VACANCY: Cocoa Sustainability Manager

Job Title: Cocoa Sustainability Manager – Saint Lucia
Role Level: 2a
Department: Agriculture
Reports to: Sustainability Program Manager (UK based) and Head of Agriculture (Saint Lucia based)
Working Hours: Typically averaging 40 hours per week, subject to variation based on business needs.

About Us

At Hotel Chocolat, we are deeply committed to the future of cocoa in Saint Lucia. Hotel Chocolat Estates Ltd’s goal is to secure the continuous growth, rejuvenation, and sustainability of Saint Lucia’s cocoa industry while providing an assured market for all producers. Our Gentle Farming philosophy ensures that every cocoa bean is grown with care—protecting the land, empowering farmers, and sustaining cocoa for generations to come.

Role Overview

The Cocoa Sustainability & Sourcing Lead will drive our sustainability initiatives and sourcing program in Saint Lucia. This hands-on leadership role works directly with farmers, partners, and our own farm to increase sustainable cocoa production while ensuring our supply chain aligns with our Gentle Farming standards and beliefs.

The role has access to expertise, science, and materials from across the wider Hotel Chocolat business to support innovation and sustainability efforts. Whether it’s agronomy insights, soil science, or sustainable materials, you’ll be able to draw on a wealth of knowledge and resources to help shape the future of Saint Lucian cocoa.

Key Responsibilities

Cocoa Sourcing & Growth

Develop and execute a strategy to increase sustainable production and availability of volume of cocoa from Saint Lucia.
Build and maintain strong relationships with cocoa farmers and suppliers.
Oversee the operational management of farmer deliveries, ensuring smooth coordination, accurate record-keeping, and timely payments.
Manage the purchasing process from farmers, ensuring fairness, transparency, and alignment with Gentle Farming principles.
Ensure sourcing practices align with our Gentle Farming principles, providing a stable and ethical market for all cocoa producers.
Work closely with internal teams to streamline processes and maintain traceability of cocoa beans from farm to purchase.

Sustainability & Farmer Engagement

Lead programs to train and support cocoa farmers in adopting sustainable and regenerative farming practices.
Develop and deploy training modules covering agroforestry, biodiversity, soil health, and ethical labour standards.
Work closely with farmers to improve productivity, bean quality, and long-term farm resilience.

Farm Leadership & Innovation

Ensure Hotel Chocolat’s farm is a role model for sustainable cocoa farming, demonstrating Gentle Farming principles in climate resilience, organic methods, and ethical labour standards.
Collaborate with research partners and internal teams to access science, materials, and global best practices to enhance sustainability and productivity.

Data & Compliance

Oversee data collection and analysis to track sourcing progress, sustainability impact, and farmer outcomes.
Ensure compliance with global supply chain standards and certification requirements.
Provide reports and insights to guide decision-making and measure success.

Other Responsibilities:

This is not a comprehensive list of responsibilities; you may be required to perform duties outside this list on an ad hoc basis. You must always adhere to the staff handbook, available in the HR office. You will be notified of any updates. Compliance with the handbook applies even when performing tasks outside this job description.

Essential:

Strong knowledge of sustainable agriculture or regenerative farming and the ability to apply best practices.
Proven ability to learn quickly and adapt to new agricultural contexts, even without prior cocoa experience.
Experience working directly with farmers or agricultural communities to build trust based relationships and drive sustainability improvements.
Hands-on leader who enjoys working in the field with farmers and stakeholders.

Desirable:

Experience in tree crop farming, agroforestry, or tropical agriculture.
Understanding of ethical sourcing and supply chain certification standards (e.g., Organic).
Background in data collection, reporting, and impact measurement to track sustainability progress.

Email your CV to: Juliana.Samuel@thehotelchocolat.com