Chief Engagement Officer

FSC works to take care of our forests and those who rely on them: by protecting plant and animal species, Indigenous Peoples’ rights, forest workers’ safety, and much more. They achieve this through FSC certification, ensuring forests around the world are responsibly managed. For more information on FSC, visit www.ic.fsc.org.

About the role

Millar Cameron, in partnership with Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is seeking a Chief Engagement Officer who will focus on building and maintaining relationships with stakeholders, developing communication and outreach strategies aligned with the organization's goals, and enhancing its reputation. The role emphasizes internal team cohesion, collaboration, and external recognition of the importance of engagement in the organization's success.

Key dimensions of the role

The Chief Engagement Officer, based in Bonn, Germany, will have responsibilities including, but not limited to:

• Building and maintaining high-level relationships with key stakeholders in international and national negotiations, environmental processes, and sustainability efforts.
• Fostering partnerships and collaborations with external entities to support the organization's mission.
• Leading advocacy efforts to promote sustainable forest management as a solution to climate change and biodiversity loss.
• Representing the organization at international forums, conferences, and dialogues.
• Analyzing global trends in environmental conservation, climate change, and biodiversity, and translating these into actionable strategies.
• Ensuring all external engagements align with the organization's values and mission.
• Leading a decentralized team, promoting coordination and cooperation across geographical locations.
• Instilling accountability, setting objectives, and helping individuals understand their contributions to the organization's success. Candidates should be ambitious and committed to addressing environmental and sustainability challenges.

Skills and experience

The desired candidate will have, but not be limited to:

• Cultural Sensitivity: A deep understanding of diverse cultures, recognizing the international nature of the organization with members from 92 countries. Ability to approach engagements with a global mindset, avoiding a narrow, region-specific perspective.
• Experience: A strong background in international environmental negotiations, ideally with experience in NGOs or governmental roles. Proven expertise in government engagement and stakeholder collaboration.
• Communication Skills: Exceptional public speaking, writing, and interpersonal communication skills. Expertise in advocacy, crisis communication, and developing engagement strategies.
• Leadership: Demonstrated ability to lead teams, foster cross-functional collaboration, and build inclusive, transparent, and collaborative teams.
• Cultural Competence: Ability to influence organizational culture towards greater diversity, inclusivity, and collaboration, especially in terms of gender and geographic representation.
• Global Mindset: Experience in working with a wide range of global stakeholders, with the ability to engage with and represent diverse teams across different countries and cultures.

Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and people of colour are less likely to apply for jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At Millar Cameron, we are dedicated to supporting our clients in building and supporting diverse and inclusive workplaces and culture, so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

Since 2007 Millar Cameron has specialised in sourcing leadership and keyperson talent across a number of industries, including agribusiness, international development, industrial, consumer, financial and professional services, private equity, and technology, media and telecommunications. Our mission and purpose is to positively contribute to the development of Africa, and other emerging markets, through the provision of people.