Program Manager, Forest Management Certification

SCS forest certification projects are conducted around the world, and done so under the auspices of the Forest Stewardship Council-FSC.   

SCS is private for-profit company recognized internationally for its third-party evaluation and certification programs. Founded in 1984, SCS offers technical expertise that spans a wide cross-section of the economy including food and agriculture, forestry, coffee, fisheries, energy, consumer products, manufacturing and retailing, and the home improvement and construction sectors. SCS is an accredited body under numerous programs, including the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), and the USDA National Organic Program (NOP). 

Position Overview:

The Program Manager is responsible for the administration of the company's Forest Management Certification program.  Additionally, the Program Manager is expected to be a forest certification practitioner, actively conducting audits as a Lead Auditor. 

Responsibilities:

• Program Management

Oversee certification activities on ~100 forest management operations in 16 countries covering 25 million acres.  With the help of staff find, contract, and train audit team members; provide standard interpretations to auditors and certificate holders; review auditors' work to ensure quality and conformance with FSC accreditation standards.

• Auditing

Working alone, or leading teams of several professionals, assess forest management operations to the FSC certification standards.  Assessments take place on operations throughout the world and involve document review, on-site assessments of field activities, interviews, and extensive report writing.

• Business Development/Marketing

Generate new business through a variety of efforts including preparing competitive proposals, participating in conferences/trade shows, ensuring affiliates are trained and adequately incentivized to market our services, and establishing partnerships in new regions.  Track program revenues, costs and profitability.

• FSC Accreditation and Quality Control

Prepare for accreditation audits, track FSC developments, and implement programmatic changes necessary to maintain SCS' accreditation.

• Employee/Contractor Supervision

Recruit, train, and oversee work of 2 full-time employees, interns, and 25 contract auditors and affiliates in U.S., Latin America, Asia, and Europe. 

• Other Activities
  • Design and implement strategies for business development, stakeholder outreach, credibility assurance, and other strategic matters critical to the success of the program.
  • Participate in development of new/revised standards and modify existing standards to accommodate regional variations in forest management

Qualifications:

• Undergraduate degree in forestry or relevant natural resource discipline; graduate degree in a relevant discipline preferred
• Minimum of 5 years of professional experience in forestry or related field
• Minimum of 1 year of experience in standards application or certification
• Proven ability to work effectively in cross-cultural situations and with a wide range of people with diverse economic, political and professional backgrounds in both public and private sectors
• Excellent communication skills in both written and spoken English
• Computer skills- proficiency in Microsoft Word and Excel required.
• Ability to travel (domestic and international) up to 35% of the time

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Language Skills: Proficiency in Spanish and/or Portuguese is helpful but not required.

Compensation: Compensation is based on qualifications and prior experience.  SCS offers a competitive benefits package including vacation, health, dental, profit sharing, performance bonuses and 401K. 

To Apply:

Please email cover letter and resume.