Starting Date: ASAP

Contract type: Full-time and open-ended

Salary: if hired in Delhi, India INR 3,042,400, if hired in Lahore, Pakistan PKR 6,773,600, commensurate with skills and experience

Location: Delhi, India or Lahore, Pakistan

Application closing date: 20 12 2024

About the Job 

Are you purpose-led and ready to embark on a journey to shape the future of sustainable cotton? Join us at Better Cotton as Regenerative Agriculture Manager and play a pivotal role in driving Better Cotton’s 2030 Strategy, ensuring measurable progress in sustainable farming practices for the world’s largest cotton sustainability initiative – we support more sustainable farming practices and farm livelihoods for nearly 3 million farmers in the Better Cotton network in 23 countries around the world. 

The individual will provide technical expertise, thought leadership, and foster innovation to meet strategic aims. They will collaborate with internal teams and external stakeholders, shaping the global regenerative approach, and supporting fundraising initiatives.  

Experience in delivering agriculture related programmes and managing partnerships at scale in a not-for-profit environment would be considered a definite asset for this role. Most Better Cotton farmers are smallholder family farmers. For this reason, the ideal candidate´s experience will encompass both the agronomic side of agriculture as well as working with smallholder farming – or at least a strong understanding of this context and the potential barriers to capacity strengthening and the adoption of regenerative practices. 

This is a new, and exciting role which has the potential to fundamentally shape how Better Cotton embeds Regenerative Agriculture while also helping ensure that cotton farmers can survive and thrive and adapt to a growing climate crisis. 

The Challenge

Looking ahead to 2030, we are targeting reducing GHG emissions from cotton production by half, big cuts in synthetic pesticide use, improve soil health across our network, improve farm income and support women’s empowerment among farmers and farm workers.  

Better Cotton embraces Regenerative Agriculture and the overarching idea that it gives back, rather than takes from nature and society and in our approach, we emphasize the interrelation between nature and people. 

Many regenerative practices are already implemented by Better Cotton farmers; however we recognise that there can be barriers to wider adoption, and we want to support Better Cotton farmers to more rapidly adjust to regenerative production. 

Areas that play to your strengths

We are seeking a motivated Regenerative Agriculture Manager to join our Programmes Team. In this role, you will be responsible for:

TECHNICAL EXPERTISE AND THOUGHT LEADERSHIP 

• Ensure alignment of the Better Cotton regenerative agriculture approach with internal strategies, global agendas, retailer, and brand requirements, and evolving scientific research. 
• Oversea and lead internal an internal working group to enhance knowledge sharing and cross functional collaborations.  
• Collaborate with external organisations, build complementary relationships and align with industry initiatives and metrics. 
• Represent Better Cotton in working groups and cross-sector initiatives relevant to regenerative agriculture and textiles. 
• Continuously monitor trends and developments in the field of 'regenerative' agriculture and textiles. Provide feedback on key opportunities and implications to Better Cotton teams and functions. 
• Collaborate closely with the Better Cotton Communications team and other departments to develop and deliver compelling messages regarding our approach and provide thought leadership and share subject matter updates. 
• Promote Better Cotton’s approach and activities through engaging in speaking events, conferences, or panels as relevant and suitable. 
• Provide expert-level input for the development of guidance and training materials related to regenerative agriculture concepts in the Better Cotton Standard. 
• Collaborate with other internal teams to design and refine impact indicators, baselines, and methodologies. 
• Provide high level interpretation of technical data related to regenerative agriculture 

IMPACT DELIVERY AND INNOVATION 

• Identify and pilot innovative solutions to meet 2030 targets, scaling cost-effective approaches with measurable impacts. 
• Facilitate participatory design processes with stakeholders to align on opportunities and develop evidence-based solutions. 
• Oversee and provide strategic guidance to Better Cotton program teams in developing and implementing localised action plans to encourage the adoption of regenerative practices. 
• Collaborate with the other thematic leads to establish synergies and optimise field level impact though the GIF and novel projects 
• Explore and promote global research efforts to contribute to the global knowledge base, including piloting trials of regenerative practices and innovative inputs such as alternatives to synthetic fertilisers, green fertilisers, and new seed and trait development. 
• Partner with the Knowledge Management team to facilitate knowledge transfer and enhance capacity strengthening activities 
• Support pilot testing of regenerative agriculture implementation and assessment frameworks  
• Support with data collection for baselines and on-going monitoring in order to track and communicate progress 
• Manage cross-functional and multi-country regenerative agriculture projects, ensuring successful implementation and scaling of solutions. 

FUNDRAISING AND PARTNERSHIP BUILDING 

• Provide technical input to support the fundraising team in developing proposals, managing donor pipelines, and securing partnerships to fund initiatives related to regenerative agriculture.  
• Collaborate with the fundraising team to strengthen and maintain relationships with institutional donors, retailers, and brands to advance Better Cotton’s fundraising goals related to regenerative agriculture  
• Take the lead in identifying and establishing new global partnerships with critical NGOs, multistakeholder groups, government actors, and other stakeholders to advance regenerative initiatives. Also, manage existing partnerships. 
• Provide strategic guidance and support to country-level Better Cotton teams in identifying and cultivating effective regional partnerships. 

We are looking for someone who has

the following skills, knowledge, and experience:

Essential 

• University degree, or equivalent higher education qualification, in a relevant field 
• Demonstrated technical expertise related to regenerative agriculture  
• Proven and extrensive work experience, ideally in technical advisory or managing programmes, in a relevant field  
• Excellent organisational skills – ability to handle multiple projects in parallel, prioritise, and meet deadlines. 
• Proven ability to collaborate effectively (in-person and through use of virtual tools) across different teams and cultures, strong relationship building skills and service-oriented attitude 
• Track record in brokering new partnerships 
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills – ability to communicate clearly and concisely, as well as the ability to assimilate and process information for wide-ranging audiences 
• Proven ability to work autonomously with a high level of personal effectiveness and ability to adapt to changing priorities 
• Aptitude to appraise arguments critically and logically, organise ideas in a clear and concise manner, and draw conclusions and formulate arguments in way that is effective, concise, precise and specific 
• Financial skills, particularly building and managing budgets  
• Excellent computer and IT skills, including: Word; PowerPoint; Excel, Outlook 
• Fluent in English– ability to communicate clearly and concisely 

Desirable 

• Experience working with smallholder farmers, particularly cotton farmers   
• Experience developing and implementing a global approach / strategy for other organisations 
• Knowledge across the textile value chain 
• Expertise in fundraising or business development 
• Experience in farmer training and capacity building  
• Experience with standards systems 
• Competency in languages most relevant to Better Cotton countries, such as Portuguese, French, Hindi, Urdu, Mandarin and Turkish 

What we offer

• Competitive salary 
• Hybrid working – Two to three days/week in the offices Delhi or Lahore  
• The opportunity to work from anywhere in the world for up to one month per year 
• Flexible working, with core hours from 10 am to 4 pm local time 
• Continuous learning and development 
• Pension scheme 
• 25 days paid annual leave, plus 8-9 Bank Holidays and a further 3 discretionary days off over year end period 
• Enhanced parental benefits 
• A warm, positive working environment where everyone is valued 
• The opportunity to make your mark and make a difference. 

Working arrangements

The position is full-time (40 hours per week) and will be based either in Lahore or Delhi. Better Cotton offers flexible working, with core hours being 10 am – 4 pm.  The position will require limited travel - likely 2-3 short-haul trips per year and 1-2 longer trips to a cotton-growing region (Africa, South Asia, Americas). 

Apply now

Send us your CV (2 pages maximum) and a brief cover letter (1-page maximum) by or before 20.12.2024 via this link.  

In your cover letter, please include an explanation of why your experience is specifically relevant to this role at Better Cotton. We want to see your personal style – what makes you tick and why you think your next opportunity is here with us. 

Our hiring process

Initial Screening:

Applicant screening is a crucial step in our recruitment process. This stage may involve a brief phone interview or video call to evaluate your suitability for the position. During this screening, we review resumes and cover letters, and may conduct initial background checks to narrow down the pool of applicant. Internal candidates are encouraged to inform their line manager about their application to promote transparency and help facilitate a smooth transition if selected.

Interviews:

If you successfully pass 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. As an internal candidate, you may have discussions regarding your current responsibilities and how they will transition to the new position.

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. Internal candidates may have the option to demonstrate their existing skills through current job performance or past project outcomes.

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. Internal candidates may be asked for references from current or previous supervisors within Better Cotton to provide insights into their performance and capabilities.

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. For internal candidates, the offer process may include a discussion about how your transition to the new role will be managed and any support needed for a smooth handover.

About Better Cotton

Better Cotton is a global not-for-profit organisation supporting the production of more equitable and sustainable cotton at farm level. We exist to catalyse the cotton farming community with partners, governments and others to continuously drive positive impact by setting standards and facilitating the supply and demand of more sustainable cotton from farm to brand. In just 15 years we have aligned more than a fifth of the world’s cotton with our standard and helped farmers and farming communities thrive. Join us in building a better, more sustainable future for cotton worldwide.

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.