Head of Smallholders Programme Unit

Company Background and Role Summary:

Our client is a global multi stakeholder agribusiness NGO. They are looking for the Head of Smallholders Programme Unit to manage an international team of technical managers and specialists across Asia, Africa, and Latin America. S/he will serve as a primary interface for smallholder groups, members, and stakeholders who wish to engage with the NGO and will support the mission and purpose of the organisation by supporting the NGO Smallholder Standing Committee.
The preferred location of this role is Malaysia, Indonesia, or Singapore.

Key Responsibilities:

Duties include but will not be limited to the following:

• To provide strategic direction to the Leadership Team and the Smallholders Programme Unit on all matters relevant to smallholder inclusion and lead the implementation of the Smallholder Strategy.
• To oversee the development and implementation of relevant livelihood programmes aimed at improving smallholder livelihoods globally.
• To ensure the smallholder certification programme is successfully implemented, in close coordination with the relevant departments internally to increase the number of smallholders certified globally.
• To improve market demand and access to financial and non-financial support for smallholders, in close collaboration with the relevant departments through the smallholder global market engagement programme.
• To ensure efficient management of the Smallholder Standing Committee, working groups, and/or task forces directly under the purview of the Smallholders Programme Unit, and any others that involve the active participation of the unit’s staff.
• To oversee the day-to-day operations of the Smallholders Programme Unit, including the development and implementation of its annual plan and budget in line with the wider organisational objectives.
• To oversee the management and scale-up of the Smallholder Trainer Academy, Smallholder Support Fund, and smallholder-related data management.
• To perform any other duty or duties reasonably assigned by the Leadership Team.

Requirements:

• A bachelor’s degree in the field of Environmental Science/Management, Agronomy, Sustainability, or related majors.
• At least 8 years of experience in agricultural and/or community development, sustainability, audits, and/or certification schemes.
• Familiar with palm oil sustainability standards schemes.
• People management experience including building, leading, and developing high performing teams.

Technical and Professional Knowledge

• Strong business acumen with the ability to synthesize key themes and deliverables from objectives and strategies defined by senior management and the Leadership Team.
• Excellent interpersonal skills including verbal and written communication, negotiation, cross-team project management, and consensus-building.
• Ability to manage multiple stakeholders and/or projects.
• Highly resourceful team player with the ability to be effective independently.
• Able to plan, allocate, and monitor resources to meet fiscal targets and ensure proper budget management.
• Emotional maturity, patience, curiosity, and a sustained willingness to change one’s mind.
• Demonstrated ability to achieve high performance goals and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Forward-looking thinker, who actively seeks opportunities and proposes solutions.
• Fluency in English and proficiency in additional Asian language(s) and/or Spanish is an advantage.

If you are interested, kindly email your updated resume to Wai Ling at wailing.goh@mindmerge.com.my or click “Apply Now”. Regretfully, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Thank you!