Job Description
Starting Date: As soon as possible
Contract type: Permanent, Full-time
Salary: £ 34,900 per annum, (depending on skills and experience)
Location: London, UK
Application closing date: 20 December 2021
(Note: we will be reviewing applications as they are received. Interviews may take place before the application closing date so get your application in as soon as possible!)
Background
Better Cotton is the world's largest cotton sustainability programme. Our mission: to help cotton communities survive and thrive while protecting and restoring the environment. In challenging times, we are meeting the challenge head-on. Through our network of field-level partners we have trained over 2.5 million farmers - from the smallest to the largest - in 23 countries in more sustainable farming practices. 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 this role
Better Cotton is seeking a Membership Coordinator to support the Global Membership Team. The Membership Coordinator will be responsible for maintaining optimal engagement with members of Better Cotton, recruiting new members, and managing projects and process improvements. The role involves regular interaction mainly with apparel and fashion retailers and brands, but also with other commercial members of Better Cotton, essential for driving uptake of Better Cotton and generating related volume-based fees as they source Better Cotton. These fees are re-invested into the Better Cotton field implementation programme in the form of farmer support and capacity building, to assure deepening impact as Better Cotton works towards its 2030 Strategic goals. This position specifically supports achievement of 2.7 m metric tons of Better Cotton uptake by Retailer and Brand members in 2022, so the ability to convincingly communicate the business case for sustainable cotton to all types of stakeholders in the commercial sector is key.
This position comes with an incredible growth opportunity for a skilled professional wanting to consolidate previous successful commercial sustainability and/or CSR experience, to work across a more sustainable commodity as it transforms the sector. The role is suitable for a self-motivated, positive, dynamic, engaging, and service-oriented individual able to inspire and guide companies in adopting and committing long term to the Better Cotton programme.
Responsibilities
Retailer and Brand Members Recruitment & Onboarding
Support retailers and brands as they embark on their Better Cotton exploration, financial planning and membership application process.
Effectively use Better Cotton's Salesforce CRM as part of the recruitment, on-boarding and engagement process.
Plan and deliver meetings with the cross-functional teams of retailers and brand businesses to achieve the alignment necessary to embed an effective Better Cotton sourcing Programme.
Work with new and existing Retailer and Brand members to establish public commitments to and increase their Better Cotton sourcing consistently every year.
Member Services
Follow up with recruited retailers and brands for the first 2 years of joining to ensure that they adopt mechanisms to embed the Better Cotton programme.
Act as Account Manager (Key Contact) for a number of existing Retailers and Brand members, including some of the largest global fashion brands, to assure the requirements outlined in the section above are fully embedded.
Work with members to ensure accurate and timely completion of annual cotton consumption calculations and implementation of 3rd party assessment process beginning in 2022.
Support the Membership team in communicating Better Cotton uptake status updates to members twice per year.
Support the Membership team during the annual invoicing process and regularly follow up with members to ensure timely payment of invoices.
Events and Marketing
Contribute to the development and regular update of member materials for recruitment, events, member training and promotional purposes.
Support the planning and execution of recruitment activities, engagement webinars and other online interactions with Better Cotton members.
Contribute to the consolidation of Better Cotton's engagement strategy, in collaboration with Membership & Supply Chain colleagues and other cross-functional teams.
When international travel resumes, organise peer to peer workshops and represent Better Cotton on sector initiatives as identified and designated by line manager.
Represent Better Cotton at industry trade shows and sustainability-related events.
Project Management and Process Improvement
Review and improve processes and tools for engagement on the core Better Cotton programme for retailers and brands to achieve increasing demand for and uptake of Better Cotton.
Contribute to the development of approaches, and systems for service delivery at scale.
Contribute to the periodic review and consolidation of processes related to the M&SC function to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of delivery of members services within a rapidly growing and transforming organisation.
Contribute to Membership & Supply Chain Team and cross-functional projects within Better Cotton.
Manage assigned projects in line with project management processes employed in Better Cotton
In addition to the above, the Membership Coordinator will deliver any other objectives as agreed with the Membership Manager.
Profile
The selected candidate will have the following skills, knowledge, and experience:
Skills, Knowledge and Experience
Essential
At least 3 years' experience working with international retailers and/or brands, member management, supply chains and/or sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR) in a sales position
Ability to effectively make the case for sustainability
Proven ability to collaborate effectively across different teams and cultures
Strong relationship building skills, service-oriented attitude, and flexibility/adaptability to work under pressure and deliver good quality
Good computer skills and IT literacy, including Word, Powerpoint, and Excel, and analytical skills
High level proficiency in English, both written and spoken, with attentive listening abilities and the ability to communicate clearly, concisely, and authoritatively
Proven ability to multi-task and keep track of several projects running in parallel
Proven ability to work autonomously and adapt to changing priorities
Demonstrated project management skills
Confidence in dealing with different levels of management and practised negotiation skills
Excellent presentation and group training skills
Desirable
Understanding of Chain of Custody systems and how they apply to sustainable commodities
Good abilities to use the features in Powerpoint and other presentation tools such as Prezzi to create attractive presentation materials
Event management experience
Experience with using Salesforce and other CRM
Experience in organizing / moderating a multi-stakeholder group of individuals for constructive collaboration, in either events or working group
Great public speaking skills
Any other languages, particularly European languages, e.g. French, German, Spanish, Italian
Working arrangements
The position is full-time (40 hours per week) and will be based in Geneva or London (or accessible to London). BCI offers flexible working, with core hours being 10am - 4pm and the option to work from home one day per week.
Up to 30% foreign travel will be required under normal circumstances.
Applications
Interested applicants with the required attributes are asked to send, in English, a detailed CV and a brief cover letter (2 pages maximum) to Better Cotton by email with the subject "Application for "Membership Coordinator"
Application deadline:
We thank all applicants for their interest; however, only candidates short-listed for a telephone interview will be contacted. Better Cotton is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to good practice and transparency in the management of natural, human, and financial resources.