ISEAL Policy and Outreach Coordinator
Position: Policy and Outreach Coordinator Coordinator
Organization: ISEAL
Location: London, UK
Start Date: January 3, 2012
Application Deadline: September 29
Description
ISEAL is an international non-profit organisation that codifies best practice for the design and implementation of social and environmental standards systems. ISEAL shapes the context in which voluntary standards systems operate, by defining what good practice looks like for the sector, as well as through influencing how external stakeholders think about and engage with credible voluntary standards systems.
At the core of the ISEAL Alliance is a network of organisations that work together to improve the operation of voluntary standards and certification. Our members include most of the leading social and environmental standards systems worldwide (e.g. Forest Stewardship Council, the Marine Stewardship Council, and the Fairtrade International). They are supported by a wide range of organisations, from research institutions to capacity building organisations to certification bodies, who participate in the ISEAL Alliance as affiliates. Collectively, this diverse group of actors makes up the ISEAL Community. ISEAL engages with a variety of external organisations including businesses, governments and NGOs in order for them to better understand and increasingly work with sustainability standards systems to achieve their own objectives and help shape the landscape in which standard systems operate.
What We Offer:
ISEAL is currently embarking on an exciting period in the organisation’s development and is now looking to build its policy and outreach team. For this purpose we are introducing this new Director level role, to lead a growing team.
The Director will lead ISEAL’s Policy and Outreach team (responsible for strategic engagement with government, business and civil society leaders) in developing strategies for new areas of policy and outreach work, in programmatic delivery and operational line management straddling a variety of areas. Current and planned areas of engagement include the following: exploring innovation in how governments use voluntary standards systems, strengthening public procurement outcomes through the use of sustainability standards, empowering emerging economy leaders to engage with sustainability standards, business engagement, financial and insurance sector outreach and climate policy work ISEAL currently has a small climate policy work stream focused on the interface between biofuels regulatory frameworks and sustainability standards led by ISEAL’s Senior Policy Manager. A business engagement strategy for the ISEAL Secretariat has been developed and it is expected that the long-term responsibility for further refinement and implementation will rest with the Policy and Outreach team. The Policy and Outreach team is also responsible for monitoring the landscape in which sustainability standards operate, analysing trends and engaging with ISEAL members in coming up with coordinated approaches to prioritised threats and opportunities. Other areas of work mentioned above are currently in initial development stages and would need further scoping and conceptualisation.
It is expected that the initial focus of this role will be to refine and oversee the implementation of a new three year outreach programme to work with relevant organisations and institutions in the three emerging economies of China, Brazil and India to promote the use of Voluntary Standard Systems to help meet sustainability challenges. A second project stream will strengthen the use of sustainability standards in public procurement around the world.
The Director will be responsible for overseeing and implementing this project, and all other areas of policy engagement, with the support of ISEAL’s Senior Policy Manager and a new coordinator position. ISEAL’s Executive Director will provide targeted support in the implementation of this project and we anticipate working closely with local partners and consultants in each country.
As this is a new role, we anticipate that it will be shaped by the particular skills and experience of the chosen candidate following recruitment.
What We Seek:
For the role of Policy and Outreach Director we are looking for a high level professional with substantial experience and knowledge of Sustainability Standards Systems. This may have been gained by working in a senior position for one ISEAL’s member organizations, other sustainability standard initiatives or a government, corporate, NGO or research institution with a focus on sustainability standards.
The ideal candidate will also be able to draw on previous work on projects or with networks in one or more of the prioritised emerging economies, especially if this is related to regional and/or national policy and advocacy activities.
A proven track record in managing large projects as well as team and individuals would be essential and would be rounded off with significant experience of working on policy and advocacy for an NGO, government or research organisation operating on an international scale.
We would expect the Director to bring their ideas and vision of ISEAL’s role in the broader sustainability tools landscape to strategic discussions that will help guide ISEAL’s future.
A confident presenter and analytical thinker, the successful candidate will demonstrate their ability to represent ISEAL at the highest level with ease and to build relationships and networks in a culturally sensitive manner.
How to Apply
Please see full person specification here:
http://www.isealalliance.org/vacancies/policy-outreach-director Interested candidates should submit a current CV and a statement explaining how they meet the selection criteria for the position to [email protected]. Please also state your salary expectations.
Deadline for applications will be Thursday 29 September, 5pm (GMT). Initial phone interviews are likely to be carried out in early October.
To discuss the particulars of this role, please contact ISEAL’s Director of Credibility Patrick Mallet (e-mail: [email protected]). For more general enquiries about the application process and terms and conditions, please contact Alke Horn, HR & Operations Manager ([email protected]; Tel: +44 203 246 0066)
