Member Manager

TFT (The Forest Trust) is an international fast growing and dynamic non-profit organization which helps companies transform their supply chains across the world for the benefit of people and nature.

TFT is seeking an accomplished, versatile and self-motivated

MEMBER MANAGER
based in Nyon, Switzerland

to develop our work with existing members and develop new members and clients from Switzerland.

About The Forest Trust (TFT)

TFT currently has offices in 16 countries including Indonesia, Malaysia, Ecuador, India, and several locations within West Africa, Europe and the Americas. We employ more than 260 people worldwide and work with big and small companies, communities and producers of raw materials to create compelling cases of transformation. With an innovative and entrepreneurial spirit, we work on the ground with people to create inspiring transformation stories. We focus on creating value, engage without judging and carry hope and a positive vision of the future.

What Makes Us Unique

Beyond providing advice on policy set up based on our strong technical expertise, we see the world through interactions and relationships. Operating between two worlds (NGO-Companies/Buyer-Supplier), we encourage our partners to look inside, and are not only their environmental conscience. In addition to traceability and assessments, we create and innovate solutions to the challenges companies and communities face.

What We Offer

• A unique work experience in a fast-growing, international, dynamic non-profit, directly impacting the conservation of the environment and improvements in human rights and social equity through trade.
• Opportunity to gain advanced project management, client relations and business development skills, with exposure to many diverse tasks within a multi-cultural team.
• Salary dependent on experience, but competitive and pension contributions.

Responsibilities and Scope

The main responsibilities of the Member Manager are to:

• Member and Client responsibility: key contact between assigned members/clients and TFT.
• Business Development: of new members or developing the relationship with existing ones.
• Commercial Management: development of proposals, budgets, work plans and reports for both existing and new members.
• Project/programme responsibility: ensure delivery requirements in line with member/client expectations and those of TFT. Monitoring progress through engagement with field and specialist teams, including regular communications with the member/client.
• Transparency: promoting effective member/client communications with the joint development and execution of communication tools and documents showing progress achieved.
• Support the development of TFT’s activities globally, across all sectors in which TFT is present.

Requirements – Candidate Profile Minimum Qualifications

• A minimum of five years relevant professional working experience with clients, ideally in the consumer goods sector. Global supply chain experience from a business development/sales, relationship management, supply chain management, and/or sustainability perspective.
• Strong understanding of business supply chains and sourcing issues and good understanding and high interest in environmental and social responsibility issues.
• Exemplary relationship management skills, with proven track record of managing and developing existing clients and developing new ones. Experience of extending and deepening partnership relationships through trust and swiftly establishing impact and influence, to evangelise and influence collaboration to achieve the desired outcomes.
• Outstanding communication and interpersonal skills with both internal and external stakeholders at all levels. Including clear professional reports provided on time with minimum editing before submission externally. Ability to take complex information and share with varied audiences in a targeted and relevant way to promote understanding and engagement.
• A natural planner and organiser, able to prioritise and organize own work schedule, with proven project management skills and experience, effectively driving multiple projects simultaneously. A strong commercial intellect and a detailed, methodical, analytical approach to decisions, including effective risk assessment, monitoring, evaluation and reporting throughout the project life-cycle and used to managing confidential information with multiple stakeholders.
• Excellent team player, with emotional stability, ideally used to working with multidisciplinary and multicultural teams in a matrixed global organisation, used to fostering cross-boundary collaboration.
• Experience with managing conflict situations, including having difficult conversations with a member/client or internal team if needed, in a constructive way to achieve the desired outcome. The voice of reason in chaotic situations, able to offer much needed perspective, while remaining open to learning from others.
• A creative problem solver, able to qualify situations and through informed decisions and working with relevant stakeholders, overcome complex problems.
• Comfortable in fast-moving, pressurised, complex and change environments. Demonstrating professional agility, able to show initiative and a positive attitude, willingness to learn and adapt and to provide rapid and insightful response in.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).

A University degree or other relevant qualification is an advantage but not essential.

Language skills

• English proficiency – ideally bilingual English-French

Personal characteristics

The successful candidate will have a proven track record of managing and developing client relationships with both existing and new clients, working with global supply chains, with either a not-for-profit or commercial organisation.
With proven exemplary relationship management skills that have driven collaborative partnerships and a persuasive and diplomatic style and credibility that engages and commands confidence and respect at senior stakeholder levels is a must. Executive maturity is essential, the ability to manage one’s own relationships effectively when there is ambiguity, uncertainty and pressure.
Extensive experience of driving multiple projects simultaneously within deadlines and budget is critical, whilst ensuring internal and external stake-holder alignment and a communication rhythm. A collaborative team player used to working in fast moving, complex situations, in high pressure environments, ideally with multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural teams, often in geographically dispersed locations, within a matrixed organisation. Within this context high standards of organisation excellence, personal integrity and business ethics are essential.
A strong, confident, articulate and persuasive communicator with good written and verbal communication skills, able to express views concisely within all levels of the organisation to achieve rapport and credibility is essential. Able to combine entrepreneurial spirit and passion with a solid analytical, commercial approach and a determination and tenacity to succeed and must be passionate about environmental and social issues.

Working conditions / Physical effort

• Based in Nyon, Switzerland
• Expected to travel, mostly in Europe, but with occasional long haul to project sites in Asia.
• Our global operations span many time zones, which means staff are often required to work outside office hours.
• This position will require regular meetings with leaders of large, multi-national corporations and NGO’s, as well as international travel to the field sites, so the candidate should be able to thrive in both corporate settings and a wide variety of cultural environments.

Other information

• Full time position
• Immediate start
• Swiss national or valid work permit holder preferred

To Apply

Interested candidates should send a cover letter and resume via email to hq.recruitment@tft-earth.org. The position will be open until filled. Only selected candidates will be contacted.