Director’s Assistant & Project Coordinator

In short

• 3-5 years minimum position
• 25,000thb / month + monthly bonus (up to 5,000thb/month)
• Benefits: motorbike, organic food
• Great lifestyle in Pai

Job Description

Pai Seedlings Foundation

Pai Seedlings is a grassroot non-profit organization thriving for environmental education and nature-based lifestyles since 2017. For the first 5 years we have been operating at the level of family (Lyse, Damien and our 2 young sons) to successfully develop an eco-center for the experimentation of ecological restoration and life transitions in Pai, MHS, Thailand. This research centers includes work on regenerative agriculture, soil biology, natural construction, low-techs, community building, training programs for travelers and locals and a local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture).

In 2022, we opened the project to more collaborators in order to increase our  local impact. We now have volunteers in communication and engineering and financial support from the Ecca Family Foundation (Singapor). This marks the start of a larger scale 5 years agricultural land regeneration project : the Regenerative Agricultural Cooperative, involving 16 local farmers over 50 rai of land.

Project : Regenerative Agricultural Cooperative

This pilot project aims at supporting 16 farmers for 5 years, with the ambition to develop and implement an alternative agricultural model. We want to prove that natural agriculture can generate better and more stable income/lifestyles than chemical based agriculture.

The objectives are to regenerate :

• The ecological landscape : improve soils fertility, support biodiversity, limit erosion, stop burning ;
• The economic landscape : increase yield, increase income, develop a premium distribution network, diversify revenue streams, pay back agricultural debt ;
• The social landscape : create education and training opportunities, produce healthy and nourishing food for the community, lower exposure to chemicals (health).
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Job Position : Director’s Assistant & Project Coordinator

The project involves a rich ecosystem of actors from different backgrounds and cultures, including : Karen and Yai Yai farmers, the local Thai government,  NGOs and soil experts, investors, business developers, universities, labs, volunteers, chefs…

The Director’s Assistant & Project Coordinator’s main missions are to :

1. Assist the project manager (Damien Masselis, founder of Pai Seedlings Foundation) in all aspects of his work.
2. Coordinate the stakeholders of the project, report on needs, advances and issues.
3. Perform the necessary research.

 

Responsibilities & Duties

Operational

• Assist the project manager (Damien Masselis) on the field.
• Facilitate communication with the partners : farmers, local authorities, clients, suppliers
• Manage : stay in touch with all the members involved in the project to identify strength and weaknesses.

Management & Administration

• Online research  : products, suppliers, partners, regulations, etc.
• Translations : oral and written translations to facilitate communication
• Reporting :
• Basic financial reporting to track expenses and follow budget
• Meeting/activity reports

Activities and position

• As the director’s assistant you will have a privileged position to co-manage the project. You will have to keep track of all the aspects of the project.

Qualification & Skills

Mindset

• Passion for regenerative work and an understanding/curiosity of how ecological/agricultural restoration, community cooperation, and business development work together.
• Balance between hands-on farm work, management skills, and administrative work.
• Highly organized and reliable.
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Communication & relational skills

• English: excellent written & spoken communication skills in English and Thai (including northern Thai language)
• Social: you must have excellent social skill, and an ability to communicate across cultural divide and with different social status, including : local farmers, foreigners, business owners, public authorities, banks, etc.

Technological skills

• Digital: set up, use and follow collaborative workflows: notion.so and todoist application.

Salary & Benefits

• Start asap full-time position: Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm.
• Gross salary: 25,000thb/month.
• Bonus: up to 5,000thb/month.
• Based in Pai, Mae Hong Son
• Other benefits : organic produce from the farm.
• Optional: motorbike provided.
• Optional: mobile phone expenses included.