Program Officer

Program Officer

for IDH Landscape Program in Vietnam

IDH – The sustainable trade initiative

We are excited to be searching for a proactive and pragmatic Program Officer for the IDH Landscape Program in Vietnam with a focus on implementing and delivering our strategy to support EU Deforestation Regulation compliance in Vietnam!

IDH Landscape and Coffee Program

IDH, The Sustainable Trade Initiative (“IDH”) (www.idhtrade.org) accelerates and up-scales sustainable trade by building impact oriented coalitions of front running companies, civil society, governments, knowledge institutions and other stakeholders in several commodity sectors. We convene the interests, strengths and knowledge of public and private partners in sustainability commodity programs that aim to mainstream international and domestic commodity markets. We jointly formulate strategic intervention plans with public and private partners and we co-invest with partners in activities that generate public goods.

The agricultural development in the Central Highlands of Vietnam contributed greatly to exports and economic growth in Vietnam. Thanks to economic liberalization, government leadership, and rises in the world prices, Vietnam became the world’s second largest coffee and the biggest pepper exporter globally. However, the intensive agricultural development and climate change have brought also considerable environmental challenges. Issues such as deforestation, groundwater depletion, soil degradation, food safety and etc will need to be addressed at a landscape scale to sustain high production and trade into the future and to allow for future economic prosperity in the region. There seems to be a compelling business case for supply chains, Vietnamese government and local farmers to tackle these challenges collectively, especially considering tightened market requirement like European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) and Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directives coming effective in 2024 and 2027 respectively.

In response to such challenges to Vietnam coffee sector in particular and to agriculture sectors in general, IDH has collaborated with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the authorities of 5 Central Highlands provinces, Vietnam Coffee and Cocoa Association, JDE Peets and the coffee sector in Vietnam develop the Action Plan to support EUDR compliance. This Action Plan resonates with IDH’s EUDR strategy to promote deforestation-free and smallholder inclusion, with 2 levels of implementation:

• Pilot level: starting with Di Linh district (Lam Dong province), Krong Nang, Ea H’leo, Cu MGar districts (Dak Lak province) and can be expanded to new areas based on the interest of public private partners
• Scale up level: embedment of pilot information system at the provincial and national level, holistic deforestation combatting strategy, and interventions to ensure smallholder inclusion, especially those in high-risks areas

Your role

The Program Officer (PM) will be responsible for sharpening, implementing and delivering the EUDR strategy of IDH in Vietnam, under the leadership of Landscape-Coffee Senior Program Manager (SPM) and in liaison with the international team and local field officers. The candidate will report to SPM with frequent liaison with local field staff, as well as regional and international team.

Key responsibilities:

• Sharpening, implementing and delivering EUDR pilots: Being responsible for the implementation of relevant interventions of the EUDR strategy in pilot districts, in close consultation with PD/PM and the technical lead, including but not limited to:

1. Forest and production area information system in compliance with EUDR
2. Data sharing mechanism
3. Traceability models
4. Deforestation risk mitigation measures

• Promoting embedment and scale-up of successful interventions in EUDR pilots to provincial and national level:

1. Liaising with Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) and the relevant agencies to ensure technical and operational alignment between pilot implementation and available national system
2. Supporting policy advocacy for interventions, such as information system design and data sharing mechanism, mitigation measures to be officially endorsed by the MARD and adopted by relevant authorities

• Stakeholder management to get strong buy in and collaboration, especially from private partners, national and local governments in precompetitive collaboration agenda for EUDR and in preparation for CSDDD.

• Fundraising: Keep abreast of current regional and/or local fundraising trends relevant to EUDR/forest protection and smallholder inclusion, so as to identify opportunities at an early stage, with the aim of securing funding for the programs, including the exploration of carbon financing scheme.

Other responsibilities:

• Operations: Oversee the contracts relevant to the implementation of EUDR strategy, prepare relevant reports, presentations.
• Communication: Support the development  communication and other materials (e.g. proposals) relevant to EUDR compliance. Keeping relevant stakeholders informed on plans and progress.
• Learning: Bring best practices and experience to implementing EUDR compliance solutions, and share knowledge with IDH Vietnam and globally.
• Other tasks as required

Reporting:

• Report to IDH Vietnam Program Director and Landscape/Coffee Senior Program Manager.

Who you are

You are an experienced program manager preferably in the donor funded projects/programs. You have worked with the private sector, government agencies, NGOs and farmer groups, and have developed capacity managing multi-stakeholder processes. You have an understanding of the (environmental) sustainability issues in business, agriculture, environment, natural resource management, or a comparable field of knowledge.

What you bring

• Holding a university degree, (preferably Master) in business, agriculture, environment, natural resource management, or a comparable field of knowledge
• At least 5 years of working experience in program development and implementation in the area of sustainable agriculture management and/or in natural resources management. Preference given to cross-sectoral and landscape technical expertise, including deforestation, water management, agroforestry, agrochemical management, business case development and etc.
• Experience in developing joint agendas with different stakeholders (e.g. Vietnamese Government, Private Companies, NGO) and in implementing multi-stakeholder programs
• Excellent convening, facilitation, and negotiation skills
• Team management and inspiration.
• Experience in supply chain sustainability issues
• Experience in fundraising
• Proactive, entrepreneurial.
• Willingness to travel extensively, mainly within Vietnam
• Fluency in spoken and written English, fluency in Vietnamese

We offer you

• A challenging, pivotal role within an impacting, international organization
• 40 hours work week;
• all the work supplies you need to excellence in your role;
• an open environment where you can grow and develop yourself;
• 26 annual leave and Vietnam national holidays as regulation

Who we are

IDH puts people, planet, and progress at the heart of trade by leveraging the power of markets to create better jobs, better incomes, a better environment, and gender equity for all.

To catalyse change at scale, IDH innovates, convenes, and invests in inclusive and sustainable solutions that enable businesses to create value for people and planet, while improving their own performance. To create the greatest impact in the shortest amount of time, IDH focuses on empowering people within corporations, the global financial sector and governments that have the most influence over value chains.

Headquartered in the Netherlands, IDH has around 300 employees globally, operating in 20 landscapes and 12 commodities and sourcing regions with over 1000 public and private partners. In 13 years of operation, IDH has generated over 390 M in private sector investment and support for new business models that create better jobs, better incomes, a better environment, and gender equity for all.

IDH’s work is made possible thanks to the funding and trust of a variety of public and private donors, among which the Governments of Netherlands, Denmark, and other government donors and private foundations.

For more information, go to http://www.idhsustainabletrade.com or follow @IDHTrade on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Interested?

Would you like to apply? Just send us your motivation and resume in English.

We encourage applicants to respond as soon as possible, latest by 10th February 2024.

At IDH sustainable trade initiative, we're committed to equal employment opportunity, and we prohibit discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, colour, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender, gender identity or expression, or veteran status. We strive to be a more equal opportunity workplace every day.

How to apply

Interested candidates can also send their CV and application letter (in English) to [email protected] (copied Ms. Huong Lan at [email protected])

For questions about this position, please contact [email protected]

IDH, The Sustainable Trade Initiative

Arthur van Schendelstraat 500,
3511 MH Utrecht
P.O. Box 1241, 3500 BE UTRECHT, The Netherlands
www.idhtrade.org

IDH Vietnam Office

Room 401, B1 Building, Van Phuc Diplomatic Compound
No. 298 Kim Ma, Ba Dinh, Hanoi
+84 (0) 243 200 0741
[email protected]