Senior Coffee Sector Technical Advisor

Full time Senior Coffee Sector Technical Advisor

“Safeguarding Climate and Families: securing a sustainable future for coffee farming

in Vietnam’s Central Highlands (SCF)” project

Based in Dak Lak

Helvetas is a non-governmental organization, founded in Switzerland in 1955, and supported by more than 100,000 members and sponsors as well as 12 regional volunteer groups. Helvetas has been operating in Vietnam since 1994. Today, Helvetas Vietnam’s programs focus on Sustainable and Inclusive Economies, specific interfaces with Climate Change and Vocational Skills Development are considered and further deepened. At Helvetas, we believe in making a lasting impact through locally driven and inclusive development. You’ll work in a collaborative team environment and contribute to meaningful change in Vietnam’s tourism sector.

Helvetas Vietnam is seeking a full-time dynamic and motivated Senior Coffee Sector Technical Advisor for the SECO-funded project “Safeguarding Climate and Families: securing a sustainable future for coffee farming in Vietnam’s Central Highlands (SCF)”, 2026-2029.

The Safeguarding Climate and Families (SCF) project is a multi-stakeholder initiative led by Helvetas to accelerate the transition towards a low-carbon, climate-resilient and socially responsible coffee sector in Vietnam’s Central Highlands. The project is implemented in partnership with Save the Children, the Community Development Center (CDC), several Swiss-based private-sector partners, participating coffee traders and exporters, myclimate, and relevant government stakeholders. It promotes regenerative agriculture, climate-smart coffee production, social safeguarding, gender equality and child protection.

Helvetas provides overall project management and coordination and ensures a collaborative approach across the participating supply chains, fostering synergies, alignment and coherence between partners. Private-sector partners provide co-financing, strategic engagement and access to their respective coffee supply chains, while participating traders and exporters implement agreed interventions through their existing sustainability teams, farmer networks and sourcing systems; myclimate leads the MRV methodology, climate-impact assessment and greenhouse-gas accounting; CDC provides complementary technical and field-level support supports and farmer engagement where required; and Save the Children leads the social safeguarding component. The project contributes to the objectives of the Swiss Sustainable Coffee Platform (SSCP) and complements other coffee-sector sustainability initiatives in Vietnam.

Outcome 1 of the project supports coffee farmers and market actors to adopt regenerative and low-carbon production practices while establishing credible systems for measuring and reporting climate and sustainability impacts. Implementation takes place within several participating coffee supply chains in Dak Lak, Lam Dong and Gia Lai. The project aims to reach at least 2.700 coffee farmers through four agreed intervention measures: intercropping, cover cropping, fertilizer optimization and Biochar production and improve soil organic carbon, reduce greenhouse-gas emissions per kilogram of coffee and strengthen the integration of sustainable practices into participating companies’ sourcing systems.

To support the achievement of Outcome 1, Helvetas will recruit a full-time Senior Coffee Sector Technical Advisor to provide specialized technical advice, quality assurance, capacity strengthening and support for private-sector engagement.

The Senior Coffee Sector Technical Advisor provides strategic and technical leadership for the design, implementation and quality assurance of Outcome 1 across participating coffee supply chains in Dak Lak, Lam Dong and Gia Lai. Working closely with traders’ sustainability teams, CDC, myclimate and other technical partners, the Advisor will help ensure that regenerative agriculture and low-carbon coffee interventions are technically sound, adapted to each supply-chain context and aligned with the overall project framework.

As Helvetas’ senior technical focal point for the coffee sector, the Advisor will support implementation and strengthen alignment with industry priorities, national strategies and existing sustainability initiatives. The role will also draw on established networks in the Central Highlands to foster collaboration with coffee companies, government agencies, research institutions, farmer organizations and other sector partners, ensuring that interventions remain farmer-centred and responsive to evolving sector dynamics.

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

As a Senior Coffee Sector Technical Advisor, you will provide technical coordination and support to the project team. Key responsibilities include:

Strategic technical advice and planning
Technical Oversight and Quality Assurance
Coffee Sector Engagement and Partnership Development
Coordination with supply chain partners and CDC
MRV, Climate and Sustainability Advisory
Multi-Stakeholder Collaboration and Sector Integration
Knowledge Management and Learning

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

Education: Master’s degree or higher in Agronomy; Agriculture; Forestry; Environmental Science; Sustainable Value Chain Development or related fields.

Professional Experience:

Minimum 10 years of professional experience in the coffee sector, sustainable coffee production or coffee value chain development.
Demonstrated experience in regenerative agriculture and climate-smart coffee production systems.
Proven track record working with coffee companies, exporters, traders, cooperatives and producer organizations, including implementation through private-sector sourcing or sustainability programmes.
Experience translating technical sustainability objectives into practical field-level implementationapproaches
Strong experience in public-private partnerships and market systems development.
Experience supporting donor-funded programmes in Vietnam or Southeast Asia.
Strong understanding of Vietnam’s coffee sector, including market dynamics, sustainability initiatives and policy frameworks.
Established professional networks within the Central Highlands coffee sector are highly desirable.
Experience working with international buyers, roasters or international coffee-sector partners would be an asset.

Technical Competencies:

Advanced expertise in sustainable coffee production and regenerative agriculture.
Strong understanding of coffee value chains, sustainable sourcing systems and private-sector engagement.
Strong understanding of how sustainability interventions are embedded in commercial coffee supply chains, including farmer extension systems, sourcing arrangements and company sustainability programmes.
Knowledge of carbon accounting, MRV systems, climate-smart agriculture and ESG frameworks, with the ability to translate MRV requirements into practical field-level data and implementation processes.
Ability to assess technical feasibility and adapt intervention packages to different agroecological, commercial and partner contexts.
Strong coordination and facilitation skills, with the ability to work across companies that may have different commercial interests, capacities and operating models.
Experience facilitating multi-stakeholder collaboration and sector-wide initiatives.
Strong analytical, advisory and technical writing skills.
Ability to communicate complex technical issues clearly to both technical and non-technical

Languages: Fluency in Vietnamese and English, both written and spoken.

Interested candidates please send application “Senior Coffee Sector Technical Advisor” including CV, motivation letters, references and copies of diplomas to [email protected] by 20.10.2026. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

🌐 Learn more about us: www.helvetas.org/vietnam