Traidcraft Exchange - Director of International Programmes, Policy and Partnerships

Director of International Programmes, Policy and Partnerships May 2022

Photo credit: Traidcraft Exchange/Kevin Ouma

About Traidcraft Exchange Traidcraft Exchange is a medium-sized international NGO working to transform trade. We work in Sub Saharan Africa and South Asia, to support farmers, artisans and informal workers to benefit from more sustainable and equitable trade and advocate and campaign for change in business practices and government policy globally.

We have recently developed a new strategic direction for the organisation in response to a changing context and global challenges, integrating a climate justice perspective into our work, and recognising the need to do more to build the power and agency of communities on the ground.

As an organisation we have recently undergone a period of transition.

We are bringing together our programme and policy work within 3 focus sectors: Small-scale agriculture, tea and garments and textiles.

Within these sectors, we are developing a systemic approach to change, ensuring that our programmatic work feeds wider advocacy and influencing work, recognising as a small organisation, this is how we can have the deepest impact.

We share our 35 years of trading experience, technical knowledge and skills with collectives of farmers, artisans and workers, particularly women, supporting them to strengthen their voice and power to claim their rights and negotiate more equitable and sustainable trading relationships. We are testing a participatory grant making approach to provide small grants to grassroots collectives and accompany partners as they take forward their plans for the future.

We work in coalition with others to influence the wider eco-system to respond to the needs of vulnerable communities and advocate and campaign for greater transparency and accountability within supply chains. We are learning by doing and seeking to develop new more flexible funding partnerships to resource our work.

We see our most impactful role being a resource partner and providing accompaniment support to farmers’ associations, artisans’ enterprises, worker collectives and civil society organisations that are challenging the negative impacts of mainstream trade and developing alternative business models that put people and planet first.

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The Role

Photo credit: Traidcraft Exchange/Ricci Shryock

Role:

Director of International Programmes, Policy and Partnerships

Location:

Kenya, Tanzania, India or Bangladesh with substantial international travel required (approx 12 weeks / year)

Salary:

$75,000 - $90,000 gross, plus benefits

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Job Summary

Responsibilities

We are seeking an outstanding, strategic leader to become Traidcraft Exchange’s Director of International Programmes, Policy and Partnerships. The candidate will be passionate and knowledgeable about the trading context and sectors in which we work and deeply committed to a systemic approach to change. They will have excellent networking and partnership development skills, be able to speak credibly and passionately about trade issues and to represent the organisation at the most senior level.

Accountabilities

Experienced in bringing programme and policy work together to deliver lasting impact, the successful candidate will provide strategic direction to their teams and galvanise staff behind a clear vision for change in the sectors in which we work. They will have a strong track record of delivery, excellent people leadership and management skills and be able to embed collaborative and creative ways of working alongside clear systems of reporting, learning and review. They will have a track record of developing strategic funding partnerships to bring in resource to the organisation and be able to drive a culture of fundraising within the department.

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• The successful candidate will demonstrate a passion and personal drive for Traidcraft Exchange’s mission, will be deeply committed to enabling and supporting people-led change and will embody our values in their leadership.

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To set the strategic direction and ensure strong evidence of impact for Traidcraft Exchange’s programme, policy and partnership work in South Asia, Africa, UK and globally.

To represent Traidcraft Exchange at senior levels and to influence and collaborate with different stakeholders and partners to deliver our strategy and build profile for our work To oversee and allocate the international budgets for our programme and policy work, and to drive the funding strategy, building a diverse portfolio of donors and developing innovative new funding partnerships To direct, mentor and coach line-management reports, including country/regional directors in South Asia and Africa, and heads of team in Policy and Partnerships & Investment as well as the Portfolio, Quality and Impact Lead To be a visible and inspiring organisational leader, actively contributing to the executive leadership team and supporting and enabling leaders across Programmes, Policy and Partnerships & Investment to collaborate effectively to deliver impact in our priority portfolios of work To embody the organisation’s values and to build a culture of working that empowers staff to lead in their different areas and to co-create programme and policy initiatives with partners and communities, in line with our commitment to shift power and locally-led development This post will report to the CEO

This role would suit an experienced and energetic person with drive and vision, and strong strategic and inter-personal skills. It is an exciting time for the organisation and a great opportunity to lead and shape our work to have a deep and meaningful impact in the lives of vulnerable communities.

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Candidate profile You will be:

You will have:

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Passionate and driven, deeply committed to tackling injustice in trade systems and enabling community-led change A strategic leader, with a strong understanding of the contexts in which we work, able to ensure our strategic relevance and valueadd An inspiring leader of people, able to motivate, mentor and support staff to succeed and thrive An excellent networker, able to develop and nurture a broad range of relationships with different stakeholders, including businesses, governments, ngos and donors Able to spot opportunities for strategic collaborations and partnerships, and able to bring those to fruition Excellent at speaking passionately and representing the organisation at a senior level Experienced in working from a programmatic and policy perspective on the trade issues within Traidcraft Exchange’s portfolio areas, including small-scale agriculture, tea and garments A deep understanding of and commitment to the shift the power agenda, equality, diversity and inclusion Skilled at developing strong relationships and ensuring effective team working by facilitating good decision-making and strong collaboration Able to hold the strategic vision and see the bigger picture

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Strong experience and knowledge of trade issues in Traidcraft Exchange’s portfolio areas of small-scale agriculture, tea and garments and textiles Lived experience or exposure to working within an approach that seeks to build community power Strong leadership and management skills and the ability to work with teams across multiple sites to deliver impact Experience of developing innovative partnerships and collaborations with others, in a multisectoral context Excellent cultural intelligence and ability to relate to staff and partners from different cultures Excellent networking and communication skills Strong credibility with a range of audiences Excellent leadership and people coaching and development skills Personal commitment to justice and fairness

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How to Apply All correspondence, at this stage, should be via Oxford HR. To apply for this post, click on the “Apply” button on the job advert page, complete our online application form, and submit your CV and cover letter as two different documents, which should be prepared before applying as they will be considered in the application process.

The cover letter should be no more than two pages long and explain why you are interested in this post and how your skills and experience make you a good fit.

The document should be saved in MS Word in the following format: Your First Name-Your Last Name-Document Name-Date (mmyy) e.g., Pat-Jones-CV-052022TraidcraftExchange or Pat-Jones-CoverLetter-052022-TraidcraftExchange.

Timeline

Closing Date: First stage interviews: Final interview face to face in the UK:

24th June 2022 7-8 July TBC around Mid-July

Selection Process

All candidates will receive an update regarding their application after the closing date. We advise candidates to add the role email to their safe senders list and regularly check their spam folder.

Equality Statement

Equality and diversity are at the core of (organisation name) values. Staff are expected to work collectively and individually to promote a constructive and sensitive approach to others from a variety of backgrounds, where the work of others is valued and respected.

Queries

If you have any queries on any aspect of the appointment process, need additional information, or would like to have an informal discussion, please email at traidcraftexchange-dir-gp@oxfordhr.co.uk in the first instance.

Photo credit: Traidcraft Exchange/Michael Goima

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About Oxford HR Oxford HR operates globally - mainly within the international development and charity sectors. We carry out retained executive search mandates at board and senior management levels. We also offer human resource and organisational development consultancy.

Oxford HR has many years of experience in search as well as an extensive network of international development, social sector, corporate, public sector, and academic contacts from across the world. We carry out comprehensive and often international searches designed to meet the specific needs of our client.

Photo credit: Traidcraft Exchange/Ian Gatere

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OXFORD

LONDON

AMSTERDAM

NAIROBI

46 Woodstock Road

5 Tanner Street

Korte Schimmelstraat 12

Workify Africa

Oxford

Bermondsey

1053 SZ

ABC Place

OX2 6HT

London

Amsterdam

Waiyaki way

SE1 3LE

Nairobi

United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The Netherlands

Kenya

+44 (0) 1865 985 457

+44 (0)20 7939 7451

+31 (0) 621 153 452

+254 (0) 797 233 217

www.oxfordhr.co.uk | Company No. 6456325

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