Commercial Director at Fairtrade International

• The Commercial Director will promote and expand FTA members’ commercial activity that will help generate revenues and lead to sustainable growth and improved livelihoods in Africa. Working as part of the Leadership Team, the Commercial Director will lead FTA’s functional efforts to optimize sales for our members under Fairtrade terms and to assist them in capturing additional value from the respective supply chains. Responsible for drafting, implementing, and evaluating cross-functional strategies that will enable FTA members’ commercial efforts on the ground and work as one with other parts of the Fairtrade International system to optimize the value captured for our farmers and workers.

Required Qualifications

Education

• The ideal candidate will hold a university degree, combined with a specialization in commerce, marketing, and sales.

Relevant Experience

The ideal candidate will have worked in a commercial senior role at a well-known organization and with a proven success track record, with:

• At least seven years of senior-level commercial management experience with a reputable organization.
• Has strong business and commercial strategy background that will be suitable for the Africa region.
• Proven and demonstrable experience in sales and/or marketing and managing relationships with key stakeholders and clients.
• Proven relevant commercial and value chain experience working in both developed and developing markets across multiple countries and cultures.
• In-depth understanding of market research methods and analysis.
• An extensive network of relevant commercial contacts across different African, Middle East and Asian countries.
• Experience in the delivery of strong marketing campaigns, media management and/or branding and implementing marketing plans with measurable results.
• Ability to build effective working relationships across functional areas will be essential together with solid experience of leading change management programmes.
• The ability to influence and build consensus with member organizations and shape strategic and policy direction and decisions of Fairtrade.
• Ability to fundraise
• Proven experience in budget management and operational planning.
• Creative, innovative, proactive, and good organization skills.
• Experience in setting up systems and structures for a directorate.