| Date posted | 11 March 2022 |
| Applications closing date | 30 June 2022 |
| Location | Guangzhou, China |
| Type | Full time |
| Pathway | B – Technical and Consultancy Services |
| Reports to | China Director |
Introduction to Impactt
Impactt is a leading consultancy specialising in ethical trade, human rights and labour standards. We work with major brands, retailers, governments, academics and NGOs to maximise the positive impacts of global trade on workers and local communities. With offices in the UK, Bangladesh, China, India, and a wide network of consultants across Europe, Asia and Africa, we are internationally recognised for our change focused, practical and innovative approach. Impactt works with a wide range of stakeholders, from large retailers and government bodies to factory workers and local communities. Often the experiences and languages of these different stakeholders are so far apart that they do not ‘see’ or interact with each other. Impactt helps to bridge the gap and deliver real change on the ground.
Job Purpose
- To contribute to Impactt’s vision to improve workers’ livelihoods in a way that benefits businesses and workers by proactively leading, managing and growing a number of complex and large clients/accounts and sourcing new business opportunities.
- To drive, manage, develop and implement revised or new project management support (administrative, technical and technological), working with senior management, project manager and/or other team members to achieve project success.
- To establish, develop and maintain excellent working relationships with new and existing clients, ensuring that their needs are anticipated, understood and responded to, thereby promoting Impactt’s business and commercial activities in line with business plans
- To manage and lead their own high performing team and work with the rest of the project team to develop and deliver high quality project work.
Key Accountabilities
- To provide excellent project management advice and/or support, ensuring professionalism in service delivery directly or indirectly, in the management of innovative, significantly larger and/ or more complex projects, managing large-sized projects and driving medium-sized projects easily with minimal guidance and instructions from senior colleagues.
- To plan and organise own work and the work of staff members in own team and motivate and mentor members who may be involved in similar types of work to better meet the current and future requirements of the team and demonstrate leadership by taking ownership of developing team, ensuring they work in a supported environment, sourcing solutions to develop skills of team enabling team members to work independently.
Key Responsibilities
- Proactively and independently lead, manage and grow a number of medium to large clients/accounts and growth of larger accounts and demonstrate excellent project management skills, including:
- Finances – knowledge of project management software a plus – this includes knowledge of basic accounting
- Resources planning and briefing
- Activities timetabling, including monitoring on-time work progress
- Risk Identification, solutions finding and escalation to adequate manager
- Excellent time management and able to time manage team effectively, ensuring on-time and on-budget delivery
- Following Impactt’s administrative and project management procedures
- Expertise with sound solution on one or more areas from HR, CSR, EHS or worker management
- Support clients to understand and articulate their needs/strategies and develop and sell work accordingly.
- Independently write clear, concise, proposals for and to sell standard, more complex non-standard and large products to clients and support team to propose and sell standard and more complex non-standard products to clients.
- Support team to develop, win and deliver client work e.g., proposals, research reports, develop motivating training materials, information collation and analysis.
- Demonstrate an individual and team proposal conversion rate consistent with Impactt’s requirements.
- Oversee management of a large portfolio of clients (in terms of number and value) including facilitating and lead client meetings independently and develop or contribute to the development of methodology to address client needs.
- Demonstrate growth in team portfolio in line with Impactt’s targets.
- Ensure team project profitability
- Develop and maintain excellent client relationships
- Develop and lead implementation of non-project-based revenue generating work.
- Lead on at least 1-2 marketing materials/activities e.g. speaking at/managing conferences, as and when required; support the development/implementation of other initiatives and or as directed by the Business development and Marketing departments.
- Lead the team and collaborate/consult as and when required.
- Carry out advanced field work e.g. non-standard assessments, co-ordinate and communicate different perspectives, develop solutions in the UK and internationally independently and deliver non –standard products independently (audit, training etc.) as and when required and in line with portfolio
- Contribute to discussions about Impactt’s overall growth strategy
- Independently write clear, concise, proposals for and sell more complex non-standard products to clients
- Act as a trusted advisor for clients and build partnerships between different stakeholders with the aim of developing building and maintaining relationships with existing clients for Impactt’s services in the China in line with our vision and values.
- Understand Impactt’s clients’ programmes, are able to identify where Impactt’s services add value and secure collaboration.
- Plan and organise individual and/or team activity based on skills and competencies to integrate and co-ordinate work across different parts of the organisation, nationally and internationally as well as actively contribute to business development.
- Manage, develop and improve the capability of staff within project team, motivating and mentoring them to better meet the current and future requirements of the team, including monitoring performance, managing sickness and planning development.
- Contribute to the achievement of China billable and new business targets by achieving agreed annual percentage split of time on billable activities and non-billable activities.
- Undertake any other duties reasonably required that are consistent with the grade and purpose of the post.
Candidate specification
| Category | Description | Essential / Desirable |
| Language proficiency | Fluent in reading, writing and speaking Chinese and English | Essential |
| Qualifications | Degree or equivalent qualification in a related field such as management, international development, business studies, human rights, or successful proven track record in sustainability/social/ethical trade | Essential |
| Evidence of continually developing professional knowledge | Desirable | |
| Experience | Minimum of 2 years of experience in a similar role (international business/development/ ethical trade/sustainable sourcing operations, customer relationship management, continuous improvement or related field required | Essential |
| Ethical/social audit experience or understanding of factory set-up | Essential | |
| Project management experience incorporating the planning and progressing project management activities using general project management principles, using initiative and judgement | Essential | |
| Significant experience of working/responding independently and dealing with unforeseen problems and circumstances | Essential | |
| International and cross-cultural work experience with a sensitivity to a multi-cultural global environment/working in developing countries | Essential | |
| Significant experience in or exposure to social compliance auditing and/or beyond compliance activities | Essential | |
| Experience in business development including replying to RFPs and proposal writing | Essential | |
| Experience managing a team | Essential | |
| Line management/supervisory experience – coaching, motivation, managing performance | Essential | |
| Substantial experience delivering fieldwork independently | Essential | |
| Experience in developing innovative solutions and contributing to strategic planning | Essential | |
| Knowledge and skills | Extensive knowledge of ethical trade, how supply chains work and the social compliance agenda | Essential |
| Excellent data analysis skills involving advanced use of Microsoft Excel and large data sets | Essential | |
| Excellent report writing skills | Essential | |
| Excellent presentation, training and facilitation skills | Essential | |
| Strong knowledge of project accounting | Desirable | |
| Detailed operational knowledge of ethical trade/responsible sourcing/the social compliance agenda beyond compliance activities | Essential | |
| Proven analytical and problem-solving capability | Essential | |
| Proven communication and interpersonal skills including the ability to negotiate, motivate, influence and build relationships | Essential | |
| Understanding of relevant policy and legislation (Labour laws, ILO conventions, and international legislation) to area of work | Essential | |
| Proven ability to communicate with clients, resulting in regular repeat business | Essential | |
| Proactive and highly organised, with strong time management, problem-solving and planning skills | Essential | |
| Able to meet tight deadlines and remain calm under pressure | Essential | |
| Knowledge of project management principles | Essential | |
| Other | Ability to work outside normal hours including attendance at evening and occasional weekend meetings | Essential |
| Ability to travel periodically nationally and internationally to the locations that Impactt conducts its business | Essential | |
| Committed to the values and objectives of Impactt | Essential |
Personal attributes
The post holder should have and display the following personal attributes:
- Passionate about Impactt and the work we do.
- Strong self-management and good team player.
- Strong sense of initiative and great capacity at working on their own.
- Pro-active, thinking about future actions and sharing best practices with the team.
- Adaptable and solutions orientated
- Reliable, strong integrity and ethical behaviour
- Excellent listening and interpersonal skills
- Empathy with others and ability to respond accordingly
By delivering on these accountabilities and responsibilities, the post holder will make a significant contribution to Impactt’s five-year strategy to:
- Make positive impacts on 6 million workers globally
- Work with 150+ clients globally
- Grow the Impactt team of human rights and business experts and specialists to over 70 people globally
- Contribute to achieving £6 million turnover
- Cultivate a hard-working, high performing team globally
Application and Closing Date
To apply for this role, please submit a cover letter and your CV by Saturday 30 April 2022. Regrettably, this role is only open to candidates who already have the right to work and live in China.
