Policy Manager Chain of Custody and Controlled Wood

DRS is looking for a Policy Manager for an INGO that works to take care of our forests and those who rely on them: by protecting plant and animal species, Indigenous People’s rights, forest workers’ safety, and much more.

Job Title:                     Policy Manager

Contract:                       2-year contract with extension

Location:                     Bonn, Germany

Starting date:              as soon as possible

Position Description:

The Policy Manager will support the development, maintenance, and consistent implementation of NGO requirements,

mainly in the area of Chain of Custody and Controlled Wood.

Key Responsibilities:

To manage the development, review, and revision of normative NGO documents, including, for example:

• Editorial reviewing and drafting of normative documents.
• Researching of technical issues to be covered by normative documents.
• Providing interpretations of relevant normative documents in response to corresponding requests.
• Coordinating and facilitating working groups and other technical meetings.
• Preparation, coordination, and monitoring of pilot tests.

Ensure alignment of relevant requirements with other programme areas and relevant operational units within the NGO.

Manage communication and education, including, for example:

• Developing communications, guidance, and training materials related to normative documents.
• Providing advice and training to Certification Bodies, Network Partners, and others throughout the NGO Network to ensure the consistent implementation of normative documents.
• Managing website content and related communications.

Manage project development and administration:

• Conceptualizing projects and feasibility studies.
• Providing support in fundraising and reporting to donors.

Ensure administration and handling of information and interpretation requests related to normative documents.

Represent NGO externally on technical and other fora.

Build and maintain effective contacts and good relations with stakeholders affected by relevant normative documents.

Propose, monitor, and adhere to the planned budget for the managed process(es).

Provide support to junior colleagues regarding the managed contents and the functioning of the team.

Participate in the applicable NGO internal competence programs.

Additional tasks as assigned by the formal supervisor and project work as assigned according to special organizational needs.

EXPERIENCE:

• A minimum of 5 years of professional experience in one or more of the following: multi-stakeholder standards development processes; certification and auditing, the forest sector; corporate environmental and social responsibility programs, and environmental impact assessments.
• Experience in drafting, reviewing, and/or editing technical documents is a must.
• Demonstrated people/project management experience.
• Good skills in the use of/experience with Standard software packages (MS Office). Knowledge of the Content Management Systems is a plus.

EDUCATION:

• University degree or technical college degree in a relevant field, for example, forestry, forest policy, wood technology, environmental policy, or similar.
• Training in certification, project management, communications, and/or auditing are assets.

LANGUAGE SKILLS:

• Excellent spoken and written communication in English, the knowledge of Spanish/French is desirable.

OTHER SKILLS:

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Proven ability to plan and organize work (e.g. by relevant project management experience).
• Pro-active approach towards solving problems as they occur.
• Ability to establish and maintain positive interpersonal relations.
• Good time management skills: Ability to perform well while handling simultaneously several ongoing project tasks.
• Exemplary verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to explain complex topics to a non-knowledgeable audience.
• Ability to constructively exchange on contentious topics
• Solution and service-oriented attitude to work.
• Ability to facilitate interactive discussions.
• A strong sense of diligence and accuracy.