Programme Manager – Forest Management

Role Overview

• Lead the Forest Management Programme Team by providing clear direction, effective supervision, and a supportive environment that fosters trust, belonging, and high performance in line with FSC Leadership Principles.
• Develop and implement outcome‑oriented work plans aligned with organizational strategies, ensuring responsible budgeting and efficient use of resources.
• Oversee high‑quality project management across all programme initiatives, ensuring timely, compliant, and budget‑aligned delivery of projects.
• Provide strategic oversight for the revision of key normative documents, including the FSC Principles & Criteria and International Generic Indicators.
• Coordinate and guide the development, approval, maintenance, revision, and interpretation of all normative requirements under the Forest Management Programme.
• Ensure the creation of clear and effective communications, guidance materials, and training resources for certificate holders, certification bodies, and relevant stakeholders.
• Maintain proactive monitoring and reporting systems of the normative processes to deliver regular, accurate status updates to management and approval bodies, ensuring timely interventions to address risks or delays.
• Foster strong collaboration with Country Requirements Programmes to ensure alignment in approach, operational execution, and shared objectives.
• Represent FSC in internal and external forums, contribute to cross-unit coordination, and participate in internal competence and accreditation programmes.

Requirements

• MSc in Forest Management (or related fields such as Ecology, Natural Resource Management, or Business Administration); PhD is a strong asset.
• 5+ years of professional experience in forest management, certification, natural resource management, multi‑stakeholder processes, or program/project management.
• Proven ability to lead and manage teams, with at least 5 years of direct people supervision experience.
• Demonstrated success in project management, including planning, coordination, and delivery.
• Strong skills in document review, evaluation, and management, with the ability to understand and assess complex technical content.
• Excellent analytical, problem‑solving, and critical‑thinking abilities.
• Exceptional time management skills and ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously.
• Experience with monitoring & evaluation and voluntary sustainability schemes (highly desirable).
• Strong communication skills, including writing, presentation, facilitation, and conflict management.
• High level of accuracy, diligence, proactiveness, and solution orientation.
• Proficiency with MS Office 365 (especially MS Word) and ability to interpret data and guide analytics.
• Fluency in English; Spanish or French fluency is an asset.
• Experience with fundraising and donor reporting is a plus.

Benefits

• Benefit from cross-cultural collaboration and networking opportunities by being part of FSC global community of 400+ forest stewards.
• Benefit from work-life balance with our hybrid working structure.
• 30 vacation days yearly.
• Regional transportation ticket.
• Breakfast bars, coffee, tea, water.
• Take part in learning lunches.
• Celebrate together festivals from different cultures.
• Once a year in-person get together with the global FSC staff.