Regional Product Stewardship Lead

Objectives of the Position         

• Provide thought leadership in the development of Product Stewardship strategy and initiatives for the BASF crop protection portfolio in the Asia Pacific region (APAC) aligned with BASF’s commitment on safe and responsible use of BASF Crop Protection portfolio
• Drive, communicate and steer the implementation of Product Stewardship programs for the assigned portfolio
• Represent BASF in external industry and/or intergovernmental forums related to stewardship of crop protection chemicals in APAC

Main Areas of Responsibilities and Key Activities

• Lead the development and implementation of Product Stewardship strategy and program in the APAC region to ensure safe handling (storage, distribution, use and disposal) of BASF’s crop protection products in line with BASF’s sustainability and safety commitments
• Drive the collaboration amongst cross-function teams (Marketing, Regulatory, Sustainability etc.) at the regional and/or country levels on the development and implementation of strategic and/or market specific stewardship initiatives aligned with portfolio requirements and business priorities
• Promote the integration of product stewardship considerations by other functions (Marketing, Sustainability, Communications etc.) into broader BASF environmental and sustainability initiatives as relevant
• Proactively communicate new learnings and key issue management on stewardship and related topics to relevant stakeholders (Global, Region, Country)
• Keep abreast of developments on product stewardship related trends e.g. emerging innovation and technologies in farming practices, sustainability and related policies on environmental, health and safety etc. to continually evolve and improve stewardship programs aligned with business priorities
• Steer and support the development of training programs to educate employees, contractors, and stakeholders at region and/or country level on safe and responsible pesticide use

• Provide guidance on proper pesticide handling, application techniques, personal protective equipment (PPE) usage, and emergency response procedures.
• Drive and promote importance of incident reporting including monitoring of incident data and trends for improvement opportunities in the APAC countries
• Coordinate and collaborate with Regional Communications and Legal in emergency responses as relevant
• Foster a culture of awareness and accountability regarding pesticide stewardship practices throughout the organization.
• Lead the Product Stewardship community in APAC and coordinate reporting of stewardship activities for APA region.
• Represent BASF’s interests at industry associations (e.g. CropLife Asia) to help shape the initiatives of the stewardship committee and related projects at industry level e.g. Sustainable Pesticide Management Framework.

Job Requirements (minimum requirement to carry out the work)

Education: Degree qualifications, preferably in a natural science- based field (biology, chemistry, agronomy, pharmaceutical, biotechnology). 

Working Experience: Minimum 3 years’ experience in stewardship and/or strategic roles such as advocacy, communications, regulatory affairs. Experience and network in dealing with product (safety) issues, preferably in the agricultural industry

Technical & Professional Knowledge: 

• Good knowledge of stewardship and/or product safety management topics and processes, preferably in agriculture
• Ability to network and align with diverse stakeholder
• Strong communication skills and proficiency in both spoken and written English.  Ability in other languages will be an advantage

Other requirements:

• Able to think creatively and strategically
• Self-motivated and work under minimal supervision
• Mentoring and coaching skills, able to work with culturally diverse teams
• Meticulous and thorough in making scientific recommendations
• Ability to multi-task, with excellent time management and prioritization