The Rainforest Alliance 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 throughout the United States and 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.

SmartWood is a program of the Rainforest Alliance created in 1989; it is the oldest global forestry certification program and has been accredited by the internationally recognized Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). SmartWood’s mission is to promote the implementation of sustainable forestry worldwide. To accomplish this, SmartWood provides forest management and chain of custody certification services. Chain-of-Custody (CoC) certification verifies the flow of certified forest products through the supply chain, from the forest to the point of sale, assuring consumers and forest product companies that the wood they buy comes from certified forests.
Position Summary

The Regional Manager will manage and implement SmartWood Program certification activities in the Africa region. S/he will provide technical guidance and oversee all SmartWood certification services and work to strengthen the RA brand in the region. S/he will develop sales and business targets for the region and help design and directly implement a marketing strategy for meeting those targets. S/he will provide leadership and training for the implementation of SmartWood certification protocols. S/he will coordinate the Africa team.
Responsibilities

    * Direct Certification Responsibilities
          o Conduct scoping and field forestry and chain-of-custody certification assessments and audits (function as lead auditor on subset of audits each year) and write and review certification assessment and audit reports; and
          o Achieve a minimum of 50 percent billable target thru involvement in SmartWood auditing in the Africa region.
    * Task Manager Duties
          o Perform the task manager/supervisory functions for the region in respect to certifications preassessment, assessments and audits;
          o Assist with related project management functions and fund raising duties such as donor relationships, proposal elaboration, reporting, monitoring and evaluation; and
          o Work with team on risk management and client filters.
    * Marketing and Sales
          o Develop, in coordination with the SmartWood headquarters, a client recruitment strategy and a list of potential clients and other catalysts for the region, including companies, government agencies and NGOs in both Africa and Europe as relevant;
          o Develop and meet sales and business targets for the region;
          o Directly market SmartWood certification to potential forestry and wood products industry clients, while assisting SmartWood in identifying new alliances with local NGOs and other stakeholders; and
          o Assist SmartWood management in updating the regional strategic and business plans for the region.
    * Customer Service
          o Provide information about certification, market linkages and guidance on certification process, logo use, marketing, etc. to current and interested clients; and
          o Provide initial response/follow up to false claims in the region in coordination with SmartWood headquarters.
    * Institutional and Outreach
          o Assist in the organization and facilitation of training courses for regional specialists in forest assessment, chain-of-custody assessment and audits and SmartWood administration requirements;
          o Assist SmartWood in identifying new alliances as needed and develop SmartWood network capacity with local NGOs and other stakeholders;
          o Give presentations and attend various meetings as appropriate; and
          o Identify and increase the pool of potential representatives, qualified consultants and auditors throughout the region to create a direct representation presence in Africa.
    * Financial, Administrative and Certification Systems
          o Develop and manage annual budget for the African Region;
          o Provide monthly expense and progress reports to SmartWood headquarters;
          o Provide input from the region in SmartWood policy development and technical improvements to the certification systems; and
          o Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

    * University degree;
    * BS or BA degree in forestry or forest industries, MS or MA degree preferred;
    * 7 - 10 years of experience in forestry or rural natural resources mgmt. and/or economic development;
    * On the ground experience in Africa;
    * Knowledge of FSC certification protocols;
    * Project management skills (e.g. planning, management, evaluation) and attention to detail;
    * Demonstrated experience in marketing and sales;
    * Strong verbal and written skills in English;
    * French language skills required; African language capability a plus;
    * Strong organizational management and development skills;
    * Strong analytical and computer skills (MS Office and Internet);
    * Business management skills a plus;
    * Willingness and availability to travel 30 - 40 percent of time in Region.

Salary

Commensurate with experience.

Location:     Cameroon or Ghana, Africa

To Apply

Send resume, cover letter and salary history to Human Resources, Rainforest Alliance, 665 Broadway, Suite 500, New York, NY 10012; fax: 212-677-2187; email: Personnel@ra.org. If emailing, use the following format in the subject line: first name and last name, job title of position for which you are applying.

Application Deadline: 30/09/2009

The Rainforest Alliance is an equal opportunity employer.

http://www.rainforest-alliance.org/about.cfm?id=jobs_internships