Senior Manager, Public Affairs & Advocacy

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Rainforest Alliance

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Amsterdam, Netherlands

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Senior Manager, Public Affairs and Advocacy will lead the Rainforest Alliance’s advocacy work on a global scale. This person will provide leadership on advocacy and public affairs while working in close collaboration with the wider Marketing & Communications portfolio to ensure engagement and communications with key, external stakeholders. This role represents the Rainforest Alliance at national and international levels, driving thought leadership on topics of critical importance to the organization’s strategy and vision.

The candidate will develop and implement an advocacy and public affairs strategy aimed at public and private actors, governments, and intergovernmental bodies through internal capacity building and direct engagement aimed at building networks, influencing and informing policy makers, and CSOs. This strategy will support in maximizing organizational impact to further sector and supply chain change while increasing the Rainforest Alliance’s visibility in critical debates related to our mission, such as human rights, regenerative agriculture, and halting deforestation.

The Senior Manager will supervise a small multi-disciplinary international team of public affairs and advocacy experts based in Brussels and Germany. This person is responsible for identifying cross-departmental and external opportunities, using their communication expertise for realizing the full potential of these relationships.

This role requires close collaboration with various departments across the organization, including local, regional, and global teams, as well as the Executive Leadership Team. There is significant internal collaboration and engagement to develop organisational skills and inform colleagues of development and opportunities.

The 4 key elements are this role are:

  • Internal training and capacity building to enable country offices and personal engagement with national advocacy and public affairs.
  • Develop the public affairs and advocacy strategy and support organizational engagement and fundraising.
  • Engage in national advocacy and public affairs work in their home country.
  • International advocacy at targeted events and conventions and support country offices and the leadership team in their strategic engagement at the events through supporting the engagement strategy and building knowledge of the international agenda alongside local and regional goals.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

  • Develop and implement the Rainforest Alliance public affairs and advocacy strategy aligned with the organization’s strategy and vision, working with the team on plans and activities to support this strategy.
  • Engage in key policy arenas to advance our organization’s mission and impact.
  • Advise, inform, and support LT, senior leadership, and colleagues across the globe on advocacy and public affairs issues to ensure positioning is well-represented and accurately communicated.
  • Be the internal point of contact on advocacy issues and work closely with the Director of Corporate Affairs in supporting and developing policy and protocols to address key issues.
  • Work closely with the Chief Development Officer to strengthen institutional relations and identify funding and partnership opportunities.
  • Build and maintain relationships with key partners in government, civil society organizations, business networks, and other policy stakeholders.
  • Initiate and organize discussions with relevant groups, stakeholders, and governments to advance the Rainforest Alliance’s advocacy agenda.
  • Represent the Rainforest Alliance at relevant events, external forums, and conferences and in various consultation structures such as national and international stakeholder discussions.
  • Develop and deliver a national advocacy and public affairs programme in the home country working closely with national teams.
  • Ensure team focus and effective operations, linking each area of activity and expertise to the Rainforest Alliance’s overall interests, in close collaboration with the Corporate Affairs Director.
  • Carry out supervisory responsibilities following the organization’s policies, applicable laws, and behavioral framework; responsibilities include hiring, mentoring, and evaluating; guiding professional development opportunities; and addressing employee relations issues;
  • Other duties, as assigned.


QUALIFICATIONS:

  • Degree in Public Affairs, Political Science, international development (or related) or equivalent experience.
  • Proven experience (10 years or more) in advocacy, public policy, strategic communications, external relations, and/or stakeholder engagement; and at least 5 years of experience leading a global team and driving systems change.
  • Outstanding communications, public speaking, alliance-building, and strategic thinking skills.
  • Ability to bring individuals together to work collaboratively in a multicultural and dispersed setting.
  • Impressive track record of impact through advocacy, policy-building (or shaping of policy) to enable sustainability impacts.
  • Strong existing network of professional relationships with key stakeholders in the international agriculture, forestry, climate, due diligence, and sustainability spaces.
  • Key competencies: Transformational leadership, innovation, adaptability, persuasion, critical and reflective thinking, public speaking, resourcefulness, relationship building based on trust, empathy and openness, and strong organizational skills to manage multiple priorities in a time-sensitive manner;
  • High-quality spoken and written English, preferably with knowledge of other languages.
  • Knowledge of certification and human rights is desirable.


Level: 2

Deadline: 02 May 2025

Salary: Commensurate with experience

Notes: Only candidates legally authorized to work in the Netherlands or the UK will be considered.

If you have any questions about the job vacancy, please contact the HR department: recruitment@ra.org

The Rainforest Alliance encourages diversity and inclusion across the global organization. With this commitment to diversity, we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, color, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, ages, disability and any other protected group.