CALL FOR INDEPENDENT BOARD DIRECTORS – FAIRTRADE AFRICA BOARD: Independent Directors Advert – Legal and Strategy 

Job Description

CALL FOR INDEPENDENT BOARDIRECTORS – FAIRTRADE AFRICA BOARD

• LEGAL & GOVERNANCE EXPERTISE AND
• Strategy& DONOR RELATIONS EXPE

ABOUT US

Established in 2005, Fairtrade Africa is the independent non-profit umbrella organization representing all Fairtrade certified producers in Africa. Currently, the organization represents over 1,083,139 producers across 28 countries in Africa.

Fairtrade Africa is owned by its members, who are African producer organizations certified against international Fairtrade Standards producing traditional export commodities such as coffee, cocoa, tea, cut flowers, cane sugar, wine, cotton, bananas, mango, pineapples and non-traditional commodities including shea butter, rooibos tea, vegetables and fresh and dry fruits. Fairtrade Africa is made up of both Small Producer Organizations (SPOs) and Hired Labour Organizations (HLO). In HLOs, the focus is on supporting companies that employ hired labour to supply better working conditions for their workers while in SPOs the focus is on members who are smallholders who run their farms mainly using their own and their family labour.

The Fairtrade Africa secretariat is located in Nairobi, Kenya, and supports Fairtrade certified producer organisations from four regional networks as follows: West Africa Network, Eastern and Central Africa Network, Southern Africa Network and Middle East and Northern Africa Network.

• The Fairtrade Africa Western Africa Network (FTA-WAN) with an office in Accra, Ghana, represents producers in seven (7) countries: Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Benin and Togo;

• The Fairtrade Africa Eastern and Central Africa Network (FTA-ECAN) with an office in Nairobi, Kenya, represents producers in eight (8) countries: Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, DRC, Cameroon and Ethiopia;

• Fairtrade Africa Southern Africa Network (FTA-SAN) with an office in Cape Town, South Africa, represents producers in nine (9) countries: South Africa, Eswatini, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mauritius, Madagascar, Mozambique and Sao Tome;

• Fairtrade Africa Middle East and Northern Africa Network (FTA-MENA) supported from the secretariat in Nairobi, represents producers in four (4) countries: Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia and Palestine.

THE FTA BOARD

FTA is governed by a Board of Directors which is comprised of seven (7) members as follows: four (4) producer representatives (one per region) as well as three (3) independent members recruited to provide specific skills and
experience.

The Board is responsible for agreeing on strategies that help achieve its goals and that of the international Fairtrade system.

The Board Members representing each of the four regional sub-networks are elected by the annual General Assembly.

The three independent Members are also elected directly by the General Assembly to provide additional knowledge, skills and experience. Board Members (Directors) are elected for a term of three years and are eligible to be re-elected and reappointed for a second successive 3-year term, subject to satisfactory performance, principle of rotation and mutual agreement.

The Board meets quarterly, two virtual meetings and two physical meetings with occasional additional meetings as required. Members are also encouraged to serve on one of the Board’s sub-committees which are: Governance
Committee, Human Resource & Appeals Committee, Finance Committee, Markets Steering Committee, Audit & Risk Committee, Nominations Committee, Social Protection Committee and Board Evaluation Committee, and to participate in other discussion forums and working groups where their particular expertise is relevant. Board Members may also be requested to attend Fairtrade International’s Annual General Assembly.

The position of Board Member is unremunerated but reasonable travel and subsistence expenses are reimbursed.

PERSON SPECIFICATIONS

Essential Personal Attributes/ Competencies

1. Previous experience of working at board level in an organisation of similar scale and complexity, with an understanding of good governance and of the role of a board and its individual members. In particular, Board Members should

a. be committed to the principles of selflessness and integrity and demonstrate that they will act in the best interests of Fairtrade Africa as a whole, and that they will not place themselves under any obligation to people or organisations that might try inappropriately to influence them in their work. Board Members should not act or take decisions in order to gain financial or other material benefits for themselves, their family, or their friends.  They must declare and resolve any interests and relationships.

b. be able to contribute to Board discussions by listening actively with an open mind and being willing to speak their mind and engage in open debate while working effectively as part of a team.

2. A record of success in their chosen profession with evidence of providing leadership and strategic direction, driving achievement and managing change.

3. The ability to read and digest management reports and to take decisions impartially, fairly and on merit, using the best evidence and without discrimination or bias.

4. Excellent written and verbal communication skills and sufficient financial literacy to be able to understand and contribute to discussions on FTA’s budgets and management accounts.

5. Proficiency in English, which is the working language of the Board. Knowledge of other languages used by Fairtrade producers and regional networks (particularly French and Arabic) would be an advantage.

6. An understanding of Fairtrade’s rationale including the context of its mission in global trade and sustainable development, its principles, model of operation and the different perspectives of key stakeholders in the Fairtrade movement including small farmers and their organisations, workers and trade unions, development NGO’s, business, funding bodies and government institutions. If prospective Board Members are unable to offer this knowledge upon appointment, they should be willing and able to develop it by engagement with an induction programme.

Specialist Competencies

The Board aims for its membership to include at least one member with a high level of proficiency and success in each of the following areas:

Expertise Area Specialist Competencies

• Governance & Legal

Human Rights & Labour law, corporate governance, legal & regulatory compliance, risk management, policy oversight, fiduciary responsibility, ethics, regulatory affairs, dispute resolution, governance frameworks.

• Strategy & Donor Relations

Strategic planning, Marketing strategies, resource mobilization, donor stewardship, partnership development, stakeholder engagement, fundraising, organizational growth, grant management, sustainability planning.