Training Manager BCI - Better Cotton Initiative Geneva or London

BCI is focused on effecting change: reducing the environmental impact of cotton production and improving the livelihoods of cotton farmers through the production of Better Cotton. An increased commitment to and flow of Better Cotton throughout the supply chain is also necessary. To achieve these changes, BCI relies on members, partners, and staff capacities and credibility. The BCI Training Manager will be responsible to improve the quality and delivery of training to Implementing Partners and subsequent effectiveness of training farmers. He/she will also coordinate internal training for BCI staff and support the training design and delivery for members.

Responsibilities

Training Design

• To design a modular training program for Implementing Partners, in cooperation with an external expert organisation, in order to ensure increased capacity and credibility of BCI’s partners;
• To ensure the training program reflect best and appropriate contextual practices in training methodologies in order to ensure quality training is provided to partners;
• To monitor regularly the quality and effectiveness of training delivered on Better Cotton, in order to maximise change at farm level;
• To design and deliver a business model underpinning the BCI training program, in cooperation with the Finance Manager, to ensure that all training costs are recovered;
• To develop alliances, in cooperation with other interested organisations (e.g. training institutes, government, universities), to ensure the training is reflecting local realities;
• To coordinate with expert organisations on Decent Work, gender, producer organisation and/or other specialist areas in order to support Implementing Partners in the areas most needed;
• To coordinate and design internal training for BCI staff to ensure the BCI team is up-to-date on the requirements of the Better Cotton Standard System and on other key competencies essential for the organisation’s success;
• To collaborate with the Supply Chain Manager to design a training programme for suppliers and manufacturers as part of registered membership;
• To collaborate with the Membership Manager to assess needs and design training modules for retailer and brand members to encourage procurement and investment in the system;
• To research and develop web-based modules and delivery tools to reflect latest thinking on effective training delivery to ensure BCI training is delivered cost-effectively.

Implementing Partners/Members

• To establish and run a framework to assess the capacity, performance and credibility of Implementing Partners, in cooperation with the leadership team and country managers, and reflecting BCI’s operating and strategic principles, in order to ensure increased capacity and credibility of BCI’s partners;
• To foster learning between Partners and Members, in coordination with the Standards and Learning Manager, by incorporating learning into the delivery of training in-country;
• To assess learning needs and suitable approaches to training amongst members and partners to ensure BCI training offer is seen as valuable and supporting behaviour change.

External Representation

• To contribute materials to communication pieces in order to build BCI and Better Cotton into a well-known and respected brand within and beyond the sustainable cotton sector;
• To support BCI’s fundraising efforts in cooperation with the BCI Leadership team to ensure BCI is continually organisationally healthy and 100% financially self-sufficient by 2020.

General Management

• To actively contribute to the financial management and reporting of the standards and assurance unit, in cooperation with the Director of Standards and Assurance, to ensure sound financial management;
• To manage external providers, as required, in line with consultancy budgets and contracts in order to ensure efficient and effective use of financial resources;
• To support matrix management within the BCI organisation through strong internal partnering processes and behaviour, in order to ensure a consistent approach to capacity building on Better Cotton globally;
• To manage quality of internal training delivery through supporting and coaching members from the country and membership teams to deliver high quality training.

Beyond these specific responsibilities the Training Manager is expected to collaborate on activities as agreed with the Director of Standards & Assurance to support the delivery of the BCI Strategic Plan.

Working Arrangements

• The successful candidate will report to the Director of Standards and Assurance;
• The position is full-time (40 hours per week) and can be based in London or Geneva. The Training Manager will receive a three-year contract, with a 3 month initial trial period;
• Frequent travel will be required.

Salary Scale: 70,000 -85,000 CHF per annum for Geneva – dependent on skills and experience.

Profile

To be successful, candidates for the training manager position will have the following attributes:

Skills & knowledge

Essential

• University degree, or equivalent higher education qualification, in a relevant field;
• Demonstrated interest in sustainability and international development;
• Good understanding of best practices regarding global training design and delivery;
• Creative and systemic thinker with attention to detail;
• Good project and budget management skills;
• Good English writing, public speaking and presentation skills – ability to communicate clearly and concisely;
• IT literacy, to include: Word; PowerPoint; Excel; Outlook; Web-Ex; ICT-based training tools;
• Willingness to travel frequently and to carry out administrative tasks.

Desirable

• Good understanding of project design, management, fundraising and reporting;
• Good working knowledge of another language of interest to BCI (Chinese, Hindi, Urdu, Turkish, French and/or Portuguese);
• Professional qualification in training needs assessment, design and delivery;
• Experience of designing and developing training e-modules for global consumption.

Experience

Essential

• At least 5 years experience of working on knowledge sharing and skills development;
• Experience working or living in rural / agricultural areas;
• At least 3 years’ experience managing external consultants;
• Proven ability to use participatory design in groups, meetings and multi-stakeholder processes;
• At least 3 years’ experience of designing and delivering training program in the context of small-scale agriculture.

Desirable

• Proven ability to partner effectively internally to ensure successful completion of a program/project;
• Experience working on global value chains, including promotion of international standards and best practices;
• Experience of working in an international environment and tailoring delivery to local contexts;
• Experience of creating innovative training offers, including web-learning, peer-learning and other approaches that minimise physical travel requirements.

Applications

Interested applicants with the required attributes are asked to send, in English, a detailed CV and a brief motivation letter (2 pages maximum) to BCI by email at recruitment@bettercotton.org.

Application deadline: Friday 1 March 08:00 GMT
Expected starting date: 6 May 2013

We thank all applicants for their interest; however, only candidates short-listed for a telephone interview will be contacted. 

The BCI is an equal opportunities employer, and is committed to good practice and transparency in the management of natural, human and financial resources.