DIRECTOR OF ASSURANCE
The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) is a not-for-profit, international membership organisation that is working to transform markets to make sustainable palm oil the norm. To do this, we have united stakeholders from all sectors of the palm oil supply chain and civil society to develop and implement global standards for sustainable palm oil production and procurement.
Since its inception in 2014, RSPO has enjoyed rapid growth and today has more than 4,800 members from 96 countries, including oil palm producers, processors, traders, consumer goods manufacturers, retailers, banks, and non-governmental organisations. Thanks to the commitments and actions of these members, nearly 20% of the global supply of palm oil is already certified as sustainable.
At RSPO, we believe that a non-profit organisation is made successful by the passion, skills, and expertise of its people. They are the ones who drive our organisation to new heights and guide us through the next phases of our development.
At the heart of the RSPO’s certification standard, is our Assurance Department, the team responsible for ensuring the credibility of our certification systems. The RSPO is seeking an experienced, innovative and strategic individual to help take this team to further heights and build on the progress to date.
The Director of Assurance will report directly to the Chief Operating Officer and will be fully responsible to work with internal and external stakeholders to build a trusted and credible Assurance System for RSPO, which is fit for purpose, transparent, consistent, and facilitates increased productions of Certified Sustainable Palm Oil (CSPO), whilst driving the support and increased uptake of sustainability requirements. The Director of Assurance is a high profile role in the industry and will need to be someone who can be dynamic and has shown an ability to lead a diverse global team.
KEY ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
- Lead the operational activities of the Assurance Department, which include management of certification processes and the CSPO trading platform, and ensure sufficient resources to deliver a credible RSPO certification scheme.
- Provide quality management systems of assurance and oversight processes including continuous improvement through data analytics.
- Ensure sufficient allocation of resources to deliver a credible and RSPO certification scheme, which results in strengthened accountability with stakeholders and increased adoption of P&C (more growers, hectares and volumes).
- Streamline RSPO standards for consistency and effectiveness, and apply new verification methods that assure users of specific performance focusing on risk areas and creating efficiencies.
- Enhance the performance of service providers that include accreditation and certification bodies to deliver competent and credible service under the RSPO certification scheme, via training, analytics and interpretation platforms that lead to continuous improvement of the implementation of the assurance systems.
- Facilitate stakeholders’ engagement in the assurance and decision-making process, which aims to reduce incidents through more consistent and streamlined processes.
- Provide the leadership to ensure effective management of various Standing Committees, Working Groups and/or Task Forces at all levels within RSPO, relevant to its Assurance system under the purview of the Assurance department.
- Ensure adequate communication and socialisation of newly developed and/or revised RSPO Assurance systems to RSPO members and beyond, via but not limited to events such as roundtable meetings, training, seminars, conferences, etc.
- Coach and motivate department staff, identify learning opportunities for their development and advancement, track work progress in order to build staff competencies on the job and encourage motivation, proactiveness and job satisfaction of all direct reports.
FUNDAMENTALS OF THE SUCCESSFUL APPLICANT
This position is part of RSPO’s Leadership Team (senior management) who are geographically dispersed across four continents with an administrative headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and smaller registered entities in Indonesia, China, Colombia, USA, UK, and the Netherlands, as well as representatives in India, Thailand, and Ghana. The location of this role is flexible, with a strong preference for Kuala Lumpur or Jakarta and with regular international travel as required.
Skills and Competencies:
- Self-motivated with excellent problem-solving skills and a high level of diplomacy
- Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to connect with stakeholders of all levels
- Ability to work independently as well as in a team
- High proficiency in English with good communication skills
- Ability in establishing cooperation and rapport with internal and external parties of different backgrounds and/or nationalities
- High integrity and a good team player
- Goal-oriented and organised
- Self-motivated and self-directed
REQUIREMENTS:
General:
Academic Qualifications and Professional Experience:
- Either a Degree in any Assurance related fields or in Conservation/Environmental Management with a minimum of eight (8) years of experience in a management role in the areas of assurance audits, sustainability, and/or certification; OR
- A minimum of 15 years of working experience in a management role specific to of assurance audits, sustainability, and/or certification.
Technical and Professional Knowledge
- In-depth understanding and appreciation of the palm oil industry, trends and issues
Other Relevant Proficiencies
- Experience in multi-stakeholder engagement, conflict management and policy lobbying and/or development
- Substantial experience in the practice of government relations, government affairs, public policy or stakeholder relations
- Strong experience within government relations/government affairs with a strong network within the current Government of Malaysia.
WHAT’S ON OFFER
Your commitment and passion to drive innovation will be rewarded with an opportunity to work in an international multi-stakeholder organisation, where making a difference to People, Planet and Prosperity is not just a statement, but what we passionately believe in.
Operating within a dynamic and fast-paced environment, you will enjoy functioning within a role that offers the opportunity to broaden your skill set and develop your capabilities.
HOW TO APPLY
Qualified applicants are invited to send in their updated CV giving comprehensive details of educational background, work experience, and related achievements to careers@rspo.org
**RSPO is an equal opportunity employer. Due to the volume of applications received, only shortlisted candidates will be notified.
