Executive Director

The Fair Food Standards Council (FFSC) is seeking an Executive Director to lead a team dedicated to the enforcement and expansion of a sustainable agricultural industry and the human rights of farmworkers. The ideal candidate would have a demonstrated commitment to human rights; extensive experience in the farmworkers’ and/or human rights enforcement, non-profit or mission-driven business management, and in fundraising; and would speak Spanish fluently. 

About FFSC

The mission of FFSC is to monitor the development of a sustainable agricultural industry that advances the human rights of farmworkers, the long-term interests of growers, and the ethical supply chain concerns of retail food companies through implementation of the Fair Food Program (FFP), a unique worker-led, market-driven social responsibility program that emerged from the Coalition of Immokalee Workers’ successful Campaign for Fair Food. The FFP has been recognized by human rights experts as “the best workplace-monitoring program” in the US and “one of the great human rights success stories of our day.” To learn more, please see the FFSC’s annual report. The FFP has experienced recent dramatic growth, and now has farms in 20 states and multiple crops, as well as pilots in Chile and South Africa. The program’s groundbreaking model of worker-driven social responsibility is being replicated in multiple sectors and geographies around the world.  

The Executive Director would ideally be located in Florida with flexible remote work the norm. Most of FFSC’s team is based in Florida, and FFSC routinely engages with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers staff in Immokalee, Florida. Work-related travel, primarily within Florida but also nationally, and occasionally internationally, should be expected at least on a monthly basis. 

Compensation ranges from $100,000 to $120,000 annually, commensurate with experience and qualifications. Benefits include employer-paid medical, dental, and life insurance; 20 days of paid vacation and five days of paid sick time; parental leave policies; an employer-matched 401(k) plan; all federal holidays; organization-wide break the week between Christmas and New Years; and an optional two-month unpaid sabbatical once every three years. 

Responsibilities

  • Provide overall guidance and supervision for the organization’s administration and programmatic work, in coordination with FFSC’s management team; 
  • Cultivate and maintain relationships with institutional and individual donors;
  • Represent the organization in public-facing events and presentations; 
  • Maintain relationships and act as principal point of communication with the FFP’s participating growers and participating buyers; 
  • Oversee the quality of the organization’s final work product, including compliance assessments, complaint resolutions, and materials generated for the public;
  • Support the program’s expansion efforts in the U.S. and internationally; and
  • Work with other organizations seeking to replicate the Fair Food Program model.

Qualifications

  • Experience in the administration of growing non-profits; 
  • Experience in development and fundraising, including with major institutional and individual donors;
  • Ability to work well with management team members who are responsible for direct supervision of junior staff;
  • Ability to present the different facets and impacts of the organization’s work and accomplishments to a wide variety of audiences; 
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills; 
  • Experience in factual analysis and complaint investigation; 
  • Experience in alternative dispute resolution; 
  • Prior human rights work on behalf of low-wage workers and/or other vulnerable populations; 
  • Good judgment, attention to detail, and willingness to work with limited administrative assistance; 
  • Willingness to work flexible hours and to travel within the U.S., as well as internationally; 
  • Bachelors and JD, PhD, or MBA; and
  • Spanish language fluency is preferable.

To Apply

Applicants should send a resume/CV and a cover letter describing their interest in the position to Judge Laura Safer Espinoza at mc@fairfoodstandards.org. The subject line of the email should read Executive Director Position. Please state in the body of the email where you found the position. 

FFSC is an equal-opportunity employer committed to developing a workforce that reflects and can relate easily to the diverse populations involved in the Fair Food Program.