1. 665 Broadway, Suite 500 – NewYork, NY 10012
Tel.: 212-677-1900 www.rainforest-alliance.org
POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT
Title: Director, Sustainable Agriculture Network
Reports to: Presidents of the Rainforest Alliance and the SAN board of directors
Location: San Jose, Costa Rica (preferred) or London, UK
The Rainforest Alliance (RA) is an international nonprofit organization that works to conserve
biodiversity and ensure sustainable livelihoods by transforming land-use practices, business practices and
consumer behavior. The Rainforest Alliance works with people whose livelihoods depend on the land,
helping them transform the way they grow food, harvest wood and host travelers.
The Sustainable Agriculture Division of the Rainforest Alliance, based in San José, Costa Rica, hosts
the international secretariat of the Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN), a coalition of independent
conservation and rural development groups that promote responsible farming practices. By integrating all
three pillars of sustainability – Environment, Ethics and Economy – the Rainforest Alliance and SAN
help farmers improve their livelihoods, conserve natural resources and protect the environment. The
program addresses the major commodity crops (e.g. fruits, coffee, cocoa, tea, citrus, flowers) that
profoundly affect the economies, environments, cultures and politics of tropical countries. Rainforest
Alliance and SAN guide, motivate and verify social and environmental improvements on farms, awarding
a seal of approval (Rainforest Alliance CertifiedTM) to farms that meet comprehensive standards. The
program began in Latin America in 1992. Now, more than 250,000 farms in 33 countries are certified.
Most of them are smallholder farms organized into groups. Rainforest Alliance Certified products are
widely available in mainstream markets.
Position Summary:
The Director will guide all the SAN activities that make it the leading global advocate for sustainable
agriculture. S/he will ensure that the Sustainable Agriculture Standard continues to represents the most
advanced thinking and practices, expand stakeholder involvement in the standards-setting process, and
guide standards and certification systems development to ensure the highest levels of credibility and
effectiveness. S/he will work in close collaboration with the SAN members to strengthen and expand the
SAN, adding new members, especially in Africa and Asia. The Director will supervise a team of six.
Responsibilities:
Strategic leadership
 Maintain the SAN’s role as the leader in sustainable agriculture; create and implement long-term
strategies to ensure that the SAN and its standard continue to represent cutting-edge thinking;
 Lead global stakeholder engagement in the SAN and Sustainable Agriculture Standard;
 Implement new structures or systems to ensure that the program continues to meet the highest
level of credibility, transparency and effectiveness; ensure compliance with ISEAL credibility
criteria;

2.  Lead SAN fundraising efforts in collaboration with the SAN development committee; create a
fundraising plan, identify and cultivate potential donors, conceptualize and develop proposals,
projects and public-private partnerships;
 Oversee the development of the Sustainable Agriculture Standard, accreditation system for
certification bodies, auditor competence program and related policies;
 Co-manage the chain-of-custody certification system, which is jointly owned with the Rainforest
Alliance;
 Guide the development of external communications tools for the SAN;
 Develop and implement the annual plan and budget; oversee SAN business plan; manage SAN
staff.
 Consolidate the SAN governance and operational structure to enable global growth, supervise all
matters related to formal records, legal and financial affairs; Provide legal oversight of the Red de
Agricultura Sostenible, A.C.
Membership and governance
 Expand the SAN membership with the goal of at least one representative in each region where
Rainforest Alliance Certified products are produced and sold;
 Manage the SAN membership, board and executive committee meetings;
 Provide oversight to the management of the Technical Operations Committee, International
Standards Committee, ad hoc working groups and other functional units as needed;
Qualifications:
 MBA and/or M.S. in conservation biology, agronomy, rural development, resource
management, resource economics or related field;
 Minimum 10-12 years field experience in international conservation and project management
in tropical countries;
 Demonstrated experience in standards development and certification systems;
 Minimum 5-7 years experience leading global action networks;
 Proven ability to work effectively in cross-cultural situations and with a wide range of people
with diverse economic, political and professional backgrounds;
 Knowledge of the socio-environmental impacts of agriculture on tropical communities,
ecosystems and local economies;
 Excellent written and verbal communications skills in English and Spanish; French a plus;
 Strong computer skills (MS Office and Internet); and
 Ability to travel internationally at least 25% of the time.
Compensation:
Commensurate with experience.
To apply:
Send resume, cover letter and salary history to Human Resources, Rainforest Alliance, P.O. Box 11029-
1000, San Jose, Costa Rica; fax: (506) 234-8916; email: crpersonnel@ra.org.
The Rainforest Alliance is an equal opportunity employer.
Director, Sustainable Agriculture Network
Position Announcement
October 16, 2009 revised March 10, 2012