Lead, LandScale

Position summary:

The Lead, LandScale, is responsible for evolving and delivering the strategy and business plan for LandScale, ensuring that the initiative is fully integrated into the core offerings of the Rainforest Alliance’s 2030 strategy, delivers maximum impact and generates sufficient revenue to become cost neutral. As the Lead, LandScale, you will coordinate a dedicated cross-functional team within various Rainforest Alliance business units to enhance and expand the functionality of the LandScale system, provide technical support and validation services to paying users, strengthen awareness and credibility of the LandScale brand, and drive use of LandScale by landscape initiatives and landscape supporters. You will also be responsible for convening and maintaining relationships with the LandScale Steering Group, which comprises senior representatives of Conservation International and Rainforest Alliance, and the LandScale Advisory Board, which comprises senior representatives from LandScale’s partners and thought leaders in the field of landscape sustainability.

Responsibilities: 
Be responsible for and lead the LandScale offering within the Rainforest Alliance. Including but not limited to:

• Lead – and expand as appropriate - the LandScale Steering Group and Advisory Board. This includes ensuring that roles and responsibilities are clear, facilitating meetings, and optimizing the role of these groups as strategic advisors and ambassadors for LandScale;
• Align with and coordinate closely with relevant Rainforest Alliance departments for a successful LandScale implementation (e.g., integrate work with Regional Programs, corporate communications, data and technology teams, assurance, fundraising, and programmatic specialists);
• Coordinate and facilitate a core team to maintain a 2-3 year rolling strategic plan for the LandScale initiative which has support from both internal and external stakeholders;
• Facilitate the development and lead all aspects of the implementation of a cross-functional work plan by the core LandScale team. This must be aligned with the strategy and available budget, and incorporate all relevant grant deliverables;
• Promote clear and regular communication and a strong sense of team spirit within the core LandScale team. Ensure all team members have a clear understanding of their respective responsibilities, decision-making and the available budget;
• Lead all aspects of the delivery of LandScale’s current market offer (i.e., The use of the assessment tool and provision of the validation service), with a focus on increasing operational efficiency, ensuring quality and consistency in the service provided, and optimising user-experience and satisfaction;
• Through cross-functional support, and the within the Global Programs department, find opportunities to expand LandScale’s offer and/or further integrate it with Rainforest Alliance’s other offers;
• Develop new and maintain existing partnerships that can support the delivery of LandScale’s strategy;
• Maintain the relationship with LandScale’s key donors, and ensure that all requirements of grants to the LandScale initiative are met;
• Work with the Institutional Relations team to secure additional grant funding for the LandScale initiative;
• Work with the finance team to forecast revenue and plan expenditure, ensuring that an integrated and up-to-date budget is maintained;
• Represent LandScale and the Rainforest Alliance in conferences, webinars and meetings with key customers and partners, and;
• Other duties, as assigned.

Qualifications & Experience: 
You should have:

• Bachelor’s degree, or equivalent experience in forestry, agriculture, natural resources, environmental management, international development, economics, social sciences, or a related field;
• At minimum ten years of progressively responsible professional experience, preferably with proven experience of scaling a market-driven sustainability initiative, standard or product;
• Broad and deep technical expertise in the sustainability issues associated with natural resource management. Experience of designing and/or implementing sustainability standards and/or monitoring and evaluation systems would be a plus;
• Demonstrated success in building and maintaining relationships with donors, NGOs, agribusiness companies and/or financial institutions;
• Sound staff management experience and project management experience, with demonstrated success in managing results-oriented and collaborative multi-stakeholder partnerships;
• Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to lead by influence rather than authority;
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English, comfort working in a cross cultural and multi-time zone environment;
• Experience of working in a customer facing role and/or a start-up environment is a plus;
• Experience of working with a digital product is a plus;
• Willingness to travel up to 10% domestically and internationally, as required.