Senior Manager, Integrated Project Design and Delivery

Starting Date: ASAP

Contract type: Full-time and open-ended

Salary: £83,572 per year

Location: London (Hybrid)

Application closing date: 9th April 2026

About the Job

The Senior Manager, Integrated Project Design and Delivery leads the coordination and delivery of complex projects across Better Cotton Initiative. Working closely with colleagues across the organisation and with external partners, you will ensure that projects are delivered effectively, meet donor requirements where relevant, and generate strong evidence and learning that can inform future programmes. You will also play an important role in strengthening how Better Cotton Initiative designs and delivers integrated projects at scale.

Are you purpose led and ready to embark on a journey to shape the future of sustainable cotton? Join us at Better Cotton Initiative as Senior Manager, Integrated Project Design and Delivery and help deliver high impact programmes across the world’s largest cotton sustainability initiative. Better Cotton supports more sustainable farming practices and improved livelihoods for nearly 1.6 million farmers across 15 countries.

The Challenge

Looking ahead to 2030, we aim to significantly transform cotton production. Our targets include reducing greenhouse gas emissions from cotton production by half, cutting synthetic pesticide use, improving soil health, increasing farmer incomes, and strengthening women’s empowerment among farmers and farm workers.

As Senior Manager, Integrated Project Design and Delivery, you will play a key role in ensuring that Better Cotton’s growing portfolio of strategic projects is delivered effectively across teams, partners and geographies.

Responsibilities

We are seeking a motivated Senior Manager, Integrated Project Design and Delivery to join our Global Programmes team. In this role, you will lead the delivery of complex programmes while coordinating across internal teams and external partners.

1. Lead the delivery of projects across multiple teams, systems and country operations.
2. Coordinate cross functional teams to ensure projects are delivered on time and aligned with organisational and donor expectations.
3. Establish clear governance structures including workplans, budgets, risk registers and reporting frameworks.
4. Oversee programme risks, compliance and performance against donor agreements in collaboration with finance and impact teams.
5. Build strong relationships with donors, brands and programme partners and act as a key point of contact for programme delivery.
6. Ensure high quality reporting and compliance with contractual and financial requirements.
7. Work closely with monitoring and evaluation teams to support impact measurement and learning.
8. Support programme design and proposal development for new funding opportunities.
9. Facilitate collaboration across country teams and technical experts to support effective implementation.
10. Capture and share lessons learned to strengthen programme delivery and organisational learning.

Experience

The successful candidate will demonstrate the following skills, knowledge and experience.

Essential

• Significant experience managing complex programmes or projects in sustainability, agriculture, supply chains or international development.
• Proven experience managing donor funded programmes, including budgeting, reporting and compliance.
• Experience delivering complex initiatives across multiple countries and stakeholders.
• Strong ability to coordinate cross functional teams within matrix organisations.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including preparing reports and proposals.
• Strong organisational and planning skills with the ability to manage multiple workstreams.
• Experience working with monitoring, evaluation or impact frameworks.
• Ability to influence and collaborate with senior stakeholders across teams and geographies.
• Experience working with diverse partners and stakeholders across multiple countries.
• Solution focused mindset with strong partnership management skills.
• Ability to travel up to four times per year, with each trip lasting between seven and ten days.
• Fluency in English.

Desirable

• Experience in agricultural sustainability or cotton supply chains.
• Experience working in or with programmes in South Asia or West Africa.
• Familiarity with regenerative agriculture or sustainable commodity programmes.
• Experience supporting donor proposals or fundraising initiatives.
• Additional language skills such as French, Urdu or Hindi.

What we offer

- Hybrid working – One day per week in our office in Canary Wharf

- The opportunity to work from anywhere in the world for up to one month per year

- Flexible working, with core hours from 10 am to 4 pm local time

- Continuous learning and development

- Pension scheme

- A generous annual leave package, including paid holiday, public holidays, additional paid days off during the festive season, study and exam days, and extra discretionary leave for life events such as family weddings or moving home

- Enhanced parental benefits

- The opportunity to make your mark and make a difference.

Working arrangements

The position is full-time (40 hours per week) and will be based in London. Better Cotton Initiative offers flexible working, with core hours being 10 am – 4 pm.  The position will require limited travel.

Apply now

Send us your CV (2 pages maximum) and a brief cover letter (1-page maximum) by or before 09/04/2026 via the application link. 

In your cover letter, please include an explanation of why your experience is specifically relevant to this role at Better Cotton Initiative. We want to see your personal style – what makes you tick and why you think your next opportunity is here with us.

Better Cotton Initiative does not use artificial intelligence or automated screening tools in its hiring process. Every application is reviewed by our Talent Acquisition team and relevant hiring managers to ensure a fair and human-led assessment experience.

Our hiring process

Initial Screening:

Applicant screening is a crucial step in our recruitment process. This stage may involve a brief phone interview or video call to evaluate your suitability for the position. During this screening, we review resumes and cover letters, and may conduct initial background checks to narrow down the pool of applicant. Internal candidates are encouraged to inform their line manager about their application to promote transparency and help facilitate a smooth transition if selected.

Interviews:

If you successfully pass the initial screening, you will be invited for interviews. The interview process at Better Cotton Initiative may include one or more rounds of interviews with various stakeholders, such as the hiring manager, team members, and potentially senior management. As an internal candidate, you may have discussions regarding your current responsibilities and how they will transition to the new position.

Assessment and Testing: 

Depending on the role, you might be required to complete assessments, technical tests, or skills evaluations to gauge your competency and suitability for the position. Internal candidates may have the option to demonstrate their existing skills through current job performance or past project outcomes.

Reference Checks: 

Once you progress further in the process, reference checks are conducted to validate your work history, skills, and qualifications, and for some roles, your education and criminal history. Internal candidates may be asked for references from current or previous supervisors within Better Cotton Initiative to provide insights into their performance and capabilities.

Offer stage:

After completing interviews, assessments, and reference checks, the hiring team evaluates your performance and fit for the role. If you are selected and your references are relevant and satisfactory, you will receive a formal job offer letter outlining the terms of employment, compensation, benefits, and any other relevant details. For internal candidates, the offer process may include a discussion about how your transition to the new role will be managed and any support needed for a smooth handover.

About Better Cotton Initiative

Better Cotton Initiative is a global not-for-profit organisation supporting the production of more equitable and sustainable cotton at farm level. We exist to catalyse the cotton farming community with partners, governments and others to continuously drive positive impact by setting standards and facilitating the supply and demand of more sustainable cotton from farm to brand. In just 15 years we have aligned more than a fifth of the world’s cotton with our standard and helped farmers and farming communities thrive. Join us in building a better, more sustainable future for cotton worldwide.

About our Values

The post holder will be expected to operate in line with our workplace values which are:  

• Trustworthy (including honest, transparent, credible) 
• As having Integrity (including responsible, authentic) 
• Positive (including problem-solving, pragmatic) 
• Engaging (including adaptable, inclusive, holistic) 
• Daring (including courageous, innovative, game-changing)  

Being you @ Better Cotton Initiative

Better Cotton Initiative is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer with a strong commitment to good practice and transparency in the management of natural, human, and financial resources.

We have a zero-tolerance approach to any attitudes or behaviours that put children or adults at risk of harm. Safeguarding incidents are acts of serious misconduct and are grounds for disciplinary action, up to and including, dismissal and referral to relevant authorities for criminal prosecution. Therefore, all offers of employment are subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks.