Experience & Qualifications
Essential:
- CIPD Chartered Fellow (or equivalent).
- Substantial progressive HR experience, including senior HR leadership and full HR lifecycle ownership.
- Experience diagnosing organisational challenges, using these to create a relevant and effective range of solutions.
- Proven track record in leading transformation programmes (e.g., IT/Tech, Behaviour change, governance design, OD, culture, DEI strategy and change).
- Experience of managing budgets
- Strong knowledge of safeguarding, statutory employment and compliance frameworks in the UK.
- Experience working within a unionised environment.
Desirable:
- Demonstrable experience advocating for /allying and partnering with marginalised/underrepresented groups both within and beyond the workplace.
Professional Skills and Behaviours
Essential:
- Strategic thinker with excellent coaching, influencing, and relationship-building skills at all levels including Executive and Trustee level.
- Demonstrable change leadership expertise—able to diagnose root causes, define approaches and embed solutions. A visible advocate for change.
- Skilled in developing and delivering inclusive people strategies that improve engagement and employee experience.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills, able to convey complex ideas clearly and credibly to varied audiences.
- Data-driven with ability to translate people analytics into strategic insights.
- Highly organised, resilient, adaptable, and values-driven, with visible personal integrity.
- Creative, out-of-the-box thinker able to demonstrate resilience in the face of new challenges.
- Excellent tech/ IT literacy (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook)
- Demonstrate a strong understanding and commitment to the Foundation’s mission, with an appreciation of our partners, supporters, and the broader goal of making trade fairer for farmers and workers worldwide.
Fairtrade Values
We want everyone to be ambassadors for the organisation and encourage staff & volunteers to speak at events which on occasion might be during evenings and weekends, to promote diversity, equality and inclusion in everything we do, and champion our values.
Fairtrade’s global values are: ‘Accountability’, ‘Integrity’, ‘Respect’ and ‘Partnership’. These values should be embedded in your work and behaviour, and any associated policies and processes adopted consistently.
At Fairtrade we are committed to the safeguarding and protection of children & vulnerable adults in our work. We will do everything possible to ensure that only those who are suitable to work within this environment are recruited to work for us.
Review Arrangements
The details contained in the Job Description reflect the content of the job at the date the job description was prepared. It should be remembered, however, that it is inevitable that over time the nature of individual jobs will change; existing duties may be lost, and other duties may be gained without changing the general character of the duties or the level of responsibility entailed. Consequently, the Fairtrade Foundation will expect to revise this job description from time to time and will consult with the post holder as appropriate.