Company Profile

Proforest is a non-profit organisation with a global presence. Our head office is in the UK with regional offices in Malaysia, Indonesia, Ghana, Columbia, and Brazil. Proforest has established itself as a leader in the development and implementation of sustainable production and sourcing of natural resources, including timber and a range of agricultural commodities (eg. palm oil, soy, sugar etc), helping companies, governments, non-governmental and civil society organisations to achieve sustainable use of the world’s natural resources. 

Proforest provides practical support to producers, processors, purchasers and investors to help them meet their sustainability commitments. We work at every stage of the supply chain, from production and processing, through to purchasing and investment. Our experience covers the management of forests, oil palm, soy, sugarcane, rubber, beef and cotton at a range of scales that includes smallholders, communities and forest-dependent people through to multinational businesses. 

Proforest is made up of a non-profit arm (Proforest Initiative Africa) which focuses on long-term support for small producers and wider capacity building, particularly in developing countries and a consultancy arm (Proforest Limited) which provides direct support and services to the private sector companies

Job Description

Proforest Africa Office in Ghana is seeking an experienced agriculture, natural resource or GIS practitioner to join our growing team based in Accra, Ghana and to deliver services within the Africa region.

Proforest Consultancy Services
Proforest has provided consultancy services to help companies meet their environmental and social commitments – from zero deforestation to protecting workers’ rights – for over 20 years. Our consultancy services provide practical support to producers, processors, purchasers and investors to help them work in environmentally and socially responsible ways. As demand for sustainably sourced commodities increases, producers, processors, purchasers and investors in natural resources all need to demonstrate that they are meeting commitments to environmental and social responsibilities. This is a complex task in a challenging commercial environment. We work at every stage of the supply chain, from production and processing, through to purchasing and investment.

Position summary
This  position is an exciting opportunity to join the Proforest team and develop your skills and experience, working closely with senior project and programme managers to support implementation of our consultancy projects. As you gain experience demonstrate competence you will be able to take an ever-increasing role with the potential to become a more senior member of the international team over time. This will be supported by our internal development programme which provides a combination of formal training courses and supervised field experience. You will be based out of our Regional Office in Accra but the role includes undertaking a broad range of work and involves international travel, including to remote locations in Africa. The work will include the facilitation of standards setting processes, advising clients on responsible supply chain management and procurement policies, field assessment of companies operations against sustainability requirements for commodities  such as palm oil and sugar, supporting companies to implement sustainability standards requirements  preparation of technical guidance and outreach materials and training. There is a mixture of desk-based work on analysis, administration, proposal and report writing and field work.

Main Responsibilities
Themain responsibilities include:

• Lead in the delivery of projects (consultancy services for clients) and support in the delivery of other projects. This may include proposal writing, project inception, budgeting and reporting
• Contribute to Proforest’s leadership on development and implementation of policies on sustainable natural resources management, through sustainability standards and certification schemes in Africa
• Maintain a clear understanding of the current policy and framework direction relating to the responsible production and sourcing of forest products and agricultural commodities in Africa
• Occasional work as required on other related projects especially in relation to sustainability standards and certification schemes, training and capacity building
• Contribute to the broader functioning of the Proforest’s team, including support for the planning and delivery of other services.

Other Duties and Responsibilities
The  position holder will carry out other tasks that may be assigned by the Proforest Director or his/her representative as may be required. Other responsibilities associated with this will include the following:

• Where required, represent Proforest in relevant regional, sub-regional, international and other meetings and forums on natural resources governance and management
• Remain abreast with natural resources and agricultural commodities production and their related issues in the Africa region.
• Provide inputs and contribute to the Proforest regional-wide programme development for sustainable forestry and  agricultural commodities production in Africa

Salary

Annual salary of GHC72,000 to GHC90,000 depending on qualification and experience

Required Skills or Experience

Essential Qualifications, Experience, Skills:

• A minimum of Tertiary level (masters or equivalent) qualification in a relevant discipline (e.g. forestry or agriculture, conservation ecology, anthropology, rural development, geography, GIS, environmental science or natural resource economics).
• At least one-year experience working in the field of biodiversity conservation and land use management (e.g. field-based ecology & biodiversity assessments; species, habitat or ecosystem service management; socioeconomic or cultural studies including participatory mapping) and GIS.
• A demonstrable understanding of environmental and social sustainability issues in the forestry and agricultural commodity sectors, and experience in working with industries in the sector.
• Project management skills (including excellent time-management, problem-solving and organisational abilities)
• Highly developed interpersonal and team working skills, as well as proven ability to operate in a multi-cultural environment
• Excellent report writing, verbal and communication skills

Highly desirable skills

• Ability to function in French
• Experience and/or knowledge of sustainability standards auditing, and certification, in the context of natural resource management (e.g. RSPO, FSC, RTRS, mining standards, IFC’s Performance Standards and REDD+).
• Experience related to working in natural or plantation forest management and/or agricultural commodity production systems, especially oil palm, sugar and cocoa.
• Experience in High Conservation Value (HCV) assessment and management for agricultural and forestry production systems.
• Knowledge of GIS and remote sensing techniques is highly desirable