At Earthworm Foundation, we believe that supply chains can be an engine of prosperity for communities and ecosystems. To achieve this, we work with companies and other actors to tackle the environmental and social challenges of production practices.

What Makes Us Unique

Our profound belief in people, their capacity to change and be a force for good. Our desire to work where the problems are, to innovate and find practical solutions on the ground.

Earthworm Foundation is seeking a motivated Grievance Response Manager – Responsible Sourcing based in Jakarta, Indonesia or Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

The Grievance Response Manager will be part of the Grievance Management Team within Earthworm, which delivers Earthworm’s grievance service to member and client companies – typically consumer goods companies based in Europe and the US. The term ‘grievance’ we use to describe campaigns by NGOs like Greenpeace and Amnesty International or media outlets like the Associated Press, who make allegations of environmental and human rights abuses against companies through connections in their commodity supply chains. The scope of Earthworm’s work with the companies in question is palm oil and their connection to deforestation, peat degradation and exploitation of communities and workers, but increasingly looks beyond to other commodity supply chains.

Earthworm provides the technical expertise and local knowledge of our field offices to analyse grievance cases and make recommendations on how Earthworm members and clients should respond, and supports their engagement with suppliers and the campaigning NGOs. Earthworm also supports our members and clients to design and implement projects on the ground in the main palm (and other agricultural commodity) producing regions of the globe to address the problems often highlighted in grievances.

Your job :

The Grievance Response Manager will:

• Have or develop a deep understanding of the palm oil industry, the key sourcing countries, the primary issues that lead to grievances and the key actors involved – progressively building a network of contacts and representing Earthworm externally in a variety of forums;
• Support the Grievance Lead and the wider Grievance Team in managing each grievance case as it arrives and in the engagement with members and clients needing advice and direct support as they engage their suppliers;
• Lead the delivery of Earthworm’s grievance program with a large consumer goods company;
• Interact with colleagues across the globe to bring together the necessary information to provide our members/clients with briefings, including recommendations;
• Take an increasingly leading role in assessing and prioritising new cases and driving forward the investigations of cases originating in Indonesia and Malaysia – including cultivating external contacts with campaigning NGOs and relevant partner organisations;
• Work with the Grievance Lead to develop the service and to explore collaborations between members to drive progress on high priority cases – which might include mobilising local teams to take action directly in the field or design more long-term interventions, perhaps identifying and engaging suitable partner organisations;
• Work with colleagues to produce grievance risk reports and present them in meetings to the members and clients;
• There may be opportunity to work beyond the scope of the Grievance Service, likely supporting teams developing on the ground interventions, with particular focus on Earthworm’s landscape projects in Indonesia and Malaysia;

Your profile:

• Minimum 5 years relevant professional working experience, ideally with global supply chain experience in relationship management, supply chain management, and/or sustainability.
• Knowledge of natural raw materials and agricultural commodities an advantage.
• University degree or higher-level qualification in a field related to business management, the environment, sociology/anthropology or international development (or equivalent professional experience);
• An interest in global development issues and desire to confront instances of deforestation and exploitation and help find solutions;
• Experience dealing with a wide variety of stakeholders and organisations from around the globe, spanning campaigning NGOs and corporate entities;
• Presentation skills: experienced in delivering complex information in layman’s terms;
• Strong inter-personal skills and experience in building diverse networks of contacts;
• Good analytical, reasoning and reporting skills – the role will require the ability to review a range of data sources, identify relevant information and be able to present it back clearly and concisely – and derive logical conclusions and recommendations;
• Excellent data management skills and proficiency in Excel;
• Teamwork – comfortable working with a team spread across the globe and incorporating our members/clients;
• Innovative and solutions-focussed – with a continuous improvement mind-set;
• Experience using GIS systems useful but not essential;
• Committed to Earthworm Foundation values.

Language skills:

• Fluency in English (spoken and written);
• Fluency in Bahasa Indonesia or Bahasa Melayu (spoken and written)

Working conditions / Physical effort

• Based in in either of Earthworm’s offices in Jakarta, Indonesia or Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (depending on the chosen candidate’s location), with flexibility for hybrid working;
• Occasional travel to other Earthworm offices and member and client locations in home country and overseas.

Other information

• Fixed-term contract for 24 months;
• Full-time position;
• Immediate start;
• Authorisation to work in either Indonesia or Malaysia required.

To Apply

Interested candidates are invited to send a cover letter and CV via email to indonesia.recruitment@earthworm.org by 9 April, 2023. Please put your “Family name” and “GR Manager 23” in the subject line of the email. Successful candidates will be contacted by email for an initial interview. The position will be open until filled. Only candidates who send a CV/Resume and cover letter will be considered. Only selected candidates will be contacted.