Vacancies at Rainforest Alliance

POSITION SUMMARY:

• The Technology department is responsible for the Development, Realization and Implementation of the strategic Digital Product Roadmap for Rainforest Alliance (including all supporting Technology processes), for all Global Business Initiatives and Assurance programs.
• We are seeking an experienced Senior Software Engineering Manager who will lead onshore and offshore software development teams across multiple agile teams, overseeing project lifecycles from development to deployment, and ensuring the quality and timely delivery of software products. Key responsibilities involve technical leadership, hiring and retaining talent, scaling knowledge across teams, establishing Engineering processes and standards, advocating modern engineering practices and above all ensuring technical excellence.
• Candidates should bring experience in leadership, operational excellence and working with business stakeholders to maintain and deliver technical excellence.  The role also requires a strong understanding of service transition, compliance, and operational readiness, along with a commitment to continuous improvement through transparent reporting and measurable performance outcomes.  Even though the role does not require any day-to-day coding, the role requires an Engineering background.
• As a Not-for-Profit organisation, Technology is key in delivering success to the business. This is a new role, and we are looking for someone that would like to get their hands dirty and building their career. This role is about growing yourself, and not about financial incentive.

WHAT YOU WILL BE DOING: 

• Team and project leadership: 
  • Leading cross-functional agile teams comprising of in-house and external Engineers (vendors) 
  • Recruit, manage, mentor, and train software engineering teams, overseeing project progress, managing budgets, and ensuring technical excellence  
  • Oversee the end-to-end software development lifecycle, from requirements gathering to deployment. 
  • Work closely with software vendors to deliver technical excellence 
  • Drive development of high-quality, scalable, and maintainable solutions 
  • Foster a culture of accountability, inclusion and continuous improvement without having bottlenecks 

• Development:
  • Development of functional and non-functional requirements for both in-house and off the shelf products 
  • Help determine appropriate solutions to a clearly defined problem. 
  • Establish Operational Stability to maintain reliable and maintainable software solutions for both in-house and off-the-shelf systems 
  • Work with architecture to drive an integration platform that works across internal and external systems. 
• Product delivery: 
  • Partner with Product, Architecture, Operations and Business to plan, prioritise and deliver roadmaps 
  • Identify technical pain points and prioritise tech-debt accordingly alongside functional requirements
• Quality assurance: 
  • Implement and oversee testing to ensure the final software is reliable, high-quality, and meets all requirements and performance standards. 
  • Establish & Improve Engineering Processes & Standards to drive Quality Assurance – System Design, Coding Standards, Security, Incident Management, Technical Reviews 
• Architecture & Technical Strategy: 
  • Influence a consistent technology roadmap across teams by working with architecture team. 
  • Contribute to strategic planning, stay updated on industry trends and new technologies, and align IT software strategy with business goals. 
  • Align with Architecture to deliver a strategic and optimal solution 
  • Advocating modern engineering practices and re-usability 
• Stakeholder communication: 
  • Liaise with other departments, clients, and stakeholders to provide updates on project progress and gather requirements 
  • Key interface between Product and Tech in providing solutions developed by internal teams and 3rd party suppliers  
  • Autonomously manage Product expectations on a day-to-day level both from business requirements and technical levels 
  • Collaborate with architecture team on overall design of system configuration including identifying and documenting technical solutions for business issues. 
  • Work closely with Compliance and Legal teams to ensure governance
• Travel expected to other sites when required.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR: 

• Several years of experience in software development, with a significant portion in a leadership or management role, is essential
• Deep knowledge of cloud platforms (Azure, AWS), microservices, APIs, DevOps, and security best practices.
• Experience with Agile (Sprint, Kanban), and DevOps methodologies
• Bachelor's degree in computer science, Software Engineering, Information Systems, or a related field.
• Highly detail-oriented professionals with strong leadership skills who know how to turn ideas into solutions.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities, deliverables, and stakeholders
• Able to influence peers and management; strong stakeholder management
• Excellent interpersonal skills, presentation skills, and verbal / written communication skills; ability to lead discussions, present ideas to audiences of all sizes, and interact with all levels of the organisation
• Self-starter; adaptable to change; motivated to set personal and program goals and proactively track performance against goals and initiatives objectives
• Excellent problem-solving skills and the ability to think creatively. 
• A thirst to learn new skills. 
• You are self-motivated and driven to achieve professional success in a partnership environment.
• The ability to manage workload, multitask and time according to deadlines set.
• Good personal organisation, productivity and time management skills
• Excellent understanding of business complexity and project interdependencies
• Intellectual curiosity and the ability to question thought partners across functional areas
• Ability to adapt quickly to new technologies and changing business requirements
• Comfortable with managing uncertainty, ambiguity, and change to make decisions and recommendations.
• Drive, resilience, focus and energy with high level of emotional intelligence.

go to method of application »

About the Role

The Rainforest Alliance is seeking a Senior Officer to strengthen our Standards & Assurance team. This position will contribute to the continued development, maintenance, and application of our certification standards, related documents and other Rainforest Alliance frameworks, while expanding our capacity on social topics that are critical to achieving sustainable outcomes in agriculture and forestry.

The role offers an opportunity to influence how social issues such as labor rights, gender equity, and livelihoods are addressed across our certification system and other frameworks, and to support effective interpretation and implementation of the standard by stakeholders around the world.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead on the integration and refinement of social topics within the Rainforest Alliance standards and contribute on other frameworks.
• Support the development and revision of certification requirements, annexes, and benchmarking requests.
• Provide technical expertise and guidance to internal and external stakeholders, ensuring consistent application of the standards.
• Contribute to indicator design, data frameworks, and evidence-based monitoring to track impact.
• Collaborate with cross-functional and regional teams to ensure relevance and usability of the standard.
• Strengthen knowledge management, tools, and resources to support efficient  and consistent standard implementation across regions.

Requirements

• Advanced degree or equivalent experience in social sciences, labor rights, human rights, or related fields.
• 3+ years of professional experience with sustainability standards, certification systems, or social impact programs.
• Demonstrated expertise in social issues relevant to agricultural and forestry supply chains.
• Experience drafting or managing standards, indicators, or frameworks in multi-stakeholder contexts.
• Experience auditing sustainability standards and frameworks, especially in relation to social topics is desirable.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and communication skills; able to manage multiple priorities.
• Fluency in English with strong writing ability is required; proficiency in Spanish and/or French is highly desirable. 

go to method of application »

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Climate Mitigation Manager will be responsible for developing and implementing the organization’s work on farm-level carbon footprinting and insetting within company supply chains, as well as leading the development of emissions factors for RA-certified commodities.  

With guidance from the Senior Director Climate, the Manager will lead the design and development of company-level climate mitigation initiatives. This includes designing strategies that enable companies to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, enhance carbon removals, develop insetting initiatives and achieve their corporate climate goals.

The Manager will identify and apply appropriate tools and methodologies for carbon footprinting and insetting initiatives, provide expert guidance on carbon monitoring and corporate GHG accounting methodologies and support field teams and partners in the design and implementation of carbon footprinting activities. The position will also lead the development of climate mitigation initiatives (including agroforestry, forest conservation and restoration, regenerative agriculture and other nature-based climate solutions) that support climate mitigation claims and/or generate carbon credits for companies. The Manager will support the Senior Director Climate in articulating RA’s climate mitigation value proposition to companies, communities, producers and other stakeholders, including identifying emission reduction strategies at the farm, forest and landscape level.  

The Climate Mitigation Manager will provide thought leadership to ensure RA’s climate offers align with recognized carbon footprinting frameworks and standards, such as the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi) and Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHGP) Land Sector and Removal Standard (LSRS), as well as relevant policy and regulatory requirements. The Manager will also advise on permissible climate claims for companies based on their climate mitigation initiatives with RA.

In addition, the Manager will also be engaged in a broader effort by the organization to embed climate mitigation, adaptation and resilience measures into RA’s core programs and will support the ongoing design, implementation and monitoring of RA’s Climate Strategy.

The Manager will require cross-functional collaboration with colleagues in the Global Programs, Advocacy, Product, Corporate Engagement, Marketing and Communications, regional teams and other departments.

WHAT YOU WILL BE DOING:  

Program and Product Design & Delivery

• Support the design and delivery of climate mitigation programs and products for RA’s corporate partners, with a focus on agriculture and forestry supply chains.
• Provide technical expertise to inform the development of Rainforest Alliance climate offers and GTM strategy related to carbon footprinting, insetting, and nature-based climate solutions.
• Develop farm-level climate mitigation initiatives aimed at reducing GHG emissions and enhance carbon removals (including projects addressing emissions from deforestation and degradation, REDD+, ARR, agroforestry, integrated community forest management, regenerative agriculture and climate smart agriculture)
• Identify and advance opportunities to generate credible climate mitigation claims and/or carbon credits
• Support the design and implementation of company-level climate mitigation activities across RA programs (e.g., regional programs, client-specific, donor-funded for landscape interventions, advocacy and outreach, climate finance, etc.)

Carbon Fooptrinting & Technical Leadership

• Provide technical leadership on carbon footprinting efforts in agricultural systems, including data collection, data modelling and analysis of Scope 3 emissions in supply chains (primarily in coffee, cocoa, tea, and fruit sectors).
• Oversee application of appropriate tools and methodologies for farm-level carbon accounting and insetting, ensuring methodological rigor and consistency.
• Guide internal teams and external partners in accurately measuring, analyzing, and reporting farm-level carbon footprints.
• Support the development and refinement of tools, processes, and systems for collecting, analyzing and reporting on farm-level carbon footprint data at scale
• Lead the development of RA-specific emissions factors for land use and land management emissions for priority certified commodities in select geographies.

Standards Alignment & Corporate Engagement

• Ensure carbon footprinting, reporting, and climate claims are aligned with leading frameworks, including GHGP LSRS, SBTi, and relevant regulatory requirements.
• Advise colleagues and corporate partners on development of robust and credible climate mitigation claims.
• Position RA as a leader on farm-level carbon footprinting and insetting within in corporate supply chains.

External Engagement & Thought Leadership

• Represent Rainforest Alliance in external working groups, task forces, and strategic events with external partners (e.g., Cool Farm Alliance) and strategic climate events, contributing to the development of tools, methodologies and reporting frameworks for corporate climate action in the agriculture and forest sectors.
• Provide technical input to program design and proposal development of climate mitigation initiatives.
• Contribute to position papers, research publications, communication materials, technical capacity building initiatives related to climate mitigation.
• Support the ongoing development and implementation of RA’s Climate Change Strategy.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR: 

• Relevant undergraduate degree holder and MSc degree in Climate Change, Agroecology, Natural Resource Management or a related field, with a minimum of 7 years’ proven experience in sustainable agriculture, natural resource management and/or climate change mitigation activities at the field or programmatic level
• Demonstrated experience designing, implementing, or supporting climate mitigation initiatives in agricultural or forestry supply chains
• Demonstrated experience conducting carbon footprint assessments in agricultural systems, including data collection, modelling, analysis and reporting.
• Hands-on experience using recognized carbon footprinting tools and methodologies, such as the Cool Farm Platform or comparable tools.
• Strong knowledge of GHG accounting frameworks and standards, particularly the GHGP LSRS.
• Practical understanding of SBTi and its application to corporate climate strategies and reporting.
• Familiarity with monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) approaches for nature-based climate solutions, including agroforestry and regenerative agriculture.
• Ability to translate technical carbon accounting concepts into practical tools, guidance, and solutions for diverse stakeholders
• Experience leading training and capacity-building efforts for technical support to field teams, producers, and external partners
• Experience advising on credible corporate climate claims and sustainability reporting processes.
• Experience with tropical agricultural commodity supply chains (coffee, cocoa, tea) (desirable)
• Strong organizational skills to lead multiple priorities in a time critical manner.
• Strong analytical and quantitative skills, with experience interpreting complex carbon footprinting data and translate findings into actionable insights.
• Experience managing, analyzing, and visualizing data using tools such as Excel and PowerBI; basic proficiency in programming languages such as R is desirable.
• Strong written and verbal communication and interpersonal skills
• Proficiency in English; other languages – Spanish, French (desirable)