MANAGER, MARKET TRANSFORMATION & PARTNERSHIPS (SMALLHOLDERS)

The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) is a global partnership to make palm oil sustainable. Today, the RSPO is a global, non-profit organisation with over 6,000 voluntary members across 104 countries and territories, representing every link in the supply chain: oil palm producers, palm oil processors and traders, consumer goods manufacturers, retailers, banks and investors, environmental or nature conservation non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and social or developmental NGOs.

At RSPO, we believe that our success is built by the passion, dedication, skills, and expertise of our people. They are the ones who drive our organisation to new heights and guide us through the next phase of our development.

The Manager, Market Transformation & Partnerships (Smallholders) is responsible for growing demand and market participation for RSPO's Independent Smallholder (ISH) market – covering both physical and ISH Credits uptake. The role proactively manages ISH Credit market liquidity, builds the value proposition, storytelling, branding and outreach that connect ISH buyers, traders and new market entrants with independent smallholder sellers, and leads buyer and seller profiling and business matching, coordinating with the Market Transformation (MT) team on transaction closing. The role also owns market intelligence, reporting, forecasting and segmentation of the ISH market to guide RSPO's broader smallholder market development strategy.

This role includes acting as the connector across MT, Smallholders, and Communications, ensuring smallholder data, impact and buyer insight consistently reach the right audiences. Within this scope, the role also supports improvements to the ISH member journey and experience – from prospecting and onboarding through to physical and credits uptake – partnering with cross-functional teams to identify pain points and enhance the experience of ISH producers and buyers alike.

The location of this role is Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Key Roles & Responsibilities

Duties include but will not be limited to the following:

ISH Market Development & Partnerships

• Support delivery of RSPO's 3 Year Operating Plan Smallholder initiatives (Pillar 3), including raising ISH credit awareness and uptake, and simplifying the ISH experience and journeys for smallholders and buyers.
• Develop a clear understanding of buyer requirements and purchasing behaviour to inform the ISH proposition and market approach.
• Develop and continuously refine the ISH value proposition — covering both Credits and physical uptake — for buyers, traders and new market entrants.
• Proactively manage ISH Credit market liquidity, balancing supply and demand to reduce oversupply risk and buyer concentration.
• Assess and provide market development input into the design and functionality of prisma, ensuring it is built and continuously improved to facilitate market liquidity, ease of buyer-seller matching, and a positive user experience for both sides of the market.
• Lead storytelling and campaign content development, including compiling smallholder impact and success stories to build market credibility.
• Manage and maintain ISH content on RSPO's website (RSEP) and marketplace pages, ensuring information for buyers and sellers is accurate and current.
• Own campaign management and branding for ISH, including go-to-market campaigns, positioning and messaging.
• Profile buyers and sellers and lead business matching between them, coordinating with MT on final transaction closing where relevant.
• Support demand generation and market development for physical uptake alongside ISH Credits, ensuring both pathways are represented in the market proposition.
• Build and maintain segmentation of buyers and sellers to enable targeted, needs-based outreach and communications.
• Drive peer-to-peer (producer-to-buyer) outreach initiatives to build credit awareness and scale adoption among smallholders and buyers.
• Act as the connector across MT, Smallholders, and Communications, coordinating campaigns, market intelligence and messaging so smallholder data and impact consistently reach the right market audience.
• Track and quantify the direct impact of ISH sales (physical and credits) on participating smallholders for internal and external reporting.
  
  

ISH Member Experience

• Support as-is and to-be journey assessments for ISH producers and buyers across key touchpoints (e.g. onboarding, physical/credit transactions, ongoing engagement).
• Identify pain points, inefficiencies and opportunities to improve the ISH producer and buyer experience.
• Assist in designing and implementing experience improvements for ISH stakeholders, working with cross-functional teams across Smallholders, MT and Communications.
• Gather and analyse ISH producer and buyer feedback to inform the market development and partnership approach.
  
  

Reporting, Insights & Market Intelligence

• Track and report on the outcomes of ISH market development and partnership activities (e.g. campaigns, outreach, storytelling, business matching), measuring results against objectives.
• Track and forecast ISH market trends, including credit supply/demand and liquidity, to guide prioritisation.
• Provide insights and recommendations based on activity outcomes to relevant stakeholders across MT, Smallholders, and Communications.
  
  

THE SUCCESSFUL APPLICANT

Education

• Preferably Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Economics, Commerce or a related field.
  
  

Experience

• 5 – 8 years of experience in stakeholder/partnership management, market or ecosystem development, or marketplace/platform businesses.
• Experience in demand generation, buyer/seller matching, or marketplace management across Global North and Global South markets, translating buyers expectations into commercially viable propositions for independent smallholders.
• Ability to build trust and drive alignment across stakeholders without formal authority.
• Strong storytelling and written/verbal communication skills.
• Commercial and market-development mindset, with a focus on measurable adoption, liquidity and impact.
• Analytical skills for reporting, forecasting and segmentation.
• Cross-cultural sensitivity and ability to engage both smallholder communities and corporate buyers.
• Familiar with using AI tools and solutions (e.g. GenAI assistants, automation platforms) to drive productivity.
• Self-starter, comfortable operating in ambiguity and building programmes from scratch.
• Exposure to human-centred design or design thinking methodologies to develop member-centric solutions.
  
  

Other Special Requirements

• Willingness to travel between RSPO's KL and Jakarta office, and to smallholder communities/production areas as needed.
  
  

Essential Skills

• Market Development & Partnership Building
• Market Liquidity Management
• Buyer & Seller Profiling and Matching
• Stakeholder Management & Influence
• Storytelling & Content Development
• Member-Centric Orientation (ISH)
• Outcome Tracking & Market Insight
• Project & Initiative Coordination
• Change Management & Adoption
• Human-Centric Design & Design Thinking
• Digital-First Mindset
• AI Fluency & Productivity Tools
  
  

How To Apply

Qualified applicants are invited to send in their updated CV giving comprehensive details of educational background, work experience, and related achievements to [Confidential Information]. Please state Job Application – Manager, Market Transformation & Partnerships (Smallholders) in your email subject line.

• RSPO is an equal opportunity employer. Due to the volume of applications received, only shortlisted candidates will be notified.