Senior Human Rights Advisor

Who are we? 

Proforest is a mission-driven organisation that provides a consultancy service working throughout agricultural supply chains supporting the production and sourcing of agricultural and forest commodities that deliver positive outcomes for People, Nature and Climate. These cover issues such as protecting and restoring forests and natural ecosystems, respecting worker’s rights, advancing gender equality, and engaging with communities and indigenous people.

What will you do? 

The role sits in our Responsible Sourcing Team and is part of a global team of human rights and livelihoods experts.  

You’ll have the opportunity to influence companies’ human rights commitments and sourcing practices to achieve positive impacts for people in their supply bases and supply chains. You will do this by working within our project teams, and supporting companies to implement human rights due diligence, including?policy commitments, human rights risk assessments, and actions within and beyond supply chains to address issues such as forced labour, child labour, OHS risks, Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLC) land rights issues. You’ll have the opportunity to work with downstream and midstream companies such as Nestlé, PepsiCo, Mars, Unilever, Cargill on commodity supply chains including palm oil, sugar, soy, coconut, beef, and cocoa. Our client projects share our mission to deliver positive outcomes for People, Nature and Climate. 

Key responsibilities include: 

• Providing technical knowledge and strategic advice on human rights topics in client projects, supporting our clients in the implementation of their responsible sourcing commitments 

• Delivery of human rights work within these projects, implementing Proforest approaches, supporting the strategic thinking to find cutting-edge approaches to human rights issues for clients 

• Maintaining a clear understanding of the current HREDD legislative context, stakeholder pressures and best practices relating to the sustainable management and sourcing of agricultural and forestry commodities, including industry collaboration groups (e.g., Consumer Good Forum, ISEAL, Palm Oil Collaborative Group, Soft Commodities Forum)? 

• Supporting the institutionalization of the technical knowledge on human rights developed in client’s work and collaborating with others in Proforest to maximise impact across the organisation 

• Support the development and delivery of internal and external capacity building on key topics and approaches in human rights and livelihoods and their application to responsible sourcing and production.  

• Mentoring and line managing junior staff, proactively supporting their skills development  

• Representing occasionally Proforest in relevant international meetings and forums. 

What is your profile? 

We are looking for people who are passionate about taking on challenges at a global scale, someone who is self-motivated and committed to continuous improvement for themselves and the team in which they work. To be successful in the role you will have: 

Essential: 

• A relevant Masters’ level qualification or equivalent (e.g. international human rights law, international development, etc.) 

• Knowledge of human rights issues in agricultural production and supply chains 

• Familiarity and/or applied experience of the implementation of the UNGPs’ Human Rights Due Diligence framework 

• Working across global teams and cultures  

• Good knowledge of relevant international frameworks, conventions, and guidelines (e.g. UN and ILO); and voluntary standards/certification schemes designed to address human rights relevant to agricultural commodity production 

• Relevant professional experience in a similar consultancy role, private sector, or NGO working with large corporate buyers and international agricultural commodity supply chains 

• The ability and willingness to travel occasionally for project work, training and meetings. 

Desirable: 

• Knowledge and/or experience of the production practices of at least one our key commodities (e.g. palm oil, cocoa, sugar, soy or coconut) 

• Experience of living and working in regions where Proforest has a strong presence (Latin America, West Africa and Southeast Asia). 

• Fluency in another relevant language: French, Bahasa Indonesia, Bahasa Malay, Spanish, Portuguese or Mandarin 

• Experience working within multi-stakeholder processes and/or facilitation of meetings and collaborative processes 

• Knowledge and experience of mandatory Human Rights Due Diligence legislation 

• Experience and skills at developing and delivering training – on-line and in person 

• Training and experience of a specific human rights topic or group of vulnerable people (e.g. migrant workers, indigenous people) relevant to agricultural and forestry commodities. 

Why should you work for us? 

• Be part of a global organisation with a shared vision, working in offices across 8 countries with staff from more than 17 countries, speaking more than 40 languages?  

• We organize regular in-person team gatherings, regional and international knowledge exchanges and social events.  

• We support learning and development with a dedicated team to help you achieve your goals; we provide access to training for technical knowledge and competency skills?  

• We offer 25 days plus public holidays (with an extra 2 days the following year should you take your well earnt holiday within the year)?  

• We contribute to your pension (up to 8%)  

• Life insurance and income protection insurance  

• Access to an employee assistance programme?and other benefits  

Key information 

• Location: Oxford, UK or Leiden, The Netherlands 

• Salary: £45,000 - £50,000 or €51,000 - €57,000 depending on skills and experience? 

• Requires eligibility to work in EU or UK 

• Closing date: 7th of April 

Please note we may close the advert early should we find our chosen candidate and therefore would encourage you to apply at your earliest convenience to avoid disappointment as we will be interviewing as soon as possible. 

*Hybrid working: Proforest operates on a hybrid basis both in our Oxford and Leiden offices. We encourage staff to attend the office as often as possible to maximise interactions with colleagues but also appreciate individual circumstances and preferences. We ask that staff attend the office at least once a week (although increased time in the office upon starting would be expected) and are happy to explore flexible working options. 

We are committed to supporting diversity throughout Proforest globally, ensuring an inclusive environment where all individuals can thrive and therefore welcome applications from all. Please note the official job title for this role is ‘Principle Project Manager’.