Field Manager – Sustainable Coconut Centre (S2C)

The Sustainable Coconut Center (S2C) project will commence in January 2020 and will run until March 2023. S2C is supported by Harmless Harvest, Danone Ecosystem and GIZ International Services. The targeted beneficiaries of the project are selected coconut farmers and farm workers in the area where Maphrao Nam Hom grows and more specifically Samut Sakhon, Samut Songkhram, Ratchaburi, Nakhon Pathom, Pathum Thani, Chachoeng sao provinces. These are here after referred as the Nam Hom Provinces

The project aims at achieving a harmless ecosystem in Thailand through a sourcing model ensuring the sustainable supply of quality, regenerative organic and fair trade, fragrant coconuts (“Nam Hom”), increasing the revenue of smallholder farmers, the working conditions of farm workers and improving the environmental impact of farming operations, by introducing creative agroforestry practices and modern farm management tools. To achieve this objective, the project has four approaches:

1. Develop agroforestry, regenerative farming practices to improve yield, soil and plant health and to enhance farm resilience.
2. Share knowledge, experiment, implement and continuously improve the sustainable farming system.
3. Provide turnkey solutions and cost efficient, effective solutions to farmers and farm workers, while enhancing their livelihood.
4. Use modern tools to organize and monitor farm activities, measure performance and develop farmer profession’s interest.

The Field Manager will fulfill a key role in the S2C team and will be integral for the success of the project. We are therefore looking for an enthusiastic candidate who brings passion, positive energy, and a can-do mentality. This person actively brings ideas forward to the project and is equipped with a great ability to lead people, as well as manage and optimize operations. He/she should have a talent for liaising with a variety of partners, and be able to inspire them, to collaborate on the sustainable production of coconuts in the selected regions.

A: Responsibilities

The Field Manager is responsible for 

•  Managing, implementing and coordinating the preparation and action plan of the S2C field activities in the Nam Hom Provinces with farmers and other supporting stakeholders (private and public agencies), together with field staff

•  Monitoring and reviewing progress of field activities under the S2C project

•  Maintenance of an overall good flow of communication and information between all involved institutions, mainly counter partner (Harmless Harvest) and GIZ

•  Coordinating 1 agronomist and 1 admin staff

•  Technical management of experts in the project

•  Creating all network connections needed for the project implementation

Within this context, the Field Manager fulfils the following tasks:

B: Tasks

1. Management and Coordination
   •  Coordinates, supervises and contributes to the preparation and implementation of S2C project activities in line with project objectives and deliverables
   
   

   •  Achieves deliverables of the project on time with counterpart

   •  Manages project tasks s as needed

   • Facilitates the selection of suitable coconut farmers for both the pilot and scaling up phase

   •  Goes on repeated and extensive field visits to the targeted areas in accordance with the requirements of the project

   •  Coordinates the use of office and transport facilities in accordance with the agreement on the use of facilities at the representative office

2. Professional Advisory Services
   •  Takes active part in the formulation of project action plans and facilitates synchronisation between the planning and budgeting system

    

   •  Actualises and coordinates the planning continuously together with the project counterpart (Harmless Harvest)

   •  Monitors the development and implementation of activities and suggests and implement necessary changes, improvement and initiatives

   • Is responsible for the preparation, execution and documentation of agreed events (workshops, forums, meetings, and other project activities) together with the partner institution (Harmless Harvest)

   • Organizes series of trainings for coconut farmers in the the Nam Hom Provinces based on the Farmer Business School curriculum as well as specialized topics including soil health, pest management, organic fertilizer, etc.

   • Monitors field activities, provides reports and documents on the progress of local activities, identifies bottlenecks and recommends alternative solution options

   •  Actively advises on the improvement of planned activities when necessary

   •  Responsible of the Operational Committee meeting organization

3. Communication and Networking
   •  Develops and maintains good working relationships with all relevant stakeholders

    

   •  Represents the project at the project level and acts as its speaker

   •  Acts as liaison to and cooperates closely with the GIZ Agriculture Cluster office

   •  Continuously collects and circulates relevant information, disseminates project experiences with relevant partners

   •  Develops and maintains good working relationships with farmers and other local partners (including farmers groups, local government, etc.)

   •  Communicates and promotes the project’s interests and exchanges ideas and information for the benefit of the project

4. Knowledge Management
   •  Compiles information on issues related to the project and ensures knowledge transfer to project staff and main counter partner
   
   

   •  Contributes in developing strategies and technical concepts, including guidelines, manuals and procedures, as required

   •  Creates network in the area to respond to project needs (Compost, bee, training, agricultural department, etc. …)

   •  Develops reports and presentation documents

5. General Duties
   •  Provides support in organisational and management questions
   
   

   •  Consults routinely with Project Director/Manager regarding all kinds of project activities

6. Other Duties/Additional Tasks
   •   Assists in and/or carries out other project activities and any other tasks as assigned by Project Director/Manager

    

   •   Carries out tasks relevant to the project, which may not be explicitly mentioned in the ToR

C. Required Qualifications, Competences and Experience

•  University degree (ideally Bachelor’s degree) in agriculture, horticulture, natural resource management, or a relevant scientific field

•  At least 5 years of professional experience in a similar position (project management)

•  Work experience in the field of sustainable agriculture is highly desired

•  Agronomic knowledge on coconut cultivation would be an asset

•  Excellent command of MS-Office

•  Proficient in Thai and English

•  Strong management and organisational skills

• Valid Thai driver’s license

D. Duration, Location and Nature of Appointment

This will be a full-time position, starting as soon as possible and running until March 2023. The Field Manager will work from the Harmless Harvest factory office, which is located in Samut Sakhon, and travel to other provinces as required. The Field Manager will report to and be guided by the Project Director/Manager to ensure that the project achieves its goals.

If we have caught your interest, please submit your cover letter and CV to chattayada.pattaragulwanit@giz.de. The deadline for applications is December 8, 2019. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. GIZ Thailand is an equal opportunity employer and actively encourages gender diversity within the company and operations.