Chief Growth Officer

Position description

At Fair Trade USA, we’re leading the charge toward sustainable development and conscious capitalism by forming fair and honest partnerships across the globe. We believe in community, we’re excited about change, and we hire driven, talented change makers who share our vision.

 

Founded in 1998, we are the leading third-party certifier of Fair Trade products in North America. Our unique market-based model for sustainability links millions of farms and factories around the world to over 1,500 leading brands and retailers through more transparent, equitable trading partnerships. Impact is our North Star: to date, we have channeled over $1 billion in additional income to hardworking families and communities around the world.

 

Fair Trade has emerged as one of the most promising models of conscious capitalism today. We are recognized for improving the working conditions and living standards of farmers and workers while protecting the environment. At the same time, we strengthen global supply chains and enable sustainability to drive profitability for the business community. For the end consumer, Fair Trade is an easy way to align our values with our purchasing decisions, voting with our dollars for a better world.

 

Our model has incredible leverage: for every $1 that we invest in building the Fair Trade market and movement, we are creating $4 in increased income for farmers and workers. Because of this unprecedented 4×1 “social return on investment” and community impact, we are a four-time winner of Fast Company’s “Social Capitalist of the Year” award and have been recognized as a leading social venture by the Skoll Foundation, Clinton Global Initiative, Ashoka, and the World Economic Forum.

 

The Role and the Opportunity

 

Fair Trade USA is investing significant capital in transformation and scalability, and we are well positioned for our next phase of growth, impacting the lives of millions of families. We seek an outstanding business development leader to join the C-Suite and help lead the organization’s extraordinary journey to impact at scale.

 

Reporting to the Founder & CEO, and a member of the Senior Leadership Team, the newly created Chief Growth Officer (CGO) is charged with driving the organization’s ambitious plans to scale by overseeing the creation and execution of all business development, sales, and fundraising strategies and programs. The CGO will lead a talented group of commercial leaders (coffee, CPG, fresh produce, apparel/manufactured goods, seafood, and retail) as well as philanthropic fundraising. The CGO will partner with the rest of the Senior Leadership Team to ensure strategic, cross-functional alignment between program development, operations, and commercial teams with a strong customer focus.

 

The CGO is responsible for expanding the market for Fair Trade Certified products in the U.S. and beyond, generating  both revenue for Fair Trade USA and impact for producers around the world. The CGO must lead the achievement of ambitious business development and sales targets within the context of a new 3-year strategic growth plan that launches in 2024. The CGO has the advantages of working closely with an energetic and visionary Founder & CEO, an ambitious, entrepreneurial team, and one of the best-known brands in the world of sustainable products. This is a unique opportunity for an accomplished business development leader to shape the trajectory of a mission-focused social enterprise and help take its extraordinary impact to scale.

 

 

Key Responsibilities

 

Working in close collaboration with the commercial leaders, the Head of Philanthropy, and the Vice President of Marketing, the CGO’s key priorities include:

 

• Lead the creation and implementation of business development strategies for each product category, including annual operating plans, budgets, revenue forecasts, and pricing strategy.

 

• Work with commercial leaders to strengthen sales management processes, deliver an excellent experience to customers, and meet growth targets with efficiency, scalability, and profitability.

 

• Work with the Head of Philanthropy to develop and implement pipeline strategies that generate philanthropic funding to support innovation and strategic initiatives.

 

• Support commercial leaders and the Head of Philanthropy in recruiting, developing, mentoring, and leading strong teams.

 

• Support sales, negotiations, and successful acquisition of strategic accounts across earned and contributed revenue. Support key account relationship management.

 

• Analyze and prioritize market opportunities for expansion, innovation, and new product initiatives.

 

• Develop and execute go-to-market strategy for new products/services.

 

• Join the Senior Leadership Team and work closely with other organizational leaders to develop and execute the organization’s strategies, policies, and key initiatives.

 

 

The Ideal Candidate

 

Fair Trade USA is seeking an outstanding, accomplished business development and sales leader who can help significantly grow the organization’s revenue and impact over the next 3 to 5 years.

 

The ideal candidate will have a proven track record in leading high-performing business development and sales teams, and will have deep experience implementing successful growth strategies in organizations that are looking to aggressively scale.  The CGO will be both a capable strategist and an outstanding operational leader that is eager to roll up their sleeves and do the work. This includes having stellar sales, negotiation, and deal-making skills, as well as exceptional communication and interpersonal skills. As a mission-driven organization, we seek candidates with deep private sector experience who are passionate about our mission and inspired to apply their business skills to an organization that creates profound, measurable impact for farming and working families around the world.

 

The CGO will be a natural relationship builder, coach, and mentor for staff. This position will lead a dedicated, knowledgeable, and hardworking team. The CGO must have outstanding people management skills, including the ability to identify talent, support professional development, and build high-performance teams.

 

Fair Trade USA is a fast-paced, dynamic environment driven by a passion for doing good in the world. We value integrity, innovation, idealism, and impact. The CGO must thrive in this highly entrepreneurial and results-focused culture, bringing a bias to action and curiosity to learn and iterate. The CGO must also bring the analytical strength to help the organization prioritize opportunities and focus in order to execute successfully.

 

The CGO will be joining Fair Trade USA at one of the most pivotal moments since our founding. The CGO role is a legacy-building opportunity for an accomplished market builder who is inspired to take Fair Trade USA and its impact to the next level. The successful candidate will have a deep-rooted sense of collaboration and will be excited by the complexity and potential that come from leading an entrepreneurial team across multiple product categories. At the same time, the CGO will be excited by the opportunity to build and directly manage a portfolio of key accounts and relationships at the highest levels with many of the world’s leading brand and retailers.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

• Candidates must have a minimum of 15 years of progressively responsible leadership experience with a track record of success in growing sales, market share, and revenue.
• Experience selling to brands, retailers, and other companies in food, beverage, CPG, or apparel/manufactured products is strongly preferred.
• Experience selling socially responsible and sustainable brands is preferred.
• Supply-chain expertise and experience selling products or services with longer sales cycles is desirable.
• An MBA or equivalent degree is desirable.
• The position is virtual and requires some domestic and international travel.

Our Workplace

At Fair Trade USA, we are a mission-driven organization and are deeply committed to fostering an environment that is built on the principles of JEDI; a just, equitable, diverse and inclusive community for all. We are committed to upholding an inclusive workplace where all people feel equally respected and valued, and where we can all thrive. We are a proud equal opportunity employer and welcome applicants from every educational background, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, age, race, ethnicity, national origin and ancestry, veteran status, marital or family status and disability.

We believe in empowering our teams to choose to do their best work and grow at Fair Trade USA. We offer a comprehensive compensation approach including salary, performance-based bonus and employee recognition awards, and a generous and thoughtful approach to employee benefits.

USD $205,000 – USD $220,000 / year

Eligible for annual performance-based bonus after one year of employment

Application instructions

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