Job  Description:  Office  Manager  Full  time    Introduction  The  Sustainable  Biomass  Partnership  Limited  (SBP)  is  a  unique  certification  system  designed  for  woody  biomass,  mostly  in  the  form  of  wood  pellets  and  woodchips,  used  in  large-­scale  energy  production.  The  system  allows  companies  using  biomass  to  produce  energy  to  demonstrate  compliance  with  legal,  regulatory  and  sustainability  requirements  relating  to  woody  biomass.  In  particular,  the  system  enables  the  verification  of  the  sustainable  and  legal  origin  of  biomass  feedstock  and  the  collection,  carriage  and  calculation  of  greenhouse  gas  emissions  in  the  biomass  supply  chain.      The  SBP  certification  system  was  launched  in  March  2015.  Since  then  SBP  has  approved  six  certification  bodies  that  between  them  offer  third-­party  SBP  certification  worldwide.  To  date  some  70  biomass  producers,  typically  wood  pellet  and  woodchip  producers,  and  biomass  traders  in  11  countries  have  been  certified.    SBP  is  a  not-­for-­profit  membership  organisation,  registered  in  the  UK  and  Germany.  SBP’s  core  team  work  together  in  a  virtual  network.    Role  description  As  part  of  SBP’s  transition  into  an  internationally  recognised  and  fully  operational  global  certification  system,  we  are  now  seeking  a  full-­time  Office  Manager.    SBP  is  in  a  critical  phase  of  its  development.  As  Office  Manager,  you  will  have  the  opportunity  to  use  your  outstanding  organisational  and  communication  skills  to  support  and  service  the  SBP  management  team  and  its  stakeholders.      SBP  works,  across  the  globe,  with  regulatory  bodies,  NGOs,  major  utilities,  trade  associations,  international  traders,  biomass  producers,  certification  bodies  and  a  variety  of  other  stakeholders.      Your  experience  in  organising  people,  events  and  travel,  service  provision  and  a  hands-­on  approach  to  meet  ambitious  deadlines  within  an  international,  multi-­stakeholder  environment  will  give  you  the  opportunity  to  contribute  across  the  whole  operation.    Your  focus  will  be  on,  but  not  limited  to,  managing  SBP’s  virtual  front  desk,  including  administrative  back  office  functions  and  SBP  team  support.  As  Office  Manager,  you  will  maintain  office  services  by  organising  and  implementing  office  operations  and  procedures,  supporting  payroll,  designing  filing  systems,  and  controlling,  responding  and  dispatching  correspondence.  You  will  provide  historical  reference  by  defining  procedures  for  retention,  protection,  retrieval,  transfer  and  disposal  of  records.  Further,  you  will  design  and  implement  office  policies  by  establishing  standards  and  procedures,  and  where  necessary  scheduling  and  assigning  staff  and/or  consultants  and  following  up  on  work  results.  The  position  provides  an  opportunity  for  challenging  and  stimulating  work  supporting  the  SBP  team  and  its  stakeholders.  Very  good  communication,  organisation  and  improvisation  skills  are  essential.    SBP  is  a  small  organisation  and  the  successful  applicant  will  be  expected  to  contribute  in  all  areas  of  the  business,  not  just  their  core  responsibilities.      

 Key  responsibilities  •   Daily  management  of  the  SBP’s  virtual  front  desk.  •   Delivering  service  and  support  to  staff  and  stakeholders  (in  different  time  zones).  •   Organising  meetings,  events,  working  groups,  committees,  etc.    •   Arranging  appointments.  •   Booking  transport  and  accommodation.  •   Dealing  with  correspondence  and  queries.  •   Preparing  letters,  communication,  standard  operating  procedures,  presentations  

and  reports.  •   Liaising  with  staff  and  stakeholders.  •   Implementing  and  maintaining  procedures/office  administrative  systems.  •   Ensuring  that  secretariat  policies  and  standard  operating  procedures  are  up  to  

date.  •   Using  a  range  of  software  packages.  •   Handling  staff  recruitment  and  appraisals.  •   Attending  meetings  with  SBP  staff.  •   Keeping  personnel  records.  •   Ad  hoc  project  work  as  required  by  the  CEO.  

 Competencies  and  skills  •   Communication:  excellent  communication  skills  in  English  are  essential  and  

fluency  in  at  least  one  further  language  desired  (for  example,  Spanish,  French,  German  or  Russian).  

•   Client  orientation:  ability  to  communicate  well  with  stakeholders  as  well  as  establish  and  maintain  effective  relationships.  

•   Management:  demonstrated  ability  to  manage  priorities  and  generate  quality  results  on  concurrent  assignments.  

•   Organisational  and  personal  attributes:  excellent  personal  organisational  and  work  planning  skills,  demonstrating  high  productivity  and  ability  to  manage  competing  work  priorities,  and  high  personal  and  work  ethics.  Solutions-­oriented  approach  to  working  with  stakeholders  and  within  the  team.  Proven  ability  to  plan  and  organise  work  independently  and  meet  deadlines.  

•   Teamwork:  good  interpersonal  skills,  demonstrated  ability  to  work  in  a  multi-­cultural,  multi-­ethnic  environment  and  to  maintain  effective  working  relations  with  people  of  different  national  and  cultural  backgrounds.  Ability  to  work  successfully  as  part  of  a  team  is  essential.    

•   International  relations:  Ability  to  work  in  the  international  arena,  and  deal  with  other  international  organisations.  

•   Travel:  the  position  may  involve  travel,  for  example,  to  participate  in  team  meetings  (mainly  in  Europe).  

•   Relationship  management:  interpersonal  skills  to  deal  effectively  with  the  role  and  remain  professional  should  complaints  arise.  

•   Self-­sufficiency:  hands-­on  approach  to  deal  with  travelling,  setting  up  and  delivering  meetings,  facilitating  and  servicing  stakeholders,  SBP  team  and  Board  etc.  

•   Reliability.  •   Adaptability.  •   Problem-­solving  skills.      

Qualifications  and  work  experience  •   This  position  is  open  to  graduates  from  all  degree  disciplines.  Previous  office-­

based  clerical,  secretarial  or  commercial  work  experience  is  essential.  •   Advanced  skills  in  the  use  of  computers,  including  the  use  of  standard  MS  Office  

applications.  •   Experience  of  work  in  an  SME  environment  with  distributed/remote  working  

network  would  be  desirable.  •   Experience  of  work  in  a  multi-­cultural  and  multi-­disciplinary  environment  is  

desirable.  

Working  arrangements  Position:  Full-­time  Office  Manager  Reporting:  This  position  reports  to  the  SBP  CEO  Location:  Europe  is  desirable  Work  place:  Working  remotely  from  home  office    

Applications  All  applications  including  full  CV/resume  and  a  motivation  letter  should  be  sent  to    mkwedgbury@sustainablebiomasspartnership.org      Please  provide  the  contact  details  of  two  individuals  that  would  be  able  to  provide  references  if  required.  SBP  reserves  the  right  to  contact  these  individuals  directly.  Please  provide  an  indication  of  an  expected  monthly  or  annual  salary.  Only  candidates  selected  for  an  interview  will  be  contacted.  The  successful  applicant  will  be  expected  to  start  as  soon  as  possible.    The  deadline  for  sending  applications  is  31  December  2016.