Assurance Manager

An exciting role at the heart of Bonsucro´s efforts to maintain a credible certifications system for sustainable sugarcane.

ABOUT THE BUSINESS AND THE ROLE

Bonsucro is a Not for Profit organisation made up of over 500 members from across the global sugar supply chain - farmers, millers, retailers, end buyers of sugar and sugarcane by-products, agri-business and civil society groups. We manage the most credible global performance framework for sustainable sugarcane production. We use this to inform, improve and inspire a membership community of change as part of the global change platform for sugarcane.

Bonsucro’s vision is a sugarcane sector with thriving, sustainable producer communities and resilient, assured supply chains. Our mission is to ensure that responsible sugarcane production creates lasting value for the people, communities, businesses, economies and eco-systems in all cane-growing origins.

 As Assurance Manager, you will be the focal point for managing all aspects of Bonsucro’s assurance system to ensure credibility, relevance and quality throughout.  This includes developing and managing the accreditation of the Certification Bodies and related projects such as training, audits and proper data management.

 Bonsucro has a number of performance improvement and governance procedures:

• Production Standard
• Production Standard for Smallholders
• Chain of Custody Standard
• Benchmarking & Endorsement protocols for Local Improvement Programmes
• Claims and Labelling Rules
• Code of Conduct  

 Bonsucro is a growing international organisation. You will report to the Director of Standards & Innovation, in a team of 4 people based in the central London office, but requiring a degree of international travel.

Job purpose

1. Maintaining and improving Bonsucro’s Accreditation and Assurance programme.
2. Managing Bonsucro Qualification Training for auditors.
3. Managing relationships with Certification Bodies and their compliance with the Certification Protocol.
4. Providing technical support, training and outreach on assurance to other teams and external stakeholders.
5. Maintaining, analysing and reporting on assurance data using Bonsucro’s innovative online Calculator.
6. Identifying and managing risks to the credibility of the Bonsucro accreditation and assurance system

Key Responsibilities

     Accreditation and Assurance

• Maintain and improve Certification Protocol for certification and assurance.
• Support Technical Advisory Board to ensure consistent interpretation and implementation of the Certification Protocol.
• Maintain compliance with the ISEAL Assurance Code.
• Manage process for accrediting Certification Bodies.
• Support assurance processes related to Bonsucro’s Protocols (such as Benchmark and Endorsement Protocols)

 Managing Certification Bodies and their accreditation

• Oversee Bonsucro Licensed Certification Bodies.
• Annual desktop assessment and updating of documentation.
• Annual office audit (in-situ or desktop).
• Follow-up and closure of Non-Conformities.
• Support Certification Bodies in interpreting the Certification Protocol
• Develop a common reporting template

 Technical support, training and outreach

• Ad-hoc technical support, such as on Benchmarking projects
  • Identify knowledge gaps and proposing capacity building options to resolve these.
  • Provide of technical support and training to staff and stakeholders.

 Assurance data

• Maintain all relevant scheme documents, the assurance library, including all certification documentation
• Record assurance data in line with ISEAL requirements and in-house database
• Regularly analyse and report on the data for quality control, impacts etc

Person specification

 You are passionate about being part of a high-performance team. You are experienced with developing and administering a global standard, and have the ability to manage and nurture technical and service relationships. You are proactive and positive in your approach, and a doer who ensures that actions are prompt and issues resolved to completion.

 You understand the importance of mastering the details while keeping an eye on the vision. You are a reliable team player, honest, acting with the highest level of integrity at all times. Being a relatively small organisation with a global reach and a challenging ambition, we are looking for someone adaptable and resilient and able to work with a diverse set of stakeholders and contexts.

 Essential criteria

• Educated to at least degree level
• Minimum of five years of relevant work experience.
• Track record of working with certification and assurance systems
• Demonstrable understanding of sustainability standards
• Demonstrable understanding of sustainable agriculture
• Excellent spoken and written English
• Ability to working independently and improve systems and procedures
• Self-starter and initiator with motivation and enthusiasm to help drive transformational change
• Demonstrable awareness and sensitivity in accommodating and managing a wide range of perspectives and cultures
• Excellent organisational skills, attention to detail, and an ability to multi-task
• Passion for sustainable development

 Additionally desirable

• Additional qualifications in relevant auditing, ISO 9001/14001 lead audit qualification
• Social auditing expertise, SEDEX, SA8000
• Post-graduate qualification
• Command of other languages

 Other information 

How to apply

Please send your CV along with a statement explaining how you feel you can meet the requirements of this role to recruitment@bonsucro.com. The deadline for applications is 31 October 2018. Please note that we will only be contacting shortlisted candidates.