The Ethical Tea Partnership (ETP) are looking for a Environment and Climate Change Lead to join our Programmes team. The role will be reporting to the Head of Programmes.
Location: E2, near Bethnal Green (London). Hybrid, minimum 3 days in the office.
Salary:£50,000 to £55,000 per annum (pro-rata if part-time), depending on experience + company benefits. Permanent contract.
Hours: 37.5 hours per week (full-time), Monday to Friday. We welcome applications from part-time candidates as well. If you are seeking a part-time opportunity, please specify the part-time arrangement you are seeking in your application.
The role
ETP’s vision is for a thriving tea industry which is social just and environmentally sustainable. The priority challenges that we seek to address are the economics of tea (including living wages and living incomes), equality (especially for women and children) and environment (including climate change mitigation and adaptation).
The Environment and Climate Lead is accountable for providing technical expertise on environment and climate issues across all ETP’s work. This is a strategic role within the organisation that will drive key partnerships, implement strategic initiatives and organisational growth to achieve long-term objectives on climate and environment across all ETP activities, including advice on project design and implementation, support on business pilots, guidance to the membership and input into policy recommendations for the tea industry. The post holder should have a working knowledge on livelihoods and gender and how they impact and influence environmental objectives.
Reporting to the Head of Programmes, the Lead will use their in-depth contextual knowledge, technical, and practical expertise to deliver ETP’s ambition for a Carbon neutral tea sector that does not contribute to deforestation and where estates and farmers are resilient to climate change.
This is an exciting opportunity to not only strengthen ETP’s existing programme portfolio, but to pioneer new and innovative initiatives with the ETP membership.
Responsibilities
Environmental programming (50%)
- Identify opportunities and project ideas with a predominately environmental focus for ETP’s in-country programmes. For example, carbon neutral tea projects, climate-smart agriculture, energy efficiency initiatives, landscape approaches, restorative agriculture, water stewardship strategies, projects that reduce deforestation associated with the tea industry and its communities and climate resilience.
- Understand ETP’s members’ environmental goals and scope project ideas to support their attainment.
- Lead Environment and Climate technical support for proposals to foundations, institutional and other donors. Providing considerable inputs in designing concept notes and project documents for Environment and Climate mainstreaming.
- Introduce and incorporate the latest tools and methodologies to ensure a climate and environment lens in all programmes in line with the needs, priorities, and challenges in the operational environment. Ensuring that projects are aligned with technical standards and collaborate with local partners and other key stakeholders internal and external, to ensure inclusive practices are integrated into all projects.
- Ensure the interlinkages between environment, livelihoods and gender are understood and considered in ETPs programming
- Capacity building: provide training and support to ETP staff, local partners and community members on environment and climate, establish and coordinate an internal working group as a platform for sharing and learning, develop resources and tools to facilitate the mainstreaming of climate and environment across ETP’s initiatives.
- Align projects with national level climate policies and priorities.
Private sector innovation and pilots (20%)
- Working with the Private Sector and Innovation Lead to help identify business innovations which are environmentally sustainable.
- Keep abreast of other sectors’ environmental innovations and direct replicable models to the Private Sector and Innovation Lead.
- Explore and collaborate with the Private Sector and Innovation Lead to identify opportunities within ETPs new membership criteria to drive ETPs environmental objectives.
- Identify and facilitate opportunities for private sector collaboration to drive environmental issues
- Contribute to the Environment workstream of the Global Tea Coalition where appropriate and relevant.
Environment and Climate Strategic Engagement & Oversight (15%)
- Build and maintain relationships with key stakeholders including NGOs, government agencies, and private sector partners to promote collaborative efforts towards Environment and Climate
- Provide thought leadership on ETP’s Environment Strategy. Support strategy review when required and use learnings to inform ETP’s future Environment and Climate activities
- Convene the tea sector on key Environment and Climate issues, representing ETP in multistakeholder forums.
- Engage with ETP members, providing support and strategic direction on how to address Environment and Climate needs within the tea sector and within their value chains.
- Attend environmental and climate related conferences on behalf of ETP and “bring back learning” to the organisation from such events.
Policy and Communications (10%)
- Working with the Policy Officer and Communications team, help to develop and update ETP’s evidence-based policy positions and factsheets on the environmental issues in tea.
- Develop case studies and other material to communicate ETP’s Environmental work. Includes capturing impact and change stories.
- Track developments in state, national and global policy on climate and environment. For example, monitor outputs from UN Climate Change Conferences (COPs). Share with ETP team and suggest highlights for broader communications.
- Support ETPs country teams to engage with government stakeholders on environmental topics.
- Identify opportunities to build policy objectives into programming where relevant
Shared Learning (5%)
- Work with the Insights team to establish frameworks for monitoring and evaluate impact against agreed KPIs and ensure that learning on Environment and Climate is systematically documented and shared with relevant stakeholders inside and outside ETP.
- Analyse programme outcomes and provide recommendations for continuous improvement. Annually contribute to the ETP country plans, ensuring that Environment and Climate improvements are embedded in ETP’s work.
- Contribute to the setting of ETP’s KPIs for environment; support the organisation to deliver those KPIs.
- Participate and lead on organisational (internal and external) learning events and sessions related to ETPs environmental work.
Person specifications & required skills
Essential:
- Have the right to work in the UK and reside within a commutable distance to our London office in Bethnal Green.
- Minimum of 5 years of experience in Environment and Climate programming and policy, preferably within the agricultural or development sectors.
- Experience in developing sustainability plans for the private sector (net zero policies, carbon foot printing).
- Technical knowledge on the impact of climate change in global supply chains.
- Working knowledge of how livelihoods and gender impact environment and climate programming.
- Experience of working with private corporations in achieving shared objectives.
- Advanced studies or equivalent experience in International Development, Value Chain Development & Market Systems, Agriculture, Responsible Business Practices or other relevant fields; participatory methodologies that promote learning and social change; participatory research and evaluation designs.
Desirable:
- Successful programme development and fundraising experience
- Practical experience of working closely with M&E technical specialists on impact measurement for environment work.
- Experience of representing the organisation’s work to high-level external stakeholders such as government, the private sector and donor representatives.
- International, cross-culture work experience.
- Evidenced ability to communicate complex information on Environment and Climate to non-specialist audiences and persuade audiences on the importance of Environment and Climate work in the sector
- Strong understanding of Environment and Climate issues, Carbon offsetting, climate resilient agriculture and transformative approaches
- Excellent project management and organisational skills
- Ability to conduct comprehensive assessments and develop strategic plans
- Effective communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage diverse stakeholders
- Experience in capacity building and training on Climate and Environment
- Some experience of Livelihoods and approaches on income diversification, would be an added bonus
Person specifications:
- Solutions and action-oriented; offers practical suggestions to solve problems.
- Tenacity and perseverance on complex projects. Drive, tempered with patience, is essential.
- Proven team player and collaborator, having worked with a wide variety of people in international and virtual teams to meet deadlines; creating buy-in through influence and persuasion.
- Able to engage with and propose solutions to partners at a senior level.
- Positive attitude, open to coaching and teamwork
- Ability to work autonomously, identifying own priorities to ensure impact is achieved throughout ETP’s work.
- Working knowledge of low-income countries and availability to travel internationally (up to four times per year when safe to do so).
Only candidates with the right to work in the UK will be considered for this position. Please consider this before applying.
What we offer
- Pro-rata of 28 days of paid holiday, excluding bank holidays
- 8% employer contribution to pension
- Flexitime, hybrid work and compressed working Fridays.
- Life insurance
- Medical insurance
- Udemy license and other training, support, and development opportunities
- Wellbeing support, financial and legal advice, and savings and discounts through our Employee Assistance Programme
- Season ticket loans
- Cycle to work scheme
How to apply
To apply for this position, please submit your online application form through this website and ensure you include your CV and a cover letter (maximum of 1 page) outlining your motivation for applying and relevant experience.
Closing date for applications: 25th of August
Interviews: week commencing 2nd of September
Interviews will be conducted virtually as a first stage then in-person at our London office in Bethnal Green if the candidate is shortlisted.
We intend to complete the recruitment process by end of September.
We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. We are committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace where everyone is valued and respected, regardless of disability, race, colour, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, or any other non-merit factor.
If you have any questions about this recruitment or the position, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our recruitment team at hr@etp-global.org.
