Salary: circa £130,000
Location & Working Patterns: We operate a hybrid working model, with staff spending roughly 1 to 3 days in our London office per week. As CEO, some international travel will be required, including ad hoc trips to Fairtrade origin countries.
Inclusive working: We are committed to supporting and promoting an inclusive working environment for everyone and believe that the more diversity we have in our teams and decision making, the better we are. We strive to a promote a work culture which embraces equity, diversity and inclusion and to create a working environment where everyone can thrive. We are committed to the ongoing effort this requires. We currently operate a hybrid working model, with staff spending roughly one to three days in our London office per week. As CEO, some international travel will be required, including ad-hoc trips to Fairtrade origin countries.
Role Description
Having recently appointed a new Chair, Fairtrade Foundation is now looking for our next CEO. With our current strategic period (2021 – 2025) coming to an end, ongoing evolution of how supply chain sustainability is done, and a changing charity landscape, we find ourselves approaching an important and exciting landscape of opportunity.
In brief, the role of our CEO will be to make sure we always know where we’re going and how to get there, working closely with Board and staff colleagues and our partners. We are a multidisciplinary organisation, whether it’s partnering with farmers and suppliers in Sri Lanka, working with global brands and UK retailers, or influencing politicians across Europe, and our CEO will ensure that the Fairtrade Foundation is always grounded in impact for farmers and workers and a trade system that is fair for people and planet.
We are an organisation of around 100 staff in the UK, with important relationships across the global federation and farming communities around the world. Our CEO will ensure that the Foundation is driven by the priorities of communities we work with, and an effective partner to them. A passionate, authentic communicator and convenor, we are looking for our CEO to bolster the strength of the Fairtrade movement – connecting the local to the national to the global, making sure we are unafraid to drive change.
Our CEO will also lead our Executive Team, creating the conditions for them to thrive and making sure that the Foundation is a fully integrated, financially sustainable organisation. Crucially, you will be a steward of our culture, ensuring that as we grow and evolve, we are an inclusive, participatory, welcoming place to work.
This is a really exciting time to join the Fairtrade Foundation, with appetite and energy, to drive change for the trade system and for farmers and workers across the world. Perhaps most importantly, we are looking for a CEO to share our passion and relentlessly champion the vision and mission of Fairtrade.
Key Accountabilities
Leadership & Strategic Direction
- Provide strategic, visionary, mission-focused leadership to the Fairtrade Foundation and the wider movement, to ensure the Foundation delivers on its promise for a better deal for farmers and workers, for today’s and future generations.
- Champion the future developmental impact of Fairtrade and lead the organisation to deliver on its potential, with a clear focus on innovation and continued responsiveness to producers’ priorities.
- Work with the Chair, Trustees and the Executive Team to ensure that the Foundation has a clear and visionary strategy in place for the next 5 years and beyond and operational plans and budgets that will deliver its success.
- Provide leadership to the Executive Team, and the wider organisational teams, to ensure that the Foundation continues to respond to opportunities and changes in the UK market in support of producers.
- Propose and help shape the future strategies and direction for Fairtrade as a global network, and identify how this relates to the work of the Foundation in the UK.
Internal Leadership, Resource Management & Governance
- Champion and lead an inclusive, cohesive, engaging and inspiring culture for all Foundation employees, based on our values and the role of all colleagues in achieving our mission.
- Provide inspirational leadership to the Executive Team (comprising Chief Financial Officer, Partnerships Director, Communications & Advocacy Director) and to the Associate Director of Strategy & Planning, driving high engagement and high performance.
- Support the Foundation’s Board to fulfil its duties, ensuring best practice in governance and recommending appropriate reviews of impact and strategic direction, particularly in relation to Fairtrade’s next three-year strategy which will be in development in 2025.
External Relations & Advocacy
- Act as the lead spokesperson for the Foundation specifically, and for the concept of Fairtrade more generally, including representing Fairtrade in a wide range of forums, from inter-governmental meetings and sustainability conferences, to campaign networks and local community groups across the UK.
- Develop successful relationships with a wide range of senior stakeholders including producers, traders, retailers, brands, civil society, academics, funders and government.
- Build strong relationships with key stakeholders in the media, and act as the lead media spokesperson especially in relation to matters of strategic importance or challenge to Fairtrade.
- Act as the lead advocate for Fairtrade with key political and civil service contacts across Westminster and Whitehall, on a wide range of political issues spanning trade and development.