FSI and SACAR aisbl, a Brussels-based not-for-profit organisation managing several European & international trade associations representing businesses active in the trade of agricultural products, is looking for a

SUSTAINABILITY OFFICER

to cover for a maternity -leave (6-months work contract).

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TASKS & RESPONSIBILITIES:

The tasks and responsibilities of the Sustainability Officer will be twofold – each area will require a half-time involvement, making this position a full-time one:

1. PROGRAM OFFICER for FSI – Floriculture Sustainability Initiative (half-time position):

• Background: The Floriculture Sustainability Initiative (FSI) was established in 2013 as a market-driven initiative that brings together members of the international floriculture supply-chain to improve practices and drive positive change towards the sustainable production and trade of flowers and plants. It has over 60 members across the value chain and operates globally. In partnership with IDH, the Sustainable Trade initiative, FSI organises scoping, development, and implementation of public private partnerships in the sector. See fsi2020.com  for more details.
• Description: The successful candidate will cover for the FSI Program Manager maternity leave (Minimum 6-months) and provide direct support to the operational running of FSI. This is a half-time position. The successful candidate will work in the SACAR Brussels office and engage with the FSI Executive Officer, the IDH Fresh & Ingredients team at IDH Headquarters in Utrecht (Netherlands), FSI member companies and other stakeholders to ensure the delivery of a comprehensive range of activities to increasingly diverse stakeholders.

Key areas of responsibilities will be carried out in close cooperation with the FSI Executive Officer and will include:

Operational support & coordination :

• Support and facilitate, together with the Executive Officer, the operational and strategic review of FSI 2025 and the working groups on relevant themes linked to the FSI2025 ambition.
• Prepare and facilitate the Annual General Assembly of FSI members in January 2021.
• Contribute to the ongoing development of FSI strategy based on emerging issues.

Stakeholder engagement & networking :

• Liaison with FSI members and other organisations, maintain partnerships and alliances that support FSI members’ ambition.
• Responsible for logistics, reporting and review of calls, meetings and events between FSI and partners.

Communication & Program development :

• Maintain FSI communications on the website, LinkedIn and outreach strategies supporting the FSI ambitions and workplans.
• Maintain the on-going service to members and ensure communication material is up to date and available to support existing members and inform new members (incl. websites, brochures, factsheets, etc).

2. SUSTAINABILITY OFFICER to support the activities of the other organisations managed and hosted by SACAR in the area of the EU sustainability policy agenda (half-time position):

• Description: In close cooperation with the other SACAR team members and reporting to the Managing Director and secretaries generals of the various trade associations hosted by SACAR, the successful candidate will provide technical support, monitoring and analysis of the EU sustainability agenda (environmental & social), with a particular but non-exhaustive focus on environmentally-related policy & regulatory developments of relevance to the members of the various trade associations in the context of the EU Green Deal agenda. This is a new area of activities; therefore, the successful candidate will be expected to adequately develop the position to optimally support the existing team.

Key tasks and responsibilities will include:

• Monitor regulatory & policy developments at EU and international levels
• Monitor private-sector initiatives and developments in certification schemes
• Identify issues of particular relevance to the members of the trade associations
• Provide technical and analytical support to the trade associations on a range of issues pertaining to sustainability such as the EU circular economy agenda, life-cycle analysis, product environmental footprint, packaging, plastics, certification schemes, ethical trading, etc.
• Write information material directed to the members of the trade associations
• Prepare and participate in meetings

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REQUIRED PROFILE:

Education and experience:

• A University degree, ideally with a qualification in sustainability and preferably with a background in agro-economy, environmental sciences or related areas.
• Proven exposure to sustainability issues, preferably in the agriculture context and with a business focus
• Sound knowledge of environmental issues and technical topics and familiarity with the international and EU policy agendas in these areas
• 1 to 3 years work experience in an international environment.
• Proven hands-on experience with program support and coordination, and a good understanding of agri-trade & supply-chain related issues.
• Experience with stakeholder management and liaison (e.g. government, private companies, community organizations, NGO’s).
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, especially a very good working knowledge of Excel and PowerPoint.
• Comfortable with standard IT tools. Website maintenance, production of online newsletters and other communication tools; knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite and standard CMS (e.g. WordPress) a plus.

Skills & Abilities:

• Team-player with a positive and a ‘can-do’ / ‘hands-on’ attitude
• Able to work autonomously and with a strong sense of initiative and a pro-active and self-driven attitude.
• Service and detail-oriented and focused on results
• An analytical and structured mind able to deal with and report on complex issues in a multicultural and multi-stakeholders’ environment.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
• Ability to organize and prioritize work, multitask and meet strict timelines.
• Excellent written and spoken English; Dutch, French, German and other EU languages an asset.
• At ease working both remotely in a multi-cultural team and within a small office environment.

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SACAR OFFERS :

• A 6 months full-time work contract under Belgian law
• Salary according to experience plus an additional package of benefits.
• Expected starting date: mid or end July 2020 for two weeks on- boarding, work contract to run until February 2021

Suitable candidates should send their application by e-mail in English to sacar@sacar.be (Attention: Ms. Sylvie Mamias, SACAR Managing Director) with “Application – Sustainability Officer” as the subject and include as attachments:

• a CV
• a short cover letter
• a reference letter and/or contact details of a referee
• an indication of the availability to start in the position
• an indication of salary expectations, if any

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Deadline for applications: Monday 29 June 2020 – 10h CET

Interviews will be held between 1 and 10 July 2020.

Click here to download the job description in PDF

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted. We will not be able to acknowledge all applications received.