The Organisation

The Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) was founded in 1998 in response to growing concerns about the poor pay and conditions of workers in many international supply chains. Since then, they have helped change the lives of millions of workers by driving improvements in company policies and practices and through advocating for meaningful change.

ETI’s vision is of a world of work that offers protection, dignity, access to rights and a decent living, is absent of exploitation and abuse, is inclusive and provides opportunity.

ETI’s mission is to work for the most vulnerable workers, harnessing the power of collaboration and innovation of a growing tri-partite membership, driving engagement and challenging barriers to deliver human rights at work.

More information about ETI and their work can be found at https://www.ethicaltrade.org/

The Role

This is an exciting and meaningful time to join ETI. Covid-19 has thrown into sharp relief how, for many years, we have been addressing the symptoms of a fragile system rather than the underlying system itself. The impact of the pandemic and the increasing influence of climate change present us with an opportunity to do things differently and drive progress for those who are too often left out. ETI’s 2021-26 Strategy has been developed to ensure relevance for the current crises and to help better understand and shape the ‘new normal’ that will no doubt emerge going forward.

The new Chair will lead ETI’s Board in ensuring that ETI has clear strategic direction and that the Board fulfils its responsibilities for the governance of the organisation in accordance with its constitution and legal requirements. They will work in partnership with the Executive Director to help him/her/they ensure the organisation is able to achieve the objectives established and they will provide leadership in external relations with members, donors, and other key external stakeholders.

Responsibilities:

• Board Selection/Review
• Strategy
• Operations
• Oversight of Executive Director
• Meetings
• External relations
• Membership

The Person

ETI are looking for candidates who are passionate about their mission and will help them achieve even greater impact around the world.  This is a high-profile appointment, and we are looking for someone who can bring most of/the right mix of the following experience and personal characteristics:

Skills, Knowledge and Experience

• Proven high level influencing and leadership skills.
• A significant track record of leadership, translating vision into achievement.
• The ability to network with and influence senior corporate figures.
• Previous experience as a Chair or Board Member of an influential organisation.
• Proven ability to deal with a variety of organisations to ensure a common goal is achieved.
• Demonstrable understanding and experience of issues relevant to the work of ETI.
• A good understanding of retail, manufacturing, agriculture or of international supply chains.
• Knowledge of international labour standards, codes of labour practice and of ethical trade issues.
• Positive experience of working with trade unions and civil society, recognising their unique and distinct value.
• An effective public speaker.

 
Further Information

For comprehensive information about ETI, the role of Chair and the person they are looking for, please download the Candidate Information Pack.

How to Apply

To express your interest in the role, please submit the following:

• An up-to-date CV with details of two referees. We will not contact them without your permission.
• A supporting statement that outlines your motivation for applying and addresses the criteria in the Person Specification.

ETI encourage a diversity of perspectives on the Board. Therefore, we particularly encourage applications from underrepresented groups with the relevant skills and experience, for example, people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities. We also encourage applications from people living with disabilities and from people across a broad age range.

If you have any difficulty uploading your application or if you would like to have an informal and confidential discussion about the role, please contact Melissa Baxter: melissa.baxter@russam.co.uk | 07789 985 229

Closing date for applications: Monday 4th April 2022
Preliminary discussions with Trustees Unlimited: Weeks commencing 4th and 11th April 2022
Interview with ETI: Week commencing 9th May 2022