Change Manager - Sustainable Supply Chains

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Job description

Starting date: As Soon As Possible

Contract type: Fixed term (2 years renewable)

Salary: UK: £52,000-56,000 (dependent on experience)

Location: UK (London, or accessible to London)

Application closing date: 5 th December 2021 (Note: we will be reviewing applications as they are received)

Background

Better Cotton is the world's largest cotton sustainability programme. Our mission: to help cotton communities survive and thrive, while protecting and restoring the environment. In challenging times, we are meeting the challenge head on. Through our network of field-level partners we have trained over 2.5 million farmers - from the smallest to the largest - in 23 countries in more sustainable farming practices. A quarter of the world's cotton is now grown under the Better Cotton Standard. We have united the industry's stakeholders behind our efforts, from ginners and spinners to brand owners, civil society organisations and governments. Everyone who cares about cotton and its sustainable future can now be part of something better.

About this role

As Better Cotton enters its next strategic phase, to achieve our 2030 vision and drive change on the ground for farmers, BCI will make it possible to trace Better Cotton. By introducing traceability, we will continue to generate demand for Better Cotton, supporting our core markets of apparel and textiles while contributing to systemic change.

We work across all kinds of farm types, sizes and geographies. It is crucial that these producers, and the Better Cotton they produce, can continue to access international markets in the face of changing regulatory and business expectations. Traceability represents an opportunity to bring transparency on impact while ultimately meeting our vision to drive change on the ground for farmers.

To deliver traceability, a new team has been formed to develop, launch and roll out a solution over the next 4 years. This is great opportunity to join a team building something truly transformational from the ground up. We are looking for an experienced change manager to understand the impact to global cotton supply chain, and help suppliers prepare for the change, to ultimately drive adoption of our traceability solution. The ideal candidate has experience in change management, management consulting or international development operations. The candidate should have the ability to manage matrix global resource, proven experience in change management methodologies, a commercial mindset and an interest in sustainability.

The role

Reporting to: Traceability Programme Manager

Posts this role manages: in country supply chain managers or coordinators (3-5 FTEs with scope to grow)

Support the development and launch of the Better Cotton traceability platform:

• Manage in-country resource to map the Better Cotton supply chains of each Better Cotton country to understand the landscape for our future traceability solution
• Responsible to build on our existing supplier feasibility assessment to understand the needs of Better Cotton supply chain actors (farm to retail) and identify the change impact of introducing traceability into their supply chains
• Design and implement a clear and simple change plan that minimises user impact and improves user adoption to embed and sustain the changes of introducing a traceability solution
• Define the criteria and develop a robust approach to measure business readiness for traceability for each supply chain actor
• Develop a compelling case for change for each stakeholder group (e.g. farms, ginners, traders, spinners, fabric mills, manufacturers) to support our traceability value proposition
• Manage 3-5 in-country traceability supply chain managers or coordinators (located in Pakistan, India, China and Brazil) to bring field level perspective into traceability requirements gathering, supplier needs assessment and roll out plan
• Manage in-country traceability pilots to test different traceability solutions in different contexts to feed into our requirements gathering and vendor selection process
• Research traceability in other relevant sectors (e.g. palm oil, food, mining) to gather learnings to incorporate into our solution development and roll out
• Provide input into vendor selection process
• Help shape the country roll out plan based on the business readiness assessment
• Develop communications and training materials in collaboration with our supply chain team to inform and onboard suppliers
• Coach the in-country teams on the communications and training approach (this will likely be done in country)
• Work with country teams through each roll out of the traceability solution
• Help develop knowledge and a culture of change across Better Cotton

Profile

The selected candidate will have the following skills, knowledge, and experience:

Skills, Knowledge and Experience

Essential

• University degree, or equivalent higher education qualification, in a relevant field with an interest in sustainability
• A solid understanding of how people go through a change and the change process
• Proven ability to inspire, empower, and champion the introduction of new systems and practices across multistakeholder environments
• Experience and knowledge of change management principles, methodologies and tools (PROSCI, ADKAR, APMG, etc)
• Strong stakeholder engagement skills and the ability to communicate with stakeholders from diverse cultures and backgrounds
• Demonstrative experience leading in-depth stakeholder interviews or workshops and uncovering the key drivers behind responses
• Experience in process mapping
• Experience managing teams and matrix resource
• Knowledge of textile or commodity supply chains
• Highly proficient IT skills, including but not limited to MS Office suite (PowerPoint, Word and Excel), Visio and database management
• Demonstrated integrity and business ethics.
• Demonstrated organizational skills, ability to prioritize tasks and manage time efficiently while maintaining attention to detail
• Good written and verbal communication skills with the ability to communicate clearly and concisely
• A self-starter that is comfortable managing uncertainty
• Proficient in English (written and verbal)
• Ability to work in a team environment

Desirable

• Change management certification (Prosci or APMG)
• Knowledge of traceability and associated technologies
• Empathic and collaborative way of working
• Knowledge of a 2 nd or 3 rd language

Working arrangements

The position is full-time (40 hours per week) and will be based in our London offices. Better Cotton offers flexible working, with core hours of availability being 10am - 4pm UK time and post-Covid working from home options currently being reviewed. Pending Covid restrictions, some travel will be required (10-15%).

Applications

Interested applicants with the required attributes are asked to send a detailed CV (3 pages maximum) and a motivational letter (2 pages maximum), in English, by email via the button below with subject: "Application - Change Manager" by Midnight on 6 th December 2021 at the latest.

We thank all applicants for their interest; however only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Better Cotton is currently unable to provide sponsorship for work permits, and candidates need to have a pre-existing right to work in the location where they will be based.

Better Cotton is an equal-opportunities employer, and is committed to good practice and transparency in the management of natural, human and financial resources.