Request for Expressions of Interest - Senior ESG Consultant for Sustainable Coffee Exchange (SCE) Project

SNV

22h • Hybrid

About The Position

SNV Viet Nam is seeking a Senior ESG Consultant for the Sustainable Coffee Exchange (SCE) project, co-funded by the European Union and JDE Peet's. This project aims to transform Viet Nam's coffee sector towards ESG sustainability standards and EU market compliance, including the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). The consultant will provide strategic leadership and technical oversight in designing and rolling out an ESG scorecard and tools, offering ESG adoption advisory services and training, and providing investor-readiness guidance for MSMEs and cooperatives. The role involves managing and mentoring two provincial ESG Specialists to ensure consistent quality and delivery across Lam Dong and Son La provinces. The project engages 65 non-state actors and aims to improve ESG performance across target MSMEs and cooperatives.

Requirements

• Master’s degree in environmental science, International Development, Business, or a related field.
• At least 8 years of professional experience in ESG, sustainability, or responsible value chains.
• Demonstrated expertise in ESG frameworks, standards, and reporting requirements.
• Strong experience working with MSMEs, cooperatives, and CSOs in Viet Nam.
• Experience managing teams or mentoring junior advisors in technical roles.
• Knowledge of EU ESG-related regulations (EUDR, CSRD, CSDDD) and Viet Nam regulatory frameworks (Green Growth Strategy, Inclusive Finance Strategy 2030).
• Full professional proficiency in English and Vietnamese.
• Willingness and ability to travel regularly to Lam Dong and Son La.

Nice To Haves

• Experience in the coffee or agricultural value chain in Viet Nam.
• Track record in investor-readiness advisory, pitch-guide development, or facilitating investor matchmaking events.
• Excellent facilitation, training, and capacity-building skills.

Responsibilities

• Provide overall strategic guidance on ESG integration across SCE project activities and connection to the ESG community in Viet Nam and the region.
• Ensure project ESG strategies align with international standards including UN SDGs, IFC Performance Standards, OECD Guidelines, EUDR, CSRD, and other standards relevant to the size of businesses targeted by the program.
• Oversee development and roll-out of the ESG scorecard and advisory services for MSMEs and cooperatives.
• Supervise and mentor two provincial ESG Specialists, ensuring consistent approaches and quality delivery across Lam Dong and Son La.
• Coordinate with project partners — SNV, MSD, business associations, and CSOs — to align ESG technical support.
• Facilitate cross-learning and knowledge exchange between the two provinces.
• Introduce project to key working groups, associations, and gatherings of the ESG community in Viet Nam.
• Co-develop a minimum viable ESG scorecard with business associations and cooperative alliances, contextualised to Viet Nam's coffee sector with GEDSI and relevant EU export dimensions embedded; pilot with at least five MSMEs and cooperatives, then roll out to all target MSMEs and cooperatives with individual action plans.
• Co-design ESG tools and templates for the SCE ESG Resource Hub, including a toolkit on the role of NSAs in advancing ESG in Viet Nam.
• Provide one-on-one ESG adoption coaching and advisory services to target MSMEs and cooperatives via business associations and cooperative alliances throughout the project.
• Develop practical investor-readiness guidance, including a pitch guide and ESG reporting checklist applicable fora range of investors; support planning and delivery of at least one investor matchmaking event.
• Lead ESG scorecard implementation and support development of tailored action plans for MSMEs and cooperatives.
• Provide technical input to Citizen-Generated Data initiatives and multi-stakeholder dialogues.
• Design and with support from ESG Advisors deliver ESG training modules for MSMEs, cooperatives, business associations, and CSOs.
• Strengthen the capacity of NSAs to measure, report, and advocate for ESG adoption.
• Monitor global ESG policy trends and provide adaptive recommendations to the project team.
• Ensure ESG-related data collection, analysis, and reporting are integrated into the project MEL system.
• Contribute to donor reporting with ESG results, Most Significant Change stories, and lessons learned.
• Support communications and knowledge sharing on ESG best practices.

Benefits

• All ESG scorecard tools, methodologies, guidance documents, training materials, investor-readiness resources, and other outputs produced under this contract are the sole intellectual property of SNV.
• The Consultant shall not publish, disclose, or use any project output or confidential data outside this assignment without prior written consent from SNV.
• All outputs must comply with EU visibility requirements (EU 2018 branding guidelines) and SCE brand standards.

What This Job Offers

• Career Level: Senior