Head of Responsible Business

FAIRTRADE FOUNDATION; London; Hybrid; GBP 64,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading ethical organization is seeking a Head of Responsible Business to oversee a team that drives income targets and partnerships benefiting farmers globally. In this role, you will lead diverse team efforts, represent the organization internally, and manage crucial partnerships. Applicants should have a strong background in commercial and relationship management, with experience in supply chains and advocacy. This position is full-time with a competitive salary of £63,389 per annum and supports hybrid working arrangements.

Benefits

Flexible working

Qualifications

• Proven track record in leading diverse teams and managing partnerships.
• Experience in delivering income targets and KPIs.
• Ability to provide technical knowledge to support team objectives.

Responsibilities

• Oversee the Responsible Business team to achieve income targets.
• Represent the team in internal forums and deliver key outputs.
• Manage partnership activities to ensure impact for farmers.

Skills

Commercial relationship management

Partnership building

Technical knowledge in supply chains

Job description

Overview

Job title: Head of Responsible Business

Salary: £63,389 per annum

Location: 5.7 The Loom, 14 Gower’s Walk, London, E1 8PY (UK Hybrid Working)

Contract/Hours: 35 hours per week, Full Time

Role and Responsibilities

We are recruiting a Head of Responsible Business at the Fairtrade Foundation. This leadership role will oversee the Responsible Business team, made up of a diverse range of individuals holding knowledge across supply chains and commodities to provide an end-to-end service relationship for our major commercial partners. You will oversee the team to deliver ambitious income targets for the Foundation and impact for farmers and workers globally. This role comes at a crucial time to the team as they deepen our partnerships, develop new solutions and innovate our portfolio. The Responsible Business team strategy would be led overall by the Associate Director, with input and shaping form the Head of RB role. The Head of RB will oversee the team delivering this strategy, and provide crucial support across retail, brand and OOH leads and partnership managers to ensure the team is meeting targets and KPIs. The role will also play a crucial role internally (within the Foundation and global system), representing the team on internal forums, delivering key outputs required and driving forward the relevant agendas in the appropriate spaces. This will include team planning, activity and budget reporting, risk management, team meetings / trainings, as well as deputised activities for the Associate Director of RB. They will work closely with the Lead in the team to ensure partnership activities are on track and delivering impact for farmers and workers.

This individual will need to provide the team with relevant technical knowledge. The Head of RB will have a track record of demonstrating commercial and relationship management to build a multifaceted partnership with different functions of the organisation (both internal and global) from which the team can pull. You will have stewarded and grown deep, holistic partnerships with impact goals across certified sourcing, thematic interventions, insights and data, advocacy and stakeholder engagement. You will therefore be able to provide crucial input to the team and offer support, strategy and senior leadership across retail, brand and OOH partnerships, as well as holding an existing network across the system of relevant relationships from which the team can benefit.

The Fairtrade Foundation is an equal opportunities employer, offers flexible working and welcomes applications from all sections of the community. We particularly welcome applications from candidates with ethnically diverse backgrounds, LGBTQ+ candidates and from candidates with disabilities, because we would like to increase the representation of these groups at this level. We want to do this because we know greater diversity will lead to greater results for producers and farmers around the world.

How to Apply

Click on the Apply on website' button below to apply online. The closing date for applications is Wednesday 8th October 2025.