Project Officer (field Liaison)

Role title

Project Officer (Field Liaison)

Location

Minas Gerais OR São Paulo, Brazil

Grade

Contractor

Reports to (title)

Senior Consultant

Version date

July 2024

Business Background

Who are LRQA?

LRQA stands for dedication to clients, market firsts, and deep expertise in risk management. We’ve grown to become a leading global assurance provider, bringing together outstanding expertise in certification, customised assurance, cybersecurity, inspection and training.

While we’re proud of our heritage, it’s who we are today that really matters, because that’s what shapes who we and our clients can become tomorrow. By staying true to our shared values and combining decades of collective experience, we support our clients in building a safer and more sustainable future.

What do we do?

We help our clients negotiate a rapidly changing world, by working with them to manage and mitigate the risks they face. We serve a wide variety of industries, with a core focus on Food & Beverage, Consumer Goods, Transportation & Mobility, Technology & Telco, Construction & Manufacturing, Energy and Renewables and Chemical & Processing.

Our products and services range from independent third-party auditing to certification and training; we also offer consultancy services, real- time assurance technology and data-driven supply chain transformation programs. our innovative end-to- end solutions help our clients shape their own future, rather than letting it shape them.

LRQA currently operates across 51 countries, has more than 2,500 colleagues, generates around £350m in revenue, and supports more than 60,000 clients across a diverse range of sectors and markets.

The next chapter for LRQA

As the preferred assurance partner for our clients, we are relentless in helping them respond to the era of Assurance 4.0.

Our decades of sector expertise in assuring assets and management systems, ensuring product integrity, responsible sourcing, navigating the energy transition and achieving net zero, and strengthening cybersecurity maturity will help them to anticipate, mitigate and manage risk wherever they operate, freeing them to focus on growth.

With solid expertise and heritage in our sector, coupled with well-timed accelerated investment and a leadership team that is fully committed to delivering our vision, LRQA’s next chapter is set to be an exciting, transformational period of growth. We’re well placed to build on everything we’ve done and further our ambitions for the future. At such an exciting time key talent is critical, and this role is a great opportunity to be part of our next chapter.

Role purpose:

(Português abaixo)

LRQA Consulting team specializes in helping clients to design and implement responsible sourcing programs and sustainability/ESG strategies in their supply chains.  This role provides candidates with the opportunity to build skills in sustainability consulting, a dynamic and growing sector. It is also an excellent opportunity for an entrepreneurial individual to join a rapidly growing and successful business that is disrupting traditional approaches to sustainability, responsible sourcing, and supply chain management. The person in this role will be heavily involved in the CAFÉ Project (Comprehensive Action towards Forced labor Eradication). The project, a partnership between the Global Fund to End Modern Slavery and LRQA, aims to combat forced labor in Brazil’s coffee industry, with a specific focus on Minas Gerais, the country’s largest coffee producing region. The project seeks to address labor abuses through protection, prosecution, and survivor inclusion. As part of this initiative, a grievance mechanism in the form of a helpline has been established to enable coffee workers to report human rights violations and forced labor situations.  

LRQA is seeking a dedicated individual to conduct onsite visits to coffee farms in Minas Gerais. The field representative will engage with coffee workers, introduce them to the helpline, and provide necessary training on its use.

We are looking for candidates who have easy access to major coffee-producing regions, potentially living in cities such as: São Paulo, Campinas, Belo Horizonte, Uberlândia or Ribeirão Preto.

A equipe de consultoria da LRQA é especializada em ajudar clientes em projetos e programas de fornecimento responsável e estratégias de sustentabilidade/ESG em suas cadeias de suprimentos.

Esta função oferece aos candidatos a oportunidade de desenvolver habilidades em consultoria de sustentabilidade, um setor dinâmico e crescente. Também é uma excelente oportunidade para um indivíduo empreendedor se juntar a um negócio de rápido crescimento e sucesso que está recriando as abordagens tradicionais de sustentabilidade, fornecimento responsável e gerenciamento da cadeia de suprimentos.

A pessoa nesta função estará fortemente envolvida no Projeto CAFÉ (Ação Abrangente para a Erradicação do Trabalho Forçado). O projeto, uma parceria entre o Fundo Global para Acabar com a Escravidão Moderna e a LRQA, visa combater o trabalho forçado na indústria de café do Brasil, em todo o território nacional. O projeto busca abordar abusos trabalhistas por meio de proteção, processo e inclusão de sobreviventes. Como parte desta iniciativa, um mecanismo de reclamação na forma de uma linha de ajuda foi estabelecido para permitir que os trabalhadores do café denunciem violações de direitos humanos e situações de trabalho forçado.

A LRQA está buscando uma pessoa dedicada para realizar visitas in loco às fazendas de café em estados como Minas Gerais, São Paulo, Bahia, Espírito Santo, Paraná entre outros. O representante de campo irá interagir com os trabalhadores do café, apresentar-lhes a linha de apoio e fornecer-lhes a formação necessária sobre a sua utilização.

Procuramos candidatos que tenham fácil acesso a grandes regiões produtoras de café, potencialmente residentes em cidades como: São Paulo, Campinas, Belo Horizonte, Uberlândia ou Ribeirão Preto.

 Key Responsibilities:

(Português abaixo)

Coordinate a set of interventions to reduce forced labor in the coffee sector, including direct worker engagement and implementation of a grievance mechanism (90%):

• Establishment of communication and prompt follow-up with coffee producers in Minas Gerais and international companies sourcing coffee from Minas Gerais, São Paulo, Paraná and Bahia
• Ensuring buy-in from producers, traders, and retailers (convincing them to participate in the project)
• Engagement in field activities (farm visits at SP/MG/BA/ES/PR)
• Support of monitoring and evaluation data collection and reporting
• Support of reporting procedures
• Participating in the deployment of a worker-centric grievance channel together with project team members
• Participate and contribute to meetings with project partners

Support local supply chain consulting and assessments (10%):

• Participate in planning and briefing sessions of the local Consulting team
• Support sustainable supply chain projects with subject matter expertise
• Participate in select consulting and research projects in the agriculture and food sector

Coordenar um conjunto de intervenções para reduzir o trabalho forçado no setor de café, incluindo o engajamento direto dos trabalhadores e a implementação de um mecanismo de reclamação (90%):

·       Estabelecimento de comunicação e acompanhamento rápido com produtores de café e empresas internacionais que compram café

·       Garantir a adesão de produtores, traders e cooperativas (convencê-los a participar do projeto)

·       Engajamento em atividades de campo (visitas a fazendas em SP/MG/BA/ES/PR)

·       Suporte à coleta e relatórios de dados de monitoramento e avaliação

·       Suporte aos procedimentos de relatórios

·       Participar da implantação de um canal de reclamação centrado no trabalhador junto com os membros da equipe do projeto

·       Participar e contribuir para reuniões com parceiros do projeto

Apoiar consultoria e avaliações da cadeia de suprimentos local (10%):

·       Participar de sessões de planejamento e briefing da equipe de consultoria local

·       Apoiar projetos de cadeia de suprimentos sustentáveis ​​com experiência no assunto

·       Participar de projetos selecionados de consultoria e pesquisa no setor agrícola e alimentícion

Geographic area of impact

Brazil

Key stakeholders

Client / Suppliers

Technical / Professional Qualifications / Requirements:

• Knowledge of legal and regulatory framework on labour issues in Brazil

• Knowledge of the food & agriculture industry (especially Coffee sector)

• Strong project management abilities; able to plan and implement work independently

• Ability to proactively communicate and network with variety of stakeholders

• Ability to communicate tactfully and manage sensitivities, especially in talking to workers in rural and low-income settings

• Strong problem-solving skills to anticipate challenges and identify solutions as they arise

• Portuguese skills (native speaker only)

• English skills (high proficiency)

• Basic computer skills and ability to adhere to new technologies

• Background and knowledge on Zendesk will be a differential

• Valid driver's license in Brazil to facilitate transportation during onsite visits

Highly desirable:

Knowledge of and/or experience in the Brazilian food and agricultural sector

Familiarity with social certifications and auditing protocols/sustainability issues

The ideal candidate should preferably be based in Minas Gerais, Brazil.

All travel expenses related to farm visits will be fully covered.

 Our Values:

Expertise

We value our experience, specialist knowledge, and pioneering history within the industry. But we also never stop looking for ways to learn and improve in the future.

Integrity

We always do what’s right, in the right way and continually measure our actions and their outcomes against rigorous criteria – both those of stakeholders and our own.

Ambition

We are industry leaders because we combine technology and innovation with the expertise of our people. We help our clients be the best they can be, by being the best we can be.

Vision

We support our clients in the present and prepare them for future success, by using our sharp understanding of social, environmental,  technological, and commercial changes to work towards a safer, cleaner, more sustainable future.

Togetherness

We respect the unique skills, expertise and backgrounds of our people and the inclusive culture they create. We believe teamwork and collaboration – internally and with our clients – are the best way to achieve our mutual goals.