africa and other countries. IDH runs over 100 projects through 18 commodity programs in 50 countries. Among the commodities IDH focuses on are cocoa, tea, soy, cotton, timber, natural stone, aquaculture and electronics. IDH receives its funding from the Dutch, Swiss, Danish and Norwegian government. 

The IDH landscape program – Initiative for Sustainable Landscapes (ISLA) in close cooperation with IDH’s in-country and global network of partners, the program aims to: convene public-private partners in multi-stakeholder governance structures; design business driven interventions and investment plan that can be scaled; co-fund interventions to sustainably manage landscapes, particularly in the creation of production-protection compacts and; share best practices and learnings with a global network of experts and knowledge partners. IDH is currently active in eleven (11) resource vulnerable landscapes around the world: South West Mau Forest in Kenya; Central Rift Valley (CRV) in Ethiopia; Tai region in Côte d’Ivoire; Central Highlands in Vietnam; Mato Grosso in Brazil, the Nimba, Sapo and Lofa landscapes in Liberia and West-Kalimantan, Aceh and South Sumatra in Indonesia. To strengthen its team in Vietnam, IDH is recruiting a Senior Program Officer for the Central Highlands Landscape in Vietnam, based either in Hanoi or Central Highlands

Position overview

The Senior Program Officer will support the ISLA Program Manager in the implementation of initiatives in the Central Highlands. Responsibilities will include the implementation of the ISLA Vietnam action plan in relation with other IDH programs (spices, tea, coffee) in the Central Highlands, contract management, as well as gathering, collating and analysis of required information. The Program officer will be responsible for working with the field level projects (FLPs) related partners to ensure the effective implementation of the work on the grounds. S/he will liaise with the IDH Vietnam team and the ISLA team at IDH Headquarters.

The candidate will report to the ISLA Program Manager.

Key responsibilities

1.       Program management:

  • Responsible for implementation of the ISLA Vietnam action plan whose building blocks include; water resource management, agroforestry and agrochemicals , in relation to other IDH programs in the Central Highlands, including tea, spices and coffee programs.
  • In collaboration with the Program Manager translate the ISLA building blocks into cofundable projects with clear KPIs, and develop program pipeline projects.
  • Collaborate with ISLA/Operation (OPS) team at IDH Headquarters with regard to contracting and contract management.
  • Gather, collate and analyse required information to support program development
  • Conduct monitoring and evaluation of field level projects (FLPs) for ISLA accordingly with the plan agreed with the program manager.
  • Work closely with FLPs to ensure the deliverables delivered timely and with good quality.
  • Support the program manager and work with Implementing partners (IPs) in policy dialogue with provinces for all IDH programs in Central Highlands.
  • Manage deliverables and progress with consultants and implementing partners as assigned according to IDH reporting guidelines and KPIs.  

2.       Stakeholder management and networking:

  • Support the multi-stakeholder process in enhancing program governance and partnerships between IDH and FLPs partners for joint interventions and co-funding.
  • Maintain and contribute to further development of the networks to strengthen ISLA and relevant IDH programs in the Central Highlands. 

3.       Events and workshops:

  • Responsible for logistics, reporting and review of events and workshops between IDH and FLP partners.
  • Support the planning, organization and coordination of the mentioned above events and workshops as required.

 

4.       Communication:

  • Support the development and implementation of ISLA Vietnam communication materials, which were not developed by other Implementing partners or based on those developed by IPs.
  • Write event/news articles and contribute to the quarterly ISLA Vietnam newsletter. 

Requirements

  • Independent, pro-active and self-driven
  • Working and thinking at Master’s degree level, familiarity with sustainable land and water management
  • Proven hands-on experience with program management, financial administration, budgets and contracts
  • Knowledge of sustainability, international trade, supply chains and smallholder farming issues in Vietnam and more specifically Central Highlands
  • Experience with stakeholder management
  • Fluent in Vietnamese and English (verbal and written)
  • Proficiency in Microsoft Office, especially a very good working knowledge of Excel and PowerPoint
  • Active, service and detail-oriented, analytical, structured and business minded
  • Ability to organize and prioritize work, multitask and meet strict timelines

Terms and Conditions

This position is based in either Hanoi or Central Highlands. If  the candidate is in Hanoi, there will be regular travel and working in Central Highlands for at least 50% of his/her working time. If the candidate is based in Central Highlands, he/she needs to work with IDH office in Hanoi for the initial 3-4 months for work familiarization, before working in CH.

IDH offers a challenging position with opportunities for growth within an enthusiastic and passionate team. The successful applicant will be offered a contract for one year with competitive remuneration, but with the possibility to extend.

For more information about IDH, please visit www.idhsustainabletrade.com. For questions about this position, please contact Tran Quynh Chi at [email protected].

Application process

Interested candidates should send their CV and application letter (in English), explaining your interest and capabilities for the position and your CV/resume, to Annemarie Woudstra, HR Officer at [email protected], Tran Quynh Chi, at [email protected] (cc to [email protected])

Application timeline

Applications must be received by 30th May, 2016

Job Details
Organisation Name: 
IDH
Location: 
Hanoi or Central Highlands
Application Deadline: 
Mon, 2016-05-30