ISEAL Alliance is seeking to fill the role of Manager, Policy and Outreach. ISEAL is the global membership association for sustainability standards with a mission to strengthen these systems for the benefit of people and the environment. Please find out more about us on our website www.iseal.org.
The Manager will have three main areas of responsibility in the Policy and Outreach team. Firstly, the role will be responsible for leading the monitoring, analysis and internal learning on trends and new developments in the landscape in which sustainability standards operate. This will inform ISEAL’s work in both the pursuit of innovations in sustainability standards and outreach to catalyse greater uptake of credible sustainability standards. The position will play a lead role in documenting and communicating about relevant developments to a variety of audiences including ISEAL staff, members and governance bodies.
The Manager will also be part of ISEAL’s stakeholder outreach team. The second area of focus will be engaging with governments at the interface of policy and sustainability standards. This will include stakeholder engagement, policy analysis and research, preparing research reports and policy briefs as well as facilitating the development of common positions amongst ISEAL members and representing ISEAL in various national and international policy fora. The third area of focus will be to oversee ISEAL’s work in China, which will include supervising the China Manager and providing strategic oversight of programme implementation.
The successful candidate will bring a strong understanding of the broader landscape in which sustainability standards operate, have excellent external relationship building skills, and an understanding of sustainability standards in China as well as having worked there for a number of years in the sustainability context.
Responsibilities
Trends monitoring and analysis
- Monitor and analyse sustainability information sources to identify issues of relevance to sustainability standards
- Participate in strategically relevant sustainability workshops and conferences
- Lead ISEAL’s internal learning through documenting staff engagements, sharing information, and facilitating staff analysis
- Capture and synthesize learning and share through a variety of communications tailored to different audiences, including blog posts, articles, presentations, analyses and research papers
- Present findings by webinar and in-person to ISEAL members and other stakeholders to inform strategic conversations
Policy and stakeholder engagement
- Engage with and cultivate relationships and partnerships with a range of stakeholders, including relevant government agencies, NGOs and others
- Monitor and analyse relevant sustainability policy documents, reports and international negotiations and identify issues of relevance to ISEAL and its members
- Carry out research assignments and document reviews pertaining to the interface between public policy and sustainability standards and prepare synthesised reports, policy briefs and recommendations
- Facilitate the definition of common positions among the ISEAL membership and represent those positions to various external audiences
- Represent ISEAL and our members in various policy fora and other external stakeholder engagements
China Programme Management
- Supervise ISEAL’s programme in China, providing input to strategy and workplan development and ensuring proper implementation of both
- Foster relationships with key government, business and NGO stakeholders in China
- Build China Advisory Group and ensure they are connected with ISEAL’s global work
- Supervise China Manager and other positions as advised
Other
- Participate actively in the Policy and Outreach team through team meetings, providing input to strategy and plan development, contributing to building the learning community, and contributing to team activities as additional needs arise.
- Project management and reporting as needed
- Contribute to staff meetings, and other internal meetings with appropriate content, views and suggestions
- Fulfil requirements of internal staff management processes including performance reviews, supervisory meetings, etc.
- Additional responsibilities as assigned by supervisor.
- Commit to continuously increase knowledge of ISEAL work and the wider context of sustainability standards and sustainability issues.
|
Essential Knowledge/Skills/Attributes
|
- Postgraduate degree in any relevant subject or an equivalent combination of relevant experience and/or education and training
- Substantial proven work experience in an international sustainable development setting, with at least some experience working with sustainability standards or related organisations
- Demonstrable levels of knowledge and experience of the sustainability policy landscape and voluntary sustainability initiatives, including direct engagement;
- Solid experience working on sustainability issues in China, with experience in building a range of stakeholder relationships
- Strong facilitation, consultation and convening skills and experience including engaging in or facilitating cross-sector partnerships
- Strong research skills, including advanced analytical capabilities and ability to identify how disparate issues are connected
- Strong written communication skills, able to translate complex topics for various audiences
- Proven experience in public speaking and presentations
- Excellent levels of spoken and written English and Mandarin
- Self-motivated and able to work independently as well as part of a team
- Perceptive and versatile; able to read and adapt to evolving situations
- Flexibility to allow variable working hours and to adapt to new responsibilities as the work evolves
- Committed to contributing to positive social and environmental change
- Ability to travel up to 40% of the time, with substantial portions of that time in Beijing
|
Other Relevant Information:
Term: This position will be based on a one year contract
Salary band: £40-48,000, depending on experience
Working Hours: Based on a full time equivalent of 37.5 hours per week. The ISEAL Alliance operates a Flexible Working Policy and is happy to consider applications for flexible working after the relevant qualification period has passed.
Status: Exceptional candidates from outside the UK/EEA area, who are not in possession of a valid visa, may be able to apply for a work permit through the Home Office’s points based system for this position. Please note it is the candidate’s responsibility to ascertain their eligibility through this system at http://www.bia.homeoffice.gov.uk/pointscalculator. ISEAL may be able to provide some support to the preferred candidate once a job offer has been made.
Location: This position will be based in ISEAL’s London head office. (In exceptional cases ISEAL may consider alternative locations)
International Travel: The post holder will be required to undertake regular international travel including overnight stays (approx. 30-40%)
Annual Leave: 25 days per annum (including office closure btw Christmas & New Year)
Equal Opportunities: The ISEAL Alliance strives to be an equal opportunities employer and commitment to this process is expected.
Ideal Start Date: ASAP
How to Apply:
Interested candidates should submit a current CV and a statement explaining how they meet the selection criteria for the position to recruitment@isealalliance.org, quoting the job title “Policy & Outreach Manager”. Specific enquiries about this role and the application process can be sent to the same e-mail address.
The deadline for applications is 27 August 2015, noon (GMT) with interviews taking place immediately after the deadline. We regret that we will only be able to contact short-listed candidates.
