About us

4C (Certification for Climate, Conservation, and Communities) is a sustainability certification scheme for the coffee and cocoa industry. 4C certification focuses on good agricultural and management practices, including requirements on economic, social and environmental conditions for coffee and cocoa production and processing in order to establish credible sustainable and transparent supply chains. Independent certification bodies verify compliance with the 4C requirements. 4C operates in 20 countries and is the largest certification system in the coffee sector. It is also a highly innovative standard working on a variety of crucial topics such as reduction and offsetting of carbon footprint, biodiversity improvement and empowering women.

Your tasks

4C is a sustainability certification scheme for the coffee and cocoa industry. 4C certification focuses on good agricultural and management practices, including requirements on economic, social and environmental conditions for coffee and cocoa production and processing in order to establish credible sustainable and transparent supply chains. Independent certification bodies verify compliance with the 4C requirements. 4C operates in 20 countries and is the largest certification system in the coffee sector. It is also a highly innovative standard working on a variety of crucial topics such as reduction and offsetting of carbon footprint, biodiversity improvement and empowering women.

To further strengthen our 4C System Operations (Certification) team, we are looking forward to welcoming you as Sustainability Manager with a focus on Coffee, or Coffee and Cocoa at our headquarters in Cologne.

In this role, you will take a leading responsibility for managing sustainability certification activities in your countries of responsibility, coordinating closely with certification bodies, managing entities and international stakeholders across the coffee, or coffee and cocoa supply chain. You will actively contribute to the development, integrity and expansion of the 4C system while supporting international customer acquisition and strategic partnerships. You will also contribute to implement project activities in your countries of responsibility when required.

If you are passionate about sustainability and would like to join a culturally certified Great Place to Work® company with highly motivated and diverse teams making a real difference, we look forward to your application!

Your main duties will be:

Sustainability Certification & Management

• Leadership and management of sustainability certification activities as Country Manager for assigned countries, ensuring compliance with environmental and social standards and coordinating with Certification Bodies and key stakeholders
• Monitoring, implementation and supervision of certificate validation for assigned 4C Units and 4C Chain of Custody (CoC) Groups, including coordination with responsible Certification Bodies
• Cooperation with the EUDR team in validating applications for no-deforestation assessments and EUDR attestations, including verification of geodata and Business Partner Maps (BPM) and coordination with Managing Entities
• Support of the Integrity Program through analysis of reported cases, monitoring of corrective actions and improvements, conducting on-site investigations when required, and preparation of investigation reports and statements
• Monitoring and analysis of the development and implementation of relevant laws and regulations in the countries of responsibility, including preparation of analysis reports upon request

International Customer Acquisition & Stakeholder Engagement

• Driving international customer acquisition, development and maintenance of key stakeholder relationships, and provision of training, guidance and support for certification and sustainability programmes

 Business Expansion & Strategic Development

• Facilitation of business expansion in countries of responsibility through identification and engagement of strategic stakeholders and partners, as well as strategic planning and implementation of sustainability initiatives aligned with 4C objectives
• Proposal and implementation of development initiatives and maintenance of partnerships with relevant stakeholders

 Collaboration & System Improvement

• Contribution to system development and continuous improvement, including development of requirements, revision of key documents and benchmarking activities
• Provision and support of system user trainings
• Supervision of Sustainability Assistants when required
• Networking and capacity building for partners in the countries of responsibility

 
Event Management

• Development, organisation and facilitation of high-level international sustainability events and representation of the organisation at international forums and conferences

Your profile

• University degree in agricultural science, agronomy or a related field
• Minimum 2–5 years of professional experience in sustainability certification or environmental standards within the agricultural sector, preferably in coffee, or coffee and cocoa supply chains
• Proven experience in managing sustainability projects and international customer acquisition
• Experience with data analysis and relevant tools used in certification processes
• Very good practical experience with certification systems and complex stakeholder-driven environments
• Excellent English language skills (at least C1, written and spoken)
• Excellent local language skills in Portuguese, Vietnamese (preferable), Chinese or Spanish (at least C1, written and spoken)
• Good German language skills is an asset
• Excellent communication, presentation and networking skills with strong intercultural competence
• Strong analytical, organizational and decision-making abilities with a high attention to detail
• Independent, proactive and strategic working style with an entrepreneurial mindset
• High level of integrity, confidentiality, reliability and service orientation

Why us?

We are an international and diverse team of passionate and experienced experts, joining forces for a sustainable future! We believe that our team is our core asset and we support our people as best we can. 
 
To help you build your future and thrive with us, we offer:
 
 Great Team Environment

• Various team events throughout the year (Celebrating Diversity, Summer Team Event, Christmas Party)
• Close collaboration with our sister companies ISCC System GmbH, Meo Carbon Solutions GmbH, GRAS Global Risk Assessment Services, ClimatePal, and TYC
• The opportunity to work independently and shape processes

 
Individual learning and development plan

• Professional onboarding to help you have an ideal start with us
• Frequent feedback sessions to ensure a high quality of communication and mutual reflection
• Many free language classes
• Access to several trainings as well as specific technical courses
• We promote from within!

 
Work-Life Balance

• Hybrid set-up
• 4 weeks remote work at a place of choice (after probation)
• Flexible working hours and trust based working time
• 30 vacation days and 3 additional vacation days (Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve, Carnival Monday)
• Sabbatical options

 
Financial benefits

• A generous pension scheme (bAV) in line with our sustainability values
• JobTicket/Deutschlandticket
• Annual bonus scheme based on performance

 
Wellness Programs

• Subsidized Urban Sports Club
• Health weeks promoting healthy habits in personal and professional life

Ready to join our team?

Then we would be happy to hear from you soon! Please apply via the button below with a meaningful cover letter, CV and any relevant certificates.
  
We are looking forward to your application and hope to welcome you in our team soon!
  
We are a company with equal opportunities for everyone and encourage applications from all suitably qualified candidates regardless of age, race, gender or any other criteria that is not a professional qualification for an open position.