Assurance Programme (Tools & Document Management)

• Oversee the management of the tools, templates and policies supporting and governing the assurance programme; including e.g. Self-Assessments, field checklists, external assurance manuals and internal assurance protocol documents.
• Work to improve process and documentation efficiencies and communication.
• Support S&A officers in coordinating translations and updates of these documents
• Create team efficiencies through better use of Sharepoint

Data insights and innovations

• As required research, commission, collate and/or analyse data to provide insights on risks to allow for appropriate targeting of assurance activities.
• As required, track or research assurance innovations relevant to your project areas or those of the wider team
• As relevant, support collaborations with partners or other organisations to trial or implement new innovations.

Country-level assurance operational support

• With support from the Assurance Manager, provide (operational) matrix management for the delivery of assurance operations for a selected set of countries. This includes tracking progress against a seasonal timeline of activities, supporting the team on any issues, and escalating risks or challenges in a timely manner
• Provide content oversight on assurance reports (with Manager support on final licensing decisions)
• Ensure feedback loops are in place so that learnings from assurance data and reports are fed into capacity building priorities

Essential

• At least 5 years working experience, with project management experience
• University degree, or equivalent higher education qualification, in a relevant field
• Interest in sustainability and international development
• Experience with standard systems and assurance, auditing or certification
• Demonstrable experience engaging with external consultants or verifiers/auditors
• Strong stakeholder engagement skills and the ability to communicate clearly and concisely with people from diverse cultures and backgrounds.
• Ability to assess seemingly conflicting requirements and design well-balanced resolutions, meeting strict credibility and scale criteria
• Skills and aptitude to appraise arguments critically and logically, organise ideas in a clear and concise manner, and draw conclusions and formulate arguments in way that is effective, concise, precise and specific
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills with a proactive approach to finding and proposing solutions to challenges
• Excellent organisation skills, capacity to multi-task and handle multiple priorities
• Willingness to carry out administrative tasks
• IT literacy, including proficiency in Microsoft Suite (Word, Powerpoint, Excel, Outlook)
• Fluent in English: ability to communicate clearly and concisely

Desirable

• Academic background in rural/agricultural development and sustainability
• Auditing experience (management system, sustainability standards or farm assurance schemes)
• Experience with Sharepoint, PowerBI (Microsoft Suite) and/or Salesforce
• Experience in a member organisation or not-for profit organization
• Competency in languages most relevant to Better Cotton countries, such as Hindi, Urdu, Mandarin, French, Portuguese and Turkish
• Understanding of assurance landscape
• Ability to generate ideas
• Experience building strong internal and external relationships

What we offer
•  Competitive salary
•  Hybrid working – Two to three days/week in the offices central London, Delhi or Lahore
•  The opportunity to work from anywhere in the world for up to one month per year
•  Flexible working, with core hours from 10 am to 4 pm local time
•  Continuous learning and development
•  Pension scheme
•  25 days paid annual leave, plus 8-9 Bank Holidays and a further 3 days off over Christmas
•  Enhanced parental benefits
•  A warm, positive working environment where everyone is valued
•  The opportunity to make your mark and make a difference

Working arrangements
The position is full-time (40 hours per week) and will be based either in London, Lahore or Delhi. Better Cotton offers flexible working, with core hours being 10 am – 4 pm and the option to work from home two to three days per week.