Factory/Senior Factory Co-ordinator- LABS, Vietnam
LABS Background
The mission of IDH, The Sustainable Trade Initiative is to catalyse systemic change through collaborative action and to achieve market transformation for impact at scale. IDH convenes companies, CSOs, governments and others in public-private partnerships. Starting its operation in Vietnam in 2010, IDH has since established strong partnerships with businesses, government and civil society organizations working on coffee, tea, cocoa, spices/pepper, aquaculture and apparel/footwear sectors.
In 2019, IDH together with brands have launched Life and Building Safety (LABS) Initiative in Vietnam. LABS Initiative is an industry-driven program, in which multiple brands and retailers are joining forces with public organizations to operate a scalable program to mitigate preventable fire, electrical and structural safety risks in key apparel and footwear producing countries in a targeted way.
Many workers in key apparel producing countries work in unsafe environments which can have lethal consequences. That’s why it’s the mission of the Life and Building Safety (LABS) Initiative to provide safer working conditions for factory workers in the apparel and footwear industry.
We organize our activities around identifying and solving risks related to fire and electrical hazards, structural building safety, and evacuation, so workers can lead better lives.
This is done by developing country-specific solutions. Here, we create a life-safety program that delivers a harmonized framework for monitoring, assessment, risk reduction, and remediation.
More details of the LABS Initiative can be read on its website: (http://www.labsinitiative.com [1])
LABS is recruiting Factory Coordinator/Senior Factory Coordinator for its operations in Vietnam, based in either city of Ho Chi Minh or Hanoi.
Job Profile
The incumbent will be required to support the activities for LABS in the Apparel, Textile and Footwear sector, focussing on Structural, Electrical, and Fire safety. The person will report to to Country Manager, LABS and will be responsible for the successful management of 30-40 factories, and supervision of various firms associated with LABS Initiative such as Inspection Firm (IF), Remediation Firm (RF), Quality Assurance Firm (QA) etc. The FC/Senior FC will work closely with a diverse group of stakeholders, including Brands, Factory owners, local Authorities, Civil Society Organisations and LABS Team.
Core Job Functions
- Support the implementation of LABS initiative and its standards, consistent with project objectives
- Directly manage and coordinate the assessment process for about 50 factories.
- Working cooperatively with others to create a safe work site environment; and communicating effectively with the facility owners, contractors and stakeholders associated with the LABS Initiative.
- Collaborate with Engineers and Auditors working with Remediation Firms, Inspection and Quality Assurance Firms
- Clarify the Corrective Action Plan (CAP) generated after assessments to factories, where needed
- Schedule and perform factory visits to follow-up on implementation progress of the safety audits conducted under LABS Initiative by Inspection Firms
- Track, document and report online the factory progress summarizing gaps and opportunities
- Monitor Inspection Firm’s performance and give timely feedback to Country Manager
- Attending and convening meetings as assigned
- Relationship building with Brand Participants, Factories, Training & Inspection Firms
- Provide Training on FFC (Fair Factories Clearing house) after being trained by FFC Lead
- Interacting with LABS Initiative counter parts in other countries for sharing good practices and benchmarking quality control standards
- Administrative function and support as needed in the operations of the LABS Initiative including but not limited to setting up meetings, making arrangements for training, preparing minutes of meetings and participating in operations call, if needed
Requirements
Candidates will be selected based on the following criteria:
- An engineer with at least 5-7 years on site experience in conducting Structural, Fire & Electrical safety audits, preferably in Apparel, Textile and Footwear industry or any other manufacturing industry
- Being able to understand technical drawings, testing, and design documents to participate in verification and validation discussions
- Sound knowledge of Structural, Electrical, and Fire safety aspects linked to Factory construction
- Proficiency in understanding Vietnamese Building Codes and Standards
- Able to address implementation issues and resolve conflict
- Education Level: Graduation (B. Tech or B.E- Electrical/Fire)/ Post Graduation (Desirable)
- Ability to communicate reasonably well both verbally and in writing with a wide variety of people /audiences in English and local language (Vietnamese)
Supporting Requirements
- Works to achieve agreed objectives and is accountable for meeting or exceeding them
- Experience in working with people from different cultural backgrounds
- Regional travel may be required (up to 40%)
Terms and conditions
The successful applicant will be offered a consultancy contract for one year with competitive remuneration, but with very high possibility to extend. IDH offers a challenging position with opportunities for growth within an enthusiastic and passionate team.
For questions about this position, please contact: Sarobindo Malhotra, LABS Lead, email: [email protected] [2] or [email protected] [3]
How to apply
Interested candidates should send their CV/resume and application letter (in English), explaining your interest and capabilities for the position, Sarobindo Malhotra, LABS Lead, email: [email protected] [2] and copy to [email protected] [4] before 19th Feb 2021 mentioning “Application for LABS senior factory coordinator” in the headline.