Assistant Project Manager

Who are we? 

Proforest is a mission-driven organisation that provides a consultancy service working throughout agricultural supply chains supporting the production and sourcing of agricultural and forest commodities that deliver positive environmental and social outcomes for People, Nature and Climate. These cover issues such as protecting and restoring forests and natural ecosystems, respecting worker’s rights, advancing gender equality, and engaging with communities and indigenous people. 

If you are motivated by being part of a solution to support this transition to responsible production and sourcing and are passionate about taking on challenges at a global scale, we would like to hear from you.

What will you do and learn?

You’ll be working with sector experts within an international setting providing you with the opportunity to develop in-depth knowledge of relevant topics within responsible production and sourcing of agricultural commodities. After some initial training you’ll be carrying out assigned project tasks under the supervision of our friendly, experienced team that enable you to contribute to our mission from the beginning of your career at Proforest. Building your knowledge, skills and confidence is a priority for us so we can develop you into an effective project manager.

You’ll play an important role in supporting the successful delivery of projects within your specified area. Whilst doing this you will develop an understanding of our project management systems and support the effective project management and control, incl. project planning, liaising with subcontractors, monitoring of time and budget, invoicing and supporting proposal development. As you progress your career at Proforest you will have the opportunity to specalise in certain areas, develop client relationships and advance your leadership skills.

As part of our skilled technical team dedicated to keeping up to date and knowledgeable in our field you may have the opportunity to travel to our international offices to experience first hand the impact of our work and learn from local experts.

What is your profile? 

This role would suit a recent Masters graduate (who specalised within an environmental/ecology/sustainability field) or someone with a some relevant work/volunteering experience passionate about our field of work. To be considered for the role you will also have:

Essential: 

• Excellent communication skills with the ability to establish and maintain meaningful relationships with stakeholders
• Strong analytical, organizational and time management skills demonstratable through experience
• Strong knowledge and/or interest in sustainability within agricultural commodity production
• Be collaborative and act with integrity.

Desirable but not essential to have to be considered: 

• Speak a foreign language such as Spanish, Portuguese, French, Indonesian or Malay
• Project management experience
• Experience of using and applying GIS in vector analysis and map making either within study or work
• Industry related experience
• Experience working within an international environment and/or another country
• Masters degree level within a related topic.

Why should you work for us? 

• Be part of a global organisation with a shared vision, working in offices across 8 countries with staff from more than 17 countries, speaking more than 40 languages 
• 25 days plus public holidays (with an extra 2 days the following year should you take your well earnt holiday within the year) 
• We support learning and development with a dedicated team to help you achieve your goals; we provide access to training for knowledge and competency skills 
• Free fruit, tea and coffee in the office
• Pension contribution (up to 8%), life insurance and income protection insurance
• We organise regular in-person team gatherings, regional and international knowledge exchanges and social events.

Key information 

Location: Oxford or Leiden 

Salary: £27,500 or €31,000 per annum

Working hours: full time

Hybrid working: Proforest operates on a hybrid basis. We encourage staff to attend the office to maximise interactions with colleagues and encourage collaboration. We ask that you attend the office at minimum of twice a week.

We are committed to supporting diversity throughout Proforest globally, ensuring an inclusive environment where all individuals can thrive and therefore welcome applications from all.