Programme Coordinator (m/f) African Eco-Labelling Mechanism

Nairobi, Kenya
Project/Field of Activity

The African Union (AU), UNEP and UNECA in cooperation with the African Roundtable on
Sustainable Consumption and Production (ARSCP) and African Organisation for Standardisation
(ARSO) have launched the development of the African Eco-labelling Mechanism (AEM). The
German Federal Ministry of Environment, Nature Protection and Nuclear Safety (BMU) has provided
funding for the initial phase of the institutionalization of the AEM within the framework of the Task
Force on Cooperation with Africa founded in the course of the Marrakech Process. The implementing
agency for this Project Phase of the Mechanism is GIZ in close cooperation with ARSO. The AEM
Secretariat has been set up and is hosted by ARSO. AEM’s governance structures comprising of an
Executive Board, a Technical Board and Sector Working Groups are being established. One of the
main project objectives is to develop an African sustainability standard on which Benchmarking and a
certification process with an Eco-label will be based on. Another main task will be to define a viable
strategy to ensure long-term financial self-sufficiency of the AEM. The marketing of the eco-label in
cooperation with international partners will be another decisive task of the project. Finally, the project
aims at developing the capacity of African accreditation and certification bodies and facilitating access
of producers to certification.
Responsibilities
You will act as deputy to the Executive Manager and cooperate closely with the other project staff and
the officer responsible for the contract and cooperation at GIZ’s Kenya office to ensure the project’s
success and the achievement of the objectives agreed upon with BMU and the AEM Executive Board.
You will support the project’s steering and implementation and its coordination with regional and
national authorities as well as Sector Working Groups. You will be responsible for the management of
project activities as well as the project’s monitoring and evaluation. Furthermore, you will cooperate
closely with the advisory team from the responsible department at GIZ headquarters, which supports
the design of the initiative and in particular the development of the standards and benchmarking
system and the design of the marketing strategy.
To ensure the long-term viability of the AEM programme it is highly desirable that you develop a
commitment to the AEM beyond the project phase.
Qualifications
You have a Master’s degree in agricultural, political, social, economic or environmental sciences and
you have already gained at least 5 years of professional experience. You have proven your excellent
management skills in international projects and you are a committed team player. You have excellent
communication skills, you are accustomed to act in a diplomatic and sensitive manner in a
multicultural working environment and you are able to adjust to multiple demands and shifting
priorities. Sound knowledge and ideally experience in advising or developing voluntary sustainability
standards would be an asset. Proficiency in English is required and fluency in French is an asset.
African Eco-labelling
Mechanism (AEM)
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In cooperation with
Duration
June 2011 until March 2013.
Application Deadline
March 31, 2011 – Close of Business
Applications (together with detailed curriculum vitae, copies of academic certificates and references
including day time telephone contacts) should be sent to arso@arso-oran.org and copy to
aem@giz.de. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.