Overview

Position: Portfolio Lead – Responsible Sourcing and Production

Salary: commensurate to experience

Location: Cali, Colombia

Proforest is looking for a full-time Portfolio Lead – Responsible Sourcing and Production, with expertise in consultancy and agricultural commodities, to join our Latin-American team.  If you are passionate about taking on challenges at a regional and global scale and want to have a positive impact, we would like to hear from you. Proforest is an equal opportunity employer.

What will you do?

The Lead role sits in the regional Responsible Sourcing and Production Team, a team of expert professionals supporting the implementation of our clients’ responsible sourcing and production commitments. We work with downstream companies including Nestlé, PepsiCo, Mars, Unilever, Cargill on commodity supply chains including palm oil, sugar, coconut, beef, and cocoa. We also work with upstream companies in Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Panama, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Mexico. Our clients´ work aim to deliver positive outcomes for People, Nature and Climate by using and adapting Proforest’s ACRES approach.

As a Lead, you will:

  1. Take overall management on consulting projects for selected Proforest clients:
  • Lead the Responsible Sourcing and Production Team, being responsible and accountable for the quality, cohesion, and professional growth of its members.
  • Provide implementation oversight and guide strategic activities of client accounts, with the aim to drive and deliver meaningful environmental and social positive outcomes in their supply chain and production base.
  • Design projects and manage respective budgets, with multiple workstreams and teams, working with Proforest colleagues and entities in different geographies; tailoring Proforest methodologies to meet client needs.
  • Coach and support project teams to deliver projects effectively and professionally, acting as a point of issue resolution and escalation within the client and internally in Proforest.
  • Cultivate and manage senior executive relationships within client’s business and sustainability functions to influence long-term change. Lead business development with clients.

2. Demonstrate thought leadership to continue improving Proforest practices and services in Latin America:

  • Contribute to the strategic direction of responsible sourcing and production and its operationalisation plan.
  • Optimise project delivery and client account management processes, including establishment of new practices to raise the overall performance of our entity.
  • Inspire and grow the team by coaching and mentoring our talent to ensure they are prepared for future responsibilities.
  • Represent Proforest in different industry platforms and events.

What is your profile?

We are looking for people who are self-motivated, have a passion for what we do and are excited about helping deliver our mission. To succeed within Proforest you need the confidence and drive to achieve real change in a challenging environment.

You will have a relevant Masters’ level qualification and have knowledge and understanding of social and environmental issues in agricultural supply chains such as deforestation, regenerative agriculture, climate change, livelihoods, gender equality and respect for human rights.

You will have at least 10 years of relevant professional experience in a relevant role within the agricultural commodities industry (e.g. sustainability consultancy, private sector, sustainable finance), and a proven track record of implementing practical and realistic solutions in complex and challenging environments.

You are an excellent communicator, able to build and deepen collaborative relationships with stakeholders, have strong analytical skills and can drive innovation and change. Experienced in traveling to production sites in Latin America, considering logistics and security precautions.

You are bilingual, with excellent written and spoken Spanish and English and the ability to develop high quality written proposals and reports. Knowledge of one or more of our other working languages (Portuguese, French, German, Bahasa) is a plus.

Why should you work for us?

  • We all share the same vision and mission to support the transition to agriculture commodity production and sourcing that delivers positive outcomes for people, nature, and climate.
  • We trust our people and offer flexibility, including hybrid working, while also maintaining a strong sense of team cohesion.
  • We are a global organisation, with offices and staff in more than 17 countries, speaking more than 40 languages.

Key Terms

  • Location: Cali, Colombia (if foreigner, you need to have the right to work in Colombia).
  • Salary commensurate to experience.

Please send your CV (3 pages maximum), a cover letter explaining your suitability for the position (1-page maximum) and your expected salary range to latinoamerica@proforest.net. If foreigner, you need to have the right to work in Colombia.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

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About Proforest

Proforest is a mission-driven organisation that works throughout agricultural supply chains supporting the production and sourcing of agricultural and forest commodities that deliver positive environmental and social outcomes for People, Nature, and Climate. These cover issues like protecting and restoring forests and natural ecosystems, respecting worker’s rights, advancing gender equality, and engaging with communities and indigenous people. Through our consultancy services, we help companies put their sustainability commitments into action both within and beyond supply chains. We also facilitate pre-competitive collaboration with peer companies and other stakeholders like governments, civil society, and communities, and we support multi-stakeholder initiatives and landscape approaches that build common goals, address systemic issues, and deliver positive outcomes at scale.