USAID Reducing Pollution Activity
Position Description
PRIVATE SECTOR ADVISOR
(based in Ha Noi, Vietnam)
I. BACKGROUND
IDH, The Sustainable Trade Initiative
The mission of IDH, The Sustainable Trade Initiative is to catalyze 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. Together we drive the joint design, co-funding and prototyping of new economically viable approaches to realize green & inclusive growth at scale in commodity sectors and sourcing areas. Our approaches are designed to drive sustainability from niche to norm in mainstream markets, delivering impact on Sustainable Development Goals. We focus on creating positive impact on deforestation, living incomes and living wages, working conditions, toxic loading and gender. IDH is supported by multiple European governments (Dutch, Swiss, Danish and Norwegian) and we work together with over 600 companies, CSOs, financial institutions, producer organizations and governments in 11 sectors (apparel, cotton, tea, coffee, spices, aquaculture…) and 11 landscapes in over 50 countries worldwide. IDH is a dynamic and demanding organization of about 140 staff members and permanent consultants at the Headquarter in Utrecht, the Netherlands and many overseas offices and hubs in South America, Asia and Africa.
Starting operation in Vietnam in 2010, IDH has since established strong partnerships with businesses, government and civil society organizations working on apparel and footwear, coffee, tea, cocoa, spices/pepper, and aquaculture sectors. Recently, promoting and enabling embedded sustainable manufacturing practices (IDH manufacturing program) has been newly identified as one of IDH focus sectors in Vietnam from now up to 2030. Through manufacturing program, IDH would like to deliver the impacts on: reduced use of natural resources and energy, reduction in plastic & textile waste, greater transparency & traceability in production, increased gender equality and participation, reduced carbon footprints, increased circular production and manufacturing models, and increased living incomes of manufacturing workers.
USAID Reducing Pollution Activity
In support of Vietnam’s efforts to address environmental pollution challenges, the five-year USAID Reducing Pollution Activity fosters locally-driven initiatives and facilitates capacity for local actors/networks to address environmental pollution challenges using a collective impact approach. Collective impact addresses complex challenges by mobilizing diverse actors to collaborate, identify ways to solve a shared problem, and take action based on their roles and comparative advantages. The Activity demonstrates clear connections between environmental benefits and other social benefits, including public health, employment, and sustainable economic growth. Winrock International is granted by USAID to manage the implementation of the Activity, and IDH is a key implementing partner in Vietnam,
Through this Activity, USAID expects to attain the following results:
- Strengthened networks of local organizations, government, private sector, and academic institutions working together to prevent, mitigate, and/or reduce environmental pollution; and
- Increased capacity of stakeholders to generate, share, and use pollution data to support policy/implementation solutions for locally-determined environmental pollution challenges.
2. THE POSITION
The Private Sector Advisor will focus on the delivery of the USAID Reduce Pollution Activity, she/he will work closely with the Chief of Party of the Activity to provide the leadership and networking to link with private sector stakeholders to build stronger collective impact initiatives. She/he will also be responsible to engage and mobilize private sector partners in order to reduce environmental pollution in targeted areas and to identify and implement sustainable production methods through a collective impact approach, creating a sustainable manufacturing system within the country, to demonstrate that industry can become a positive catalyst for sustainable development.
The position will be based partly in the USAID Reduce Pollution Activity office and partly in the IDH Vietnam Country office, both in Hanoi. She/he will report to the Activity COP for programmatic and day-to-day activities, and report to the Textiles and Manufacturing Manager at IDH in Vietnam for administrative and other IDH organizational issues.
Key responsibilities
Private sector collaboration will be a critical component of successful collective impact initiatives to address environmental pollution in Vietnam. The Private Sector Specialist is in charge in mobilizing and engaging private sector participation and investments as key partners in initiatives to reduce pollution under the Reducing Pollution Project in Vietnam. She/he will be responsible to provide technical advice to COP and Collective Impact Director of the project on private sector engagement and investment mobilization. She/he is also responsible to coordinate with local partners and stakeholders to ensures that work plans and agreed targets are met timely while complying with cost limits.
Duties:
- Assist with private sector engagement in stakeholder and system mapping related to environmental pollution challenges and gathering or synthesizing evidence.
- Facilitate private sector participation in co-creation exercises leading to definition of collective impact initiatives.
- Explore Public Private Partnerships between industry and public sector actors.
- Be responsible for actively managing and mobilizing the investments (in terms of time, money, and human resources) from corporations and other business partners to pollution reduction actions.
- Assist with private sector convening, facilitating and integrating private sector into local networks for collective impact to reduce pollution;
- Support the development of and partnership with backbone organizations
- Support the mobilization of cost-share from private sector companies to build capacity, create awareness, or set up a reporting and data management system
- Be responsible to advice the project’s COP on private sector engagement and mobilization.
- Take part in the project steering board to review and make decision on selection and supervision of Collective Impact Initiatives (CIIs)
- Build-up and maintain a relevant network of corporate decision makers.
- Analyze customers' strategic, financial planning, financial needs, and how businesses operate.
- Prepare proposals and other related documents that accelerate prerequisite approvals for partners to engage in the program.
- Comply with legal & financial policies and standards, local laws and regulations regarding approval, reporting and documentation.
- Be responsible for networking and leveraging of investors (multi-national companies, other donors, financial institutions having green credit funds with preferential credit sources) to support private sectors access to green credits for investment in reducing pollution.
3. REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE
Candidates will be selected on the basis of key criteria:
- Bachelor or Master Degree in (financial) management, banking or international business
- Minimum of 10 years’ working experience in similar positions with a strong network that includes big corporations in Vietnam, preferably with linkages into the apparel & footwear sectors and related manufacturing sectors.
- Strong knowledge of financials and credit assessment for unlocking investments
- Strong communication and presentation skills, negotiation skills with ability to interact with people at various levels of the organization and outside environment, strong sales and relationship management skills.
- Ability to work autonomously, work with a team and solve problems quickly.
- An understanding of environmental sustainability is a plus.
- English fluency is a must.
4. 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 and as an IDH team member you can contribute to positive global change.
For more information about IDH, please visit http://www.idhtrade.org [1]. For questions about this position, please contact Mr. Hoang Viet at [email protected] [2]
5. HOW TO APPLY
Interested candidates should send their CV/resume and application letter (in English), explaining your interest and capabilities for the position, to Ms. Iris van Oort, HR Officer, at [email protected] [3] before December 31, 2021 mentioning “Application for Private Sector Specialist” in the subject line.
IDH, The Sustainable Trade Initiative
Arthur van Schendelstraat 500,
3511 MH Utrecht
P.O. Box 1241, 3500 BE UTRECHT, The Netherlands
www.idhsustainabletrade.com
IDH Vietnam Office
Room 401, B1 Building, Van Phuc Diplomatic Compound
No. 298 Kim Ma, Ba Dinh, Hanoi