Standards & Certification Officer Coffee (junior)

Do you want to be involved in the international dynamics of sustainability, where ideals and pragmatism meet?

UTZ Certified is a label and a program for sustainable farming worldwide. Our mission is to create a world where sustainable farming is the norm. Sustainable farming helps farmers, workers and their families to fulfill their ambitions and contributes to safeguard the world’s resources, now and in the future.

UTZ Certified is one of the largest programs for responsibly produced coffee, tea and cocoa in the world, working across all continents with leading brands and retailers, such as Mars, Ahold, IKEA, D.E Master Blenders 1753, Migros, Tchibo and Nestlé.

UTZ Certified is headquartered in Amsterdam and works closely with its partner network in Africa, Asia and Latin America. UTZ Certified is looking to hire a:

Standards & Certification Officer Coffee (junior)

The Standards & Certification department is the ‘guardian angel’ of the UTZ requirements and vision. Here, the UTZ-codes and certification protocols are developed and protected in close dialogue with all stakeholders. You will be responsible for supporting the Standard & Certification coffee and tea team. Certificate handling, including performance of quality checks and solve problems in the process of certification will be your main activity. You will have frequent contact with certification bodies as well as supply chain actors. You are an accurate professional who likes dynamic, demanding contexts.

RESPONSIBILITIES
• Certificate handling, implement and monitor the international UTZ certification procedures
• Assistance to the manager and the colleague Officers
• External communication about code of conduct and chain of custody requirements for sustainable commodity supply chain
• Prepare trainings about code criteria for internal management of producer groups
• Facilitate local documents for origin countries
• Any other related task the S&C Manager may assign to you.

You are member of the S&C team and will report to the Standards & Certification Manager.

REQUIREMENTS
• Bachelor degree in agronomy, environmental science, international development or a related field
• 1-3 years working experience, preferably coffee & tea or agricultural related projects in (sub)tropical countries
• Good knowledge of sustainability, agricultural markets, smallholder production systems and social standard system
• Understanding of commodity supply chains and the various needs and interested in market dynamics
• Accurate, analytical, able to quickly gain overview and insight
• Self-managing
• Excellent interpersonal skills, team player
• Fluency in verbal and written English and Spanish. French and/or Portuguese are an asset.

 
Employment is based upon 32 - 40 hours/week. The position is based in Amsterdam and implies occasional travel to producing countries. This position is open to applicants of all nationalities, however, we can only consider candidates who have, may get, or do not need a work and residency permit for the Netherlands. Please note that we will check your references at the end of the procedure.

This is your opportunity to create real value for a meaningful global sustainability initiative!

Please send your application to application@duurzaamheidwerkt.nl before March 10th 2014, mentioning Standards & Certification Officer Coffee in the subject line. Your application should include your CV or résumé (max 2 pages) and a cover letter. For more information about this position please contact Thamar Zijlstra (Duurzaamheid Werkt) via +31 6 41 89 98 46
More information about UTZ Certified: www.utzcertified.org.

Commercial inquiries and applications (via intermediary) regarding this vacancy are not appreciated