Our client is seeking passionate and results-driven professionals with a strong technical background and hands-on field experience in agroecology. The Senior Agroecologist will report to the Head of Nature and Socio-Economic Impact Solutions and collaborate closely with other senior agroecologists specializing in annual and perennial crops, as well as livestock, across tropical and temperate climates. The role focuses on regenerative agriculture projects, with an emphasis on annual crop systems (wheat, maize, barley, rapeseed, sunflower, and livestock grazing systems) primarily for Europe, and rice, agroforestry, and perennial intercropping (coffee, cocoa, coconut, oil palm) for Southeast Asia.
Key responsibilities
- Develop and continually refine the company’s Regenerative Agriculture and Biodiversity strategies, ensuring alignment with corporate partners (e.g., OP2B platform) and international frameworks (e.g., SAI, SBTi FLAG).
- Identify and propose solutions to social and economic barriers to deploying innovative and regenerative agricultural systems.
- Co-design technical models with project managers, ensuring solutions are both viable for adoption by farmers and appealing for corporate investment.
- Build capacity in agroecological practices to support project managers through all phases of project life cycles.
- Stay informed on innovations and advancements in agroecology, contributing to technical oversight and sharing insights across the organization.
- Manage field projects (design, implementation, and monitoring) for 20% of your time.
Key qualities
- Ownership: You bring entrepreneurial spirit, passion, and integrity to your work.
- Pragmatism & Results-Oriented: Capable of adapting to changing circumstances with a focus on achieving objectives.
- Assertiveness: Confidently communicate and support project managers both internally and externally.
- Mentorship: Ability to influence and guide change through engagement and support of project managers.
- Empathy: Understand and connect with stakeholders, listening and responding to their needs.
- Openness to Change: Stay curious about innovations and evolving policies in agriculture and climate.
- Effective Communication: Adapt messaging and methods to suit various audiences, ensuring clarity and informed decision-making.
- Multi-tasking: Balance priorities, manage multiple tasks, and adjust to new information or changes.
- Intercultural Competence: Able to collaborate effectively in multicultural environments.
- Remote Working: Capable of maintaining relationships and working efficiently with teams across distances and time zones.
Qualifications
- Master’s degree in agricultural or agronomy sciences or a related field, with ongoing training in agroecology/regenerative agriculture.
- 10-15 years of hands-on experience with annual and/or perennial crop systems, preferably working closely with rural communities.
- Strong knowledge of ecosystems, biodiversity, and environmental processes to evaluate project impacts.
- Familiarity with rural sociology or development to engage with stakeholders and understand socio-economic impacts.
- Experience with nature-based solutions or sustainable supply chain projects, particularly with non-profits or smallholder farmers in developing economies.
- Proficiency in both quantitative and qualitative research and analysis, with a holistic/systemic approach.
- Experience working across different climates and cultural contexts is highly desirable.
- Proven ability to manage large-scale projects and engage directly with farmers.
- Ideally, additional expertise in livestock and grazing systems.
- Fluency in English and another European or Asian language.
- Willingness to travel frequently within France/Europe or Asia.