Costa Rica: Manager, Auditing Services, Sustainable Agriculture - Rainforest Alliance

[FabianPattberg]

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Manager, Auditing Services, Sustainable Agriculture Division - Rainforest Alliance

Reports to: Certification Services Unit Manager, Sustainable Agriculture Division

Position Location: San José, Costa Rica
The Rainforest Alliance (RA) is an international nonprofit organization that works to conserve biodiversity and ensure sustainable livelihoods by transforming land-use practices, business practices and consumer behavior. Based in New York City, with offices worldwide, the Rainforest Alliance works with people whose livelihoods depend on the land, helping them transform the way they grow food, harvest wood and host travelers.

The Sustainable Agriculture Division of the Rainforest Alliance is the international secretariat of the Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN), a coalition of independent conservation and rural development groups which promote sustainable agriculture as an alternative for development and conservation of the major commodity crops (bananas, coffee, tea, cocoa, citrus, flowers) that have widespread and profound influence on the economies, environments, cultures and politics of tropical countries. RA and SAN manage a program to guide, motivate and audit social and environmental improvements on farms, awarding a seal of approval (Rainforest Alliance Certified™) to farms that meet comprehensive standards.

Position Summary:
The Manager, Auditing Services, will provide leadership and oversight in the implementation of Sustainable Agriculture auditing activities in Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama, and Peru. S/he will assure effective financial oversight and compliance with quality requirements. S/he will communicate with clients regarding audits, ensure local auditing capacity is in place and provide oversight to local auditors. S/he will promote the program and build relationships with farmers and companies interested in certification. In addition, s/he will provide critical quality control oversight to audit reports from Asia and Africa. S/he will supervise a team of three.

Responsibilities:

* Develop and implement a regional strategy with targets for certification in Costa Rica, Panama, Nicaragua and Peru;
* Promote Rainforest Alliance Certified certification services to producers, ranging from small farmers to commercial enterprises, and to other parties in the agriculture supply chains;
* Oversee all audits in Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama and Peru; ensure compliance with SAN quality requirements;
* Manage relationships with key clients;
* Serve as frequent lead auditor, with occasional travel out of the region.
* Write audit reports; review audit reports from the region, Asia and Africa;
* Ensure that local auditors and consultants follow the technical and administrative certification protocols;
* Identify and increase the pool of qualified auditors, consultants and assessors, and conduct auditor training;
* Coordinate supply and demand as needed;
* Provide first response to complaints and disputes related to audits;
* Conduct stakeholder outreach in the region as needed for high visibility audits;
* Provide policy and technical input for improving Sustainable Agriculture certification systems;
* Provide quality control oversight and guidance to auditors and auditor trainers to improve quality; and
* Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

* BS or BA degree in Business Management, Agriculture, or Natural Resource management; MSc or MA degree preferred;
* 3-5 years of professional experience in business management, preferably in a service delivery industry;
* Strong understanding of certification systems; experience with RA certification a plus;
* Experience working in Latin America;
* Experience in the coffee sector a plus;
* Ability to communicate at all levels, from small farmers, to donor representatives and company executives;
* Strong interpersonal skills;
* Strong computer skills (Word, Excel, Outlook and Internet);
* Bilingual English/Spanish required; and
* Willingness and ability to travel up to 25% of the time.

Salary:

Commensurate with experience. Competitive benefits package provided.

To apply:

Send resume, cover letter and salary history to Human Resources, Rainforest Alliance, P.O. Box 11029-1000, San Jose, Costa Rica. Fax: (506) 2348916. E-mail: crersonnel@ra.org.

The Rainforest Alliance is an equal opportunity employer.

Source: Earthworks Jobs