Starting Date: ASAP

Contract type: Full-time and open-ended

Salary: As per respective grade and commensurate with relevant experience and skills

Location: Lahore - Pakistan

Application closing date: 01 11 2024

About the Job

The Pakistan Programmes team is looking for a dynamic Senior Officer who will support Better Cotton’s Global Innovation Fund (GIF) and Partnerships workstreams on an ongoing basis and support capacity building initiatives at the field level. This partnerships portfolio will support partner identification and selection, due diligence and CAP follow-ups, onboarding and ongoing management and monitoring along with the comprehensive GIF application and evaluation  cycle. With a growing partnership base in the country(including knowledge and programme partners), the Senior Officer will ensure that these partners receive adequate support and capacity strengthening.

The position will be line managed by the Partnership and capacity Strengthening Manager at Pakistan.

Your role and responsibilities

In this role, you will be responsible for:

• Identify, screen, shortlist and evaluate potential new programme and knowledge partners.
• Support third-party due diligence exercises and lead CAP follow-ups on a quarterly/bi-annual basis.
• Provide guidance, reflection and support to partners in the GIF application drafting, budgeting and MEL plan design
• Coordinate and work closely with the global GIF team in partnership management, support and application reviews, scoring and evaluation
• Onboard and support new and existing partners on Better Cotton’s Standard System.
• Conduct regular field visits and monthly review meetings with partners on their activity plans, performance improvement plans, assurance activities, and impact achievement etc.
• Come up with novel and cost-effective ways to track field activities and practice adoption .
• Operate a systematic relationship management and monitoring approach to increase the quality of delivery through programme partners and conduct regular virtual and in-person meetings.
• Implement progress review and learning areas to support the quality programme delivery.
• Work closely with other team members to ensure that partner progress and potential of scale-up are well communicated and execute measures for the continuous improvement.
• Facilitate the capacity building activities including the cascading model, master trainer program, PU Managers training and relevant follow-up activities jointly with programme partners.
• Support the capacity building team in devising organisational development models for programme partners to strengthen their sustainable cotton farming practices and learning methodologies.
• Identify the training needs of programme partners and provide capacity building support to ensure the continuous improvement according to Better Cotton Standard Systems (BCSS).
• Execute knowledge exchange networks via creating online/face-to-face formats on key sustainability issues to facilitate programme partners.
• Provide required support in managing databases from programme partners according to the needs of the Better Cotton Standard System (BCSS) by ensuring the data is used for quality analysis.
• Provide required information to Assurance, Membership, Supply Chain, M&E and Traceability teams, so that the Better Cotton project database is up to date and contains accurate information.
• Support the analysis of agronomic, economic, and social indicator data, to ensure accurate referencing to regional contexts.
• Share the results of data analysis to facilitate Producer Units’ learning and encourage the continuous improvement of participating farmers.
• Support Producer Units’ staff, matters concerning Better Cotton reporting tools and processes to ensure that deadlines are respected and to collect their feedback to ensure the continuous improvement of Better Cotton systems.
• Develop close liaison with Assurance, Membership, Supply Chain and Traceability teams to understand the programme's needs in Pakistan.
• Assist the global grants team in developing proposals for other funding opportunities.
• Provide support to the membership team in the country to arrange events.

Beyond these specific responsibilities, the Senior Programme Officer (Partnership and Capacity Strengthening) is expected to collaborate on additional activities agreed with the Country Director – Pakistan, Partnerships & Capacity Strengthening Manager - Pakistan and matrix manager (s) from Better Cotton global team.

We are looking for someone who has

The candidate will have the following Skills, Knowledge, and Experience:

What we offer

• Competitive salary.
• Hybrid working – (Depending upon location).
• Continuous learning and development.
• 25 days paid annual leave, plus 8-9 Bank Holidays and a further 3 days off and parental benefits.
• A warm, positive working environment where everyone is valued.
• The opportunity to make your mark and make a difference.

• Flexible working, with core hours from 10 am to 4 pm local time.
• Medical outdoor coverage.
• Indoor Health insurances for self and dependant/s.
• Life Insurance.
• Terminal benefit (Gratuity).

Working arrangements

The position is full-time (40 hours per week) and will be based in Lahore - Pakistan. Better Cotton offers flexible working, with core hours being 10 am – 4 pm.  The position might require travel domestically as well as internationally, if needed.

Our hiring process

Initial Screening:

If you are selected, you will be contacted for an initial screening, which may involve a brief phone interview or video call. The purpose is to learn more about you, confirm basic qualifications, and discuss the role and organisation.

Interviews:

If you are confirmed after the initial screening, you will be invited for interviews. The interview process at Better Cotton may include one or more rounds of interviews with various stakeholders, such as the hiring manager, team members, and potentially senior management.

Assessment and Testing:

Depending on the role, you might be required to complete assessments, technical tests, or skills evaluations to gauge your competency and suitability for the position.

Reference Checks:

Once you progress further in the process, reference checks are conducted to validate your work history, skills, and qualifications, and for some roles, your education and criminal history.

Offer stage:

After completing interviews, assessments, and reference checks, the hiring team evaluates your performance and fit for the role. If you are selected and your references are relevant and satisfactory, you will receive a formal job offer letter outlining the terms of employment, compensation, benefits, and any other relevant details.

About Better Cotton

Better Cotton is the world’s largest cotton sustainability programme. Our 200+ colleagues of 37+ nationalities are united by a shared passion and commitment to achieving the Better Cotton mission: to help cotton communities survive and thrive, while protecting and restoring the environment. Through our network of field-level partners 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 our Values

The post holder will be expected to operate in line with our workplace values which are:  

• Trustworthy (including honest, transparent, credible) 
• As having Integrity (including responsible, authentic) 
• Positive (including problem-solving, pragmatic) 
• Engaging (including adaptable, inclusive, holistic) 
• Daring (including courageous, innovative, game-changing)  

Being you @ Better Cotton

Better Cotton is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer with a strong commitment to good practice and transparency in the management of natural, human, and financial resources.

We have a zero-tolerance approach to any attitudes or behaviours that put children or adults at risk of harm. Safeguarding incidents are acts of serious misconduct and are grounds for disciplinary action, up to and including, dismissal and referral to relevant authorities for criminal prosecution. Therefore, all offers of employment are subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks.