Job Opportunity for Senior Decent Work Coordinator at Better Cotton Initiative in New Delhi

Starting Date: 02 Jan 2023

Contract type: Fixed term12 months contract (with possibility of extension to a permanent contract)

Salary: INR 2,270,000

Location: New Delhi, India

Application closing date: Midnight 28.10.2022 IST

Background

The Better Cotton Initiative (Better Cotton) is a multi-stakeholder initiative and the largest cotton sustainability programme in the world. It is governed by a multistakeholder council comprising representatives of 5 membership categories (civil society, producer organisations, retailers & brands, suppliers & manufacturers and independent members) that are elected by a general assembly. Better Cotton’s Secretariat implements the Council’s decisions and operates the Better Cotton’ Standards System (BCSS) in collaboration with local partners currently supporting over 2.9 million farmers in 26 countries. The BCSS is made of different components including among others the Better Cotton Principles & Criteria (P&C), a capacity building programme and an assurance programme designed to accompany and guide farmers in continuously adopting more sustainable agricultural practices. Thanks to these efforts, Better Cotton accounted for around 20% of global cotton production in the 2020-2021 season.

Acknowledging that sustainability in cotton production will only be achieved if both its environmental and social aspects improve, Better Cotton is committed to increase its attention to the needs expressed by farmers and farm workers and to be more accountable for advancing their social, economic and labour rights.. Smallholder farmers and their communities, who make up the majority of Better Cotton farms and 99% of the world’s cotton farmers, face enormous challenges to exercise their most basic rights, including their right to be effectively recognized as well as their right to earn an income that is adequate to fund a decent standard of living.

In India, Better Cotton currently operates in 8 States – Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Telangana, and Karnataka – serving over 1 million smallholder farms organised into 251 Producer Units and supported by a network of 22 Programme Partners. In 2021, a field-based risk assessment was conducted to better understand the labour profiles in relevant cotton-producing states and to identify drivers of forced labour and child labour and other decent work-related risk factors. The qualitative outcomes of this assessment provided valuable insights for the development of Better Cotton’s decent work workstream in India that is to be implemented and further adapted to the different realities of the local contexts where better cotton is grown.

About this role

We are looking for a proactive, experienced Senior Decent Work Coordinator to take the lead on the implementation of the decent work workstream in India. This role is embedded in the Better Cotton India Programme Team with technical backstopping from the Decent Work counterpart based in Geneva (Switzerland).

As a Senior Decent Work Coordinator, you will be expected to effectively lead, represent, communicate about and coordinate any decent work related activity, especially in the areas of stakeholder engagement and capacity building. This will comprise the initiation of new projects and partnerships around decent work and the design and implementation of localised plans to address decent work related risks. The position will support our Programme Partners’ capacities to monitor and address incidents and risks to decent work including through the establishment of effective mechanisms and the development of partnerships with social and labour rights expert organisations.

This role offers excellent opportunities for personal and professional development, together with a competitive benefits package.

Responsibilities

Decent Work workstream adaptation and implementation through:

Stakeholder engagement

• Build a network of key stakeholders at country level including labour experts, government agencies, local civil society groups and worker representative structures which can be drawn upon a) to help inform our decent work related plans and support us with capacity building work, and
  b) to support our Programme Partners to implement decent work projects in specific areas;
• Lead on continuous risk assessments (local and country-wide) to enable risk-based targeting and inform assurance and capacity building approaches and tools;
• Coordinate desk- and field-based research by external experts at country level on deeper dives into decent work related topics and risk factors (ie. heat stress; living income; gender inequalities etc.);
• Ensure that country programme activities, including mitigation measures and remediation approach are informed by the outcomes of contexts specific risk assessments and consultation with key stakeholders;
• Review Producer self-assessments and external assessments for risks, identify specific vulnerable groups and provide recommendations to adapt assurance and capacity building approaches and tools;
• Translate Better Cotton’s global decent work agenda and lead its adaptation to India specific contexts;

Training and capacity building

• Support partners in identifying effective training methods and help them develop relevant training materials on decent work;
• Support the Programme Partners in developing and roll-out Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning frameworks fit for purpose;
• Explore innovative ways to improve outreach to Better Cotton farmers and workers, including through social media, mass communication channels, etc.;

Grievance handling

• Monitor the complaints received by partners and farmers through existing feedback channels, escalating cases as needed, coordinating corrective action and facilitating remediation in collaboration with the relevant stakeholders, including government agencies, trade unions, local community actors, civil society organisations and labour experts;
• Support partners in establishing grievance redressal mechanisms supporting farm workers and sharecroppers through exploring existing local worker feedback mechanisms, designing and planning implementation of new solutions as needed;

Global Decent Work Team support

• Participate in communication activities relevant to Better Cotton global targets on decent work;
• Contribute to fundraising efforts as needed and relevant for India; and
• Support specific research and innovation projects relating to decent work specific topics.

Profile

The selected candidate will have the following skills, knowledge, and experience:

Skills, Knowledge and Experience

Essential

• University degree in social sciences at a Master’s level, or equivalent higher education qualification, in a relevant field
• Demonstrated expertise in decent work, including international rights and regulatory framework in India on fundamental principles and rights at work, understanding specific challenges around informality and other risk factors in rural areas
• At least 8 years’ working experience, with a minimum 4 years’ experience managing complex projects
• Outstanding communication and coordination skills
• Experience managing stakeholder relations, engaging with the government agencies (e.g. Ministry of labour, labour inspectorates, etc.), civil society and workers’ organisations
• Experience in conducting assessments and/or interviews with workers or other vulnerable groups, such as children
• Understanding of feedback mechanisms for farmer/worker grievances
• Experience directly supporting farmers, farm workers and farming communities
• Excellent organisation and problem solving skills (capacity to operate independently or with limited supervision)
• Demonstrated qualitative research skills (i.e. focus groups discussions, stakeholder interviews, survey development)
• Fluent in English and one or more state languages in India
• IT literacy including Microsoft software tools
• Willingness to travel frequently (unless travel restrictions are in place) and to carry out administrative tasks

Desirable

• Solid understanding of agricultural production and supply chains for agricultural commodities

Working arrangements

The position is full-time (40 hours per week) and will be based in India. Better Cotton offers flexible working, with core hours being 10am – 4pm.

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 applying via this link.

Application deadline: 28.10.2022

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.

Better Cotton has 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.