Founded in 1972, IFOAM – Organics International works as an agent of change, advocating for true sustainability in agriculture, value chains, and consumption. We are an international non- profit organization with a membership base across around 120 counties and promote a holistic approach to food systems based on the principles of health, ecology, fairness, and care.
The Position
It’s an exciting time to join our team! With the launch of our organizational strategy in 2017, we are expanding our activities and are looking to recruit a Project Manager for a newly acquired Project ‘Organic Trade for Development’. This project targets the strengthening of organic sectors in Albania, Serbia and Ukraine through the support of export. It focuses on Switzerland, as well as domestic sector development. The support of export consists of a ‘Public Private Partnership’ component. The project duration is 4 years, the volume is 10,5 Mio Euro, almost half of which is donor funded.
As Project Manager of ‘Organic Trade for Development’ you are in charge of the overall management, steering and backstopping of the project which will be implemented through two components: export promotion and domestic sector development. One of the components is foreseen to be implemented by a partner organization or a consortium, the recruitment of which you are responsible for. You assure systematic capacity development, excellent public relations, and you maximize synergies between the two components, the in-country activities of the project and relevant activities of other donors in the countries. You lead and coordinate a pool of national and international experts and cooperate with the country coordinators. You make sure the project is well-anchored within our network. You will receive direct support from a project coordinator and the financial team.
You will join a culturally diverse 28-member team at our office in Bonn, Germany. This position is related to our Capacity Development Department; however, you have the freedom and seniority to work independently and report directly to the Program Steering Committee which will meet at annual basis to review progress. The Executive Director of IFOAM – Organics International is your sparring partner.
We are aiming to fill this position by October 1st, or earlier if possible, and encourage early applications.
Responsibilities
- Manage, steer and backstop the overall project;
- Coordinate all project components, experts and activities;
- Plan and budget the project in detail, based on the donor’s credit proposal; refine the logframe and its indicators;
- Set up the M&E system according to donor requirements;
- Report (financial and progress) according to donor requirements;
- Draft the call for tender for the implementing partner and organize the selection process;
- Oversee and support the work of the partner for the Public Private Partnerships (PPP) projects;
- Supervise and integrate the country coordinators in the project and the (international) experts;
- Supervise the project coordinator and and coordinate with financial support staff; Coordinate closely with the Swiss organic sector;
- Facilitate sector meetings, in Switzerland / importing countries, as well as in the project target countries;
- Organize an external interim and final evaluation;
- Prepare the possible project extension.
Skills, Experience and Qualifications
- A minimum of 10 years of relevant professional experience, preferably related to one of the target countries;
- Proven experience in Market System Development as well as PPP methodology;
- Strong project management and organizational skills;
- Ability to overview and manage risks;
- Proven experience in mastering complex project set up with a high financial volume in a politicized environment;
- Ability to clearly communicate and interact with diverse partners, and build solid working relationships;
- Excellent networking skills;
- A good understanding of the state of organic agriculture in Albania, Serbia and Ukraine;
- A good understanding of Swiss Donor (SECO) requirements;
- Culturally sensitive and diplomatic, while being clear and firm;
- Very good oral and written command of English; German and a language spoken in one of the project target countries are an asset;
- Interested in and available for frequent travels to project locations.
Our Offer
We offer a full-time (40 hours/week) position for the project duration of 4 years within a dynamic and multicultural team at a well-established international organization and network. IFOAM – Organics International offers an annual salary comparable to those offered by other international NGOs of a similar size in Bonn, Germany for similar positions.
How to Apply
Please submit your application by email in one single file (PDF) to jobs@ifoam.bio, no later than August 31.
Your application must include a cover letter, your CV and salary expectations. Additional documents may be asked for at a later stage. Short-listed candidates will also be asked to provide the names and contact details of two professional references. Incomplete applications will not be considered.
Source: Job vacancy IFOAM – Organics International, 14.08.2019