Request for Expressions of Interest - Senior ESG Consultant for Sustainable Coffee Exchange (SCE) Project

Background

SNV is a global development partner rooted in the African and Asian countries where we operate. With 60 years of experience and a team of approximately 1,600 people, it is our mission to strengthen capacities and catalyse partnerships that transform the agri-food, energy, and water systems to enable sustainable and more equitable lives for all. These efforts are guided by cross-cutting themes such as climate adaptation and mitigation, gender equality and social inclusion (GEDSI), and strong institutions and effective governance.

In Viet Nam, SNV has been active since 1995, collaborating with communities, government agencies, and businesses across more than 50 provinces.

Background and objectives of assignment

SNV Viet Nam is implementing the Sustainable Coffee Exchange (SCE) project, co-funded by the European Union and JDE Peet's. The project operates in Lam Dong and Son La provinces and targets the transformation of Viet Nam's coffee sector toward ESG sustainability standards and EU market compliance, including the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). The project directly engages 65 non-state actors (NSAs), facilitates 12 multi-stakeholder platforms, and aims for an improvement in ESG performance across target MSMEs and cooperatives.

The Senior ESG Consultant provides strategic leadership and technical oversight across three integrated areas: the design and roll-out of an ESG scorecard and tools; ongoing ESG adoption advisory services and ESG fundamentals training; and practical investor-readiness guidance for MSMEs and cooperatives. The Consultant also manages and mentors two provincial ESG Specialists (Lam Dong and Son La) to ensure consistent quality and delivery across both provinces.

Scope of work and key responsibilities

Strategic leadership

• Provide overall strategic guidance on ESG integration across SCE project activities and connection to the ESG community in Viet Nam and the region.
• Ensure project ESG strategies align with international standards including UN SDGs, IFC Performance Standards, OECD Guidelines, EUDR, CSRD, and other standards relevant to the size of businesses targeted by the program.
• Oversee development and roll-out of the ESG scorecard and advisory services for MSMEs and cooperatives.

Management and coordination

• Supervise and mentor two provincial ESG Specialists, ensuring consistent approaches and quality delivery across Lam Dong and Son La.
• Coordinate with project partners — SNV, MSD, business associations, and CSOs — to align ESG technical support.
• Facilitate cross-learning and knowledge exchange between the two provinces.
• Introduce project to key working groups, associations, and gatherings of the ESG community in Viet Nam.

Technical support

• Co-develop a minimum viable ESG scorecard with business associations and cooperative alliances, contextualised to Viet Nam's coffee sector with GEDSI and relevant EU export dimensions embedded; pilot with at least five MSMEs and cooperatives, then roll out to all target MSMEs and cooperatives with individual action plans.
• Co-design ESG tools and templates for the SCE ESG Resource Hub, including a toolkit on the role of NSAs in advancing ESG in Viet Nam.
• Provide one-on-one ESG adoption coaching and advisory services to target MSMEs and cooperatives via business associations and cooperative alliances throughout the project.
• Develop practical investor-readiness guidance, including a pitch guide and ESG reporting checklist applicable fora range of investors; support planning and delivery of at least one investor matchmaking event.
• Lead ESG scorecard implementation and support development of tailored action plans for MSMEs and cooperatives.
• Provide technical input to Citizen-Generated Data initiatives and multi-stakeholder dialogues.

Capacity building and learning

• Design and with support from ESG Advisors deliver ESG training modules for MSMEs, cooperatives, business associations, and CSOs.
• Strengthen the capacity of NSAs to measure, report, and advocate for ESG adoption.
• Monitor global ESG policy trends and provide adaptive recommendations to the project team.

Monitoring, evaluation, and reporting

• Ensure ESG-related data collection, analysis, and reporting are integrated into the project MEL system.
• Contribute to donor reporting with ESG results, Most Significant Change stories, and lessons learned.
• Support communications and knowledge sharing on ESG best practices.

Copyright and intellectual property rights

All ESG scorecard tools, methodologies, guidance documents, training materials, investor-readiness resources, and other outputs produced under this contract are the sole intellectual property of SNV. The Consultant shall not publish, disclose, or use any project output or confidential data outside this assignment without prior written consent from SNV. All outputs must comply with EU visibility requirements (EU 2018 branding guidelines) and SCE brand standards.

Tender Process and Evaluation criteria

This tender process will take place in two stages. Stage one is an Expression of Interest. Those selected from the Expression of Interest stage will move forward to the Full Proposal Stage and receive a second assignment description ahead of being asked to prepare a more detailed proposal submission for the assignment.

Expression of Interest (EOI) Evaluation Criteria

Due Diligence: Pass/Fail

Qualifications: max. 40 points.

Relevant experience related to the assignment: max. 50 points.

Demonstrated experience providing consultancy services for international NGOs (INGOs), preferably within Asia: 10 points

Total: 100 points

Only Expressions of Interest (EOIs) with a minimum score of 70 will move forward for Full Proposals.

Due diligence

Due Diligence (DD) checks apply to individual consultants engaged by SNV for the provision of consultancy services. Conducting these checks supports SNV in managing donor funds responsibly, ethically, and in full compliance with relevant regulations.

To download the form for completion, click https://c.smartrecruiters.com/sr-company-attachments-prod-aws-dc5/58919688e4b0672cc03331a9/d876ced2-4dd1-44c9-a508-349d1daf94f0?r=s3-eu-central-1

Required qualifications and key compliance

Basic qualifications

• Master’s degree in environmental science, International Development, Business, or a related field.
• At least 8 years of professional experience in ESG, sustainability, or responsible value chains.
• Demonstrated expertise in ESG frameworks, standards, and reporting requirements.
• Strong experience working with MSMEs, cooperatives, and CSOs in Viet Nam.
• Experience managing teams or mentoring junior advisors in technical roles.
• Knowledge of EU ESG-related regulations (EUDR, CSRD, CSDDD) and Viet Nam regulatory frameworks (Green Growth Strategy, Inclusive Finance Strategy 2030).
• Full professional proficiency in English and Vietnamese.
• Willingness and ability to travel regularly to Lam Dong and Son La.

Preferred qualifications

• Experience in the coffee or agricultural value chain in Viet Nam.
• Track record in investor-readiness advisory, pitch-guide development, or facilitating investor matchmaking events.
• Excellent facilitation, training, and capacity-building skills.

Submission requirements

Interested national individual consultants are invited to submit the following documents by uploading the following documents into this site.

• A Letter for Expression of Interest and updated CV or resume (maximum 5 pages), highlighting ESG advisory, MSME coaching, and investor-readiness experience.
• A completed Due Diligence document, along with all required supporting documents, click https://c.smartrecruiters.com/sr-company-attachments-prod-aws-dc5/58919688e4b0672cc03331a9/12a90034-4ea1-4d6c-965b-6fd23db95571?r=s3-eu-central-1

EOIs are accepted until June 22nd, 2026.

Protection of Information

We request that Expressions of Interest responses be free of any intellectual property that the applicant wishes to protect. Should offerors wish to include proprietary intellectual property that they believe would be helpful for SNV, please note the proprietary nature of such information.

Issuance of this EOI does not constitute a commitment, award, or engagement on the part of SNV nor does it commit SNV to any future commitment or engagement. 

Note: SNV reserves the right to change or cancel this requirement in the EOI/or solicitation process at any time.

Selection process

SNV will review all EOIs received in accordance with the guidelines and criteria in this solicitation. SNV reserves the right to exclude any EOIs that do not meet the guidelines. Please note that SNV is unable to provide detailed feedback to those EOIs that are not selected.

Step 1: SNV will shortlist selected EOIs. Successful applicants will be notified by SNV and kept on our consultant roster for one year. This roster will be reviewed and renewed at the end of the one-year period, as applicable.

Step 2: SNV will release Requests for Proposals (RFPs) for the specific activities and contract with the selected consultants accordingly.