Market Development Officer – Congo Basin & West Africa

About the role

The Market Development Officer will drive FSC market growth across forest product value chains in the Congo Basin and West Africa. You will promote Chain‑of‑Custody certification, manage Promotional Licence Agreements and raise FSC brand awareness among B2B and B2C audiences.

Key responsibilities

• Develop sub‑regional markets and value chains for forest products.
• Build and maintain relationships with key accounts, certificate holders and licence partners.
• Increase Chain‑of‑Custody (CoC) certifications and Promotional Licence holders to meet targets.
• Handle CoC enquiries, coordinate with certification bodies and manage e‑training platforms.
• Monitor market trends, conduct targeted analyses and produce quarterly reports.
• Create and deploy marketing and communication materials following brand guidelines.
• Deliver campaigns, events, digital content and update sub‑regional websites in collaboration with international teams.
• Administer Promotional Licence Agreements, including approvals, pricing, invoicing, renewals and CRM management.
• Engage governments, private sector and civil society to stimulate demand for FSC certification and support policy integration.

Required profile

• University degree or equivalent experience in marketing, communications, business or related field.
• Minimum 4 years of professional experience in marketing or sales with executive‑level client interaction.
• Commercial orientation and understanding of private‑sector buying patterns.
• Familiarity with sustainability certification systems (e.g., FSC, Fairtrade, MSC, Rainforest Alliance).
• Excellent written and spoken English; additional French or local languages are a plus.

Required skills

• Proficiency with standard software packages (MS Office).
• Social media posting experience.
• Creative design tools such as Canva and PowerPoint.
• Basic experience with Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems.