System Officer - Food and agriculture

The Foreign Trade Association (FTA) is the leading business association of European and international commerce that promotes the values of free trade and sustainable supply chains. FTA represents over 1,800 retailers, importers and brand manufacturers to promote and defend free trade and supports their international business by providing information and practical solutions towards sustainability in the international supply chain.

In 2003, FTA created the Business Social Compliance Initiative (BSCI) to provide companies with a practical and efficient system to improve social compliance in global supply chains. In 2011, in light of the success of BSCI, FTA adopted a new governance structure and integrates sustainability into its core business. In 2014, FTA developed the Business Environmental Performance Initiative (BEPI) to support companies committed to improving environmental performance in their supply chain. Today, FTA unites more than 1,500 member companies. These members reflect the diversity of the commercial sector in terms of consumer goods, turnover and country of origin. By working together and taking a common approach, our members have a greater impact than acting alone.

With a new management team in place, the FTA has brought together its Social and Environmental initiatives under FTA Sustainability with a clear and focused vision of supporting our members in delivering Sustainable Supply Chains that make a real difference in peoples lives. 

The Role

We are looking for a Food and Primary Production Officer to support the BSCI Senior Manager Strategic Issues in boosting the BSCI food, agriculture and aquaculture activities.

This role reports directly to the BSCI Senior Manager Strategic Issues 

Key Responsibilities

• Designing processes, building its related supporting tools and installing them in the BSCI.
• Maintenance, development, coordination of specific BSCI food and primary production guidance and materials
• Coordinating specific food related pilot projects
• Drafting of briefings, guidelines and position papers related to Food and Primary Production specific sustainability questions
• Coordinating the Food and primary production working group

Professional Skills and Abilities

The ideal candidate will have:

• At least 3 years relevant experience
• Good analytical and system thinking
• Affinity with the goals of the organization
• Dynamic and open personality
• Ability to fit well into a multi-cultural team
• Passion and commitment to social and environmental sustainability
• Good interpersonal skills, be a team player and have the ability to be diplomatic, articulate and assertive
• Desire and willingness to learn and develop professionally and personally 
• Fluent in English, additional languages are an asset  
• Outstanding writting skills
• Excellent knowledge of Windows Office, notably Word, Excel and PowerPoint
• Strong ability to multi-task and coordinate several projects simultaneously 

Desirable:

• Understanding of challenges related to working conditions in the supply chain
• Presentation skills
• Experience in working and living in a producing country
• Commodity specific knowledge is an advantage

What we offer:

• The opportunity to join a world-leading business sustainability association at a most exciting and crucial phase in its development, as it seeks to bring fundamental and lasting improvements to global supply chains
• An international environment with an interesting and challenging field of activities.
• Belgian employment contract with an attractive benefit scheme.

Continuous personal and professional development 

The position is located in Brussels.

Please send your cover letter and CV to jobs@fta-intl.org