UEBT Assurance lead

About UEBT

UEBT is an international non-profit organisation that promotes sourcing with respect for people and biodiversity. We work to regenerate nature and secure a better future for people through ethical sourcing of ingredients from biodiversity. UEBT sets good practices for how companies and their suppliers source specialty ingredients for the food, beauty, and natural pharmaceutical sectors. UEBT is internationally recognised for its work advancing business contributions to sustainable development goals. UEBT has a team of dedicated professionals in various countries around the world. UEBT strives to be an equal opportunities employer. Please learn more about us by visiting our web site at www.uebt.org and reading about our organisational values below.

As part of its UEBT verification and certification programmes, UEBT conducts supply chain assessments with the aim of driving continuous improvements in cultivation and wild collection practices of botanicals. These programmes include UEBT’s own programmes, as well as partnerships such as the UEBT/RA herbs and spices programme and the UEBT/SAI Platform partnership on wild-harvested botanicals.

For its supply chain assessment programmes, UEBT is looking for an experienced assurance lead. This new role will be reporting to the Executive Director and work closely with the certification and verification teams.

Responsibilities:

  • Responsible for the UEBT assurance system, ensuring that the system is efficient, credible and cost-effective, and complies with ISEAL principles and codes and upcoming regulations.

  • Develop and enhance, in close cooperation with certification and verification teams, the UEBT assurance protocols, requirements for certificate holders, verification and certification checklists, Chain of Custody approach, training materials, and technical guidance. Harmonizing where possible and differentiate where needed, the assurance approaches of verification and certification programs.

  • Support the certification and verification teams on assurance matters. Of this time, the assurance lead is expected to spend an estimated 70% on certification and 30% on verification.

  • Conceive, test and implement innovative approaches to certification assurance, adapted to the reality and needs of UEBT member companies, their local suppliers and associated local producers.

  • Coordinate with different UEBT teams (certification, verification, IT, biodiversity, membership, claims, and country representatives) to assure high quality delivery of services UEBT clients.

Requirements:

  • More than 10 years work experience in assurance systems of voluntary sustainability standards systems.

  • Creative thinker with a demonstrated capability and interest in tailoring solutions to the needs of partners and internal stakeholders.

  • Work experience with botanical ingredients for food, beauty and pharma would be an asset.

  • Proven ability to successfully develop and execute complex projects autonomously with different stakeholders.

  • Service oriented team player with a pragmatic and problem-solving attitude.

  • Able to operate in a small and mostly remote organisation and deal with a wide variety of both day-to-day tasks and high-level responsibilities.

  • Academic degree in a relevant field.

  • Fluency in English. Good working knowledge of other languages such as French, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Arabic or Chinese would be highly valued.

Employment is based upon 40 or 32 hours a week. This is a remote position, but is preferably based in Europe, with an additional preference for the Netherlands where the UEBT secretariat is located (Amsterdam-based staff currently come together one-day-per-week in the office). A valid working permit for EU would be required for candidates based in Europe.

Please apply before 10 January 2025 to info@uebt.org. Interested candidates are encouraged to apply as soon as possible, as we will invite candidates for interviews on a continuous basis. If we find the right candidate before 10 January, we will close this vacancy. We regret that we will only be able to contact short-listed candidates.

Please send your application or any questions to info@uebt.org

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UEBT Values

Collaboration 

We support, guide and encourage our partners through our common journey towards sourcing with respect.  We work inside UEBT in collaborative teams and strive to remain connected no matter where we live and work.  We aspire to support each other’s wellbeing and to empower ourselves and others to achieve work-life balance. 

Commitment 

We are deeply involved in our work and passionate about making a positive impact. We do this by providing support and diverse expertise to our partners. We care and are willing to go the extra mile to achieve our goals. Because of our commitment, we strive for relevance and high-quality in the work we produce.    

Impact  

We work to understand and share insights into the real issues. We are pragmatic and context-specific and work with companies to translate commitments into actions that make real and necessary changes in the lives of local people and in biodiversity. 

Inspiration 

We focus on creative, concrete solutions, in a positive and open-minded way. We are supportive of our partners improving their practices, while also striving to inspire other stakeholders.  We encourage our partners to take a new view of, and make commitments for, people and biodiversity.  Within our UEBT teams, we foster safe spaces to find innovative solutions. 

Multiculturalism 

With deep respect for biodiversity that includes humankind, we value multiculturalism.  This means we respect each other and learn from our differences. We value diversity of people and their cultures, including their respective ideas, traditions, values, and ways of knowing and working.  We strive to successfully work across different contexts and cultures. 

Trust 

We work to earn trust, and work purposefully to keep this trust, while remaining solution oriented.  We seek to listen and understand, offering practical tools adapted to the needs of our members and other stakeholders.  In our work across the sector and among our members, we work to build overall trust and to be seen as a credible and reliable partner.