We’re looking to expand our team to include someone who:
- Loves the idea of bridging business strategy with sustainable development focused on people and the planet
- Enjoys operating in an innovative, fast-paced, and rapidly changing environment
- Understands how business works and how business decisions are made, in order to help others understand how Fair Trade can bring value to their business model
- Loves to quickly find creative, mutually beneficial solutions as challenges arise
- Likes to deliver results
Overview of position:
As the Business Development Specialist on the Produce and Floral team, your role is to help increase our positive impact on farming communities and the environment by supporting our Fair Trade Certified produce and floral brands, distributors, and retailers.
The Specialist will play a key role in growing sales of Fair Trade fresh produce and floral products by pitching, landing, and onboarding new produce and floral brands. The Specialist will also work to deepen relationships with existing partners, particularly those sourcing from Mexico, Central, and South America, and supporting them to grow their Fair Trade sales.
It is a lot of work, but a lot of fun. The ideal candidate will be enthusiastic, passionate for the mission, highly motivated, organized, a great communicator, quick learner, and a self-starter. Most importantly, you work well with others, especially across multiple teams and departments, and can be a leader – taking initiative and rolling up your sleeves and do whatever it takes to make us successful.
The Specialist will complete much of their work from our office in Oakland, California. A lot of this work will be done by e-mail or over the phone, but domestic travel and some international travel will be necessary about 15% of the time.
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Bachelor’s Degree.
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Be outcome-oriented and know how to get things done.
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Exceptional customer service and relationship-building background, supported by outstanding oral and written communication skills.
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Great attention to detail is a MUST.
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Knowledge of the produce and floral industry is a plus, but not required.
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Ability to think quickly, learn, adapt, and work both autonomously and with teams.
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Must be able to prioritize work effectively, problem-solve and handle complex projects in a systematic and highly organized manner.
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2+ years of sales or relationship management experience highly preferred.
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Proficient in all Microsoft Office applications, especially Excel and PowerPoint.
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Prior experience working with a CRM system, such as Salesforce is desirable.
- Some travel (~15%) is required.
- Proficiency in Spanish required.
How to apply:
Please submit a PDF copy of your resume and cover letter describing your interest, qualifications, language abilities, and salary requirements to the attention of Jesse Appelman.
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Develop, onboard, and manage relationships with fresh produce and floral brands to grow volumes sold on Fair Trade Certified terms; support revitalization of floral program.
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Handle product registration, licensing process, and special program agreements for produce and floral brands.
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Develop and deploy tools to help partners improve their experience in the Fair Trade program, including onboarding and communications tools (i.e. quarterly newsletters and producer highlights).
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Support creation and delivery of partner Impact Reports.
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Provide support, as needed, to help coordinate event/tradeshow/conference presence.
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Maintain accuracy of partner information in our database (Salesforce), coordinating with Supply Chain colleagues on program opportunities and account data.
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Work closely with our grower support team and visit Fair Trade Certified farms on a regular basis, learning from farmers and farm workers to build your expertise in all aspects of the program.
