The Organization
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 4x1 “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
The Head of Organizational Development is responsible for identifying opportunities for organizational improvement, driving change management initiatives, and developing and fostering a high-performance culture. In partnership with the executive leadership team, this role will help shape the organization’s culture, values, and structure to achieve the organization's strategic vision and mission. This role will foster a high-performance culture and operational excellence while supporting the organization’s strategic growth and impact goals.
This role will focus on managing a fully remote and diverse workforce. It will ensure the organization’s human resource practices support recruitment, retention, and the development of high-performing employees. The role will also lead transformation efforts, driving organizational design and operational efficiency to create a culture of accountability, innovation, and performance.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Planning:
- Develop and execute strategies aligned with Fair Trade USA’s overall business goals and OKRs and cultivate a high-performance culture.
- Serve as a trusted advisor to the CEO and executive leadership team, providing thought leadership on organizational development, culture transformation, and human capital strategy.
- Assess organizational needs, identify development gaps, and create comprehensive organizational development plans aligned with Fair Trade USA’s business goals.
- Be a visible leadership team member and provide a data-driven HR perspective in organization decision-making.
Leadership Development:
- Coach and mentor leaders at all levels to enhance their leadership skills and promote a positive workplace culture.
- Cultivate a champion of change, enabling them to drive initiatives and support their teams effectively.
Change Management:
- Oversee the organizational transformation toward operational excellence and a high-performance culture.
- Design and implement change management frameworks, ensuring smooth transitions across all functions.
Talent Management & Development:
- Oversee talent acquisition strategies to attract and retain top talent in a competitive remote landscape.
- Design programs for leadership development, performance management, and succession planning to ensure the continuous development of employees at all levels.
- Foster a continuous learning and professional development culture to build future leaders.
Employee Engagement & Organizational Culture:
- Champion an organizational-wide accountability, innovation, and collaboration culture within a remote environment.
- Foster a positive and inclusive organizational culture by promoting open communication, employee engagement initiatives, and organizational success.
- Create and manage employee engagement programs that align with organizational values and business objectives.
- Implement initiatives to drive diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging within the remote workforce.
Operational Excellence and HR Collaboration:
- Ensure that people/HR operations, such as employee relations, compensation, performance management, workforce planning, and benefits administration, are optimized and scalable to support future growth.
- Leverage HR technology to create efficient and seamless HR processes for a global remote workforce.
- Oversee the further development and rollout of HR policies and procedures.
- Use data-driven insights to make informed decisions and enhance HR functions, from talent management to employee engagement.
Key Competencies
- Strategic Thinking: Ability to align HR strategies with broader organizational goals in a remote environment, with a strong focus on talent and operational excellence.
- Change Leadership: Leverage emotional intelligence for change leadership by fostering employee engagement through open communication by cultivating a high-performing culture.
- Leadership & Influence: Ability to inspire and influence cross-functional teams and senior leadership to adopt and champion organizational change.
- Remote Workforce Management: Experience managing a remote workforce, with knowledge of best practices for remote engagement, performance management, and team development.
- Communication: Strong written and verbal communication skills to convey initiatives effectively across diverse teams and locations.
- Data-Driven Decision Making: Proficient in using data and analytics to make informed decisions, track progress, and drive continuous improvement.
- Diversity Leadership: Commitment to advancing JEDI strategies and ensuring diversity and inclusiveness are central to all people's practices.
- HR Technology Expertise: Familiarity with modern HR tools, platforms, and systems that streamline HR processes in a remote setting.
Key Qualifications / Experience
- Bachelor’s degree in human resources, social science, industrial relations, business administration, or related field. Master’s degree or HR certification preferred.
- 10+ years of proven HR leadership experience, with a strong focus on strategic change management and organizational development.
- Proven experience in organizational development principles, methodologies, and best practices.
- A demonstrated track record of developing and implementing successful people strategies.
- Experience working in a mission-driven, diverse workforce remote organization.
- Demonstrated success in developing and implementing talent acquisition programs that support strategic goals and drive operational excellence.
- Comprehensive knowledge of employment laws and regulations across multiple states or countries.
