Trade Assurance Specialist

About Fair Trade USA

At Fair Trade USA, we’re leading the charge toward sustainable development and conscious capitalism by forming fair and honest partnerships across the globe. We believe in community, we’re excited about change, and we hire driven, talented change makers who share our vision.

Founded in 1998, we are the leading third-party certifier of Fair Trade products in North America. Our unique market-based model for sustainability links millions of farms and factories around the world to over 1,500 leading brands and retailers through more transparent, equitable trading partnerships. Impact is our North Star: to date, we have channeled over $1 billion in additional income to hardworking families and communities around the world.

Fair Trade has emerged as one of the most promising models of conscious capitalism today. We are recognized for improving the working conditions and living standards of farmers and workers while protecting the environment. At the same time, we strengthen global supply chains and enable sustainability to drive profitability for the business community. For the end consumer, Fair Trade is an easy way to align our values with our purchasing decisions, voting with our dollars for a better world.

Our model has incredible leverage: for every $1 that we invest in building the Fair Trade market and movement, we are creating $4 in increased income for farmers and workers. Because of this unprecedented 4x1 “social return on investment” and community impact, we are a four-time winner of Fast Company’s "Social Capitalist of the Year" award and have been recognized as a leading social venture by the Skoll Foundation, Clinton Global Initiative, Ashoka, and the World Economic Forum.

The Role

The mission of Fair Trade USA's Certification Team is to develop, implement, and continuously improve a transparent and credible assurance model that instills confidence in the Fair Trade USA seal and is easily understood by all stakeholders. We ensure compliance with Fair Trade USA Standards and guarantee claims throughout each product’s chain of custody. Working directly with the Certification Manager and collaborating with the entire Certification Team and counterparts in Partnership Development, Partner Success, Producer Services, and Tech teams, this position is responsible for Fair Trade USA’s trader assurance process.

Key Responsibilities

• Conduct desk-based audits against the Fair Trade USA Trade Standard
• Analyze large sets of data on Fair Trade purchases and sales to verify information is reported correctly and confirm that transactions are conducted in line with requirements.
• Maintain certification relationships with Fair Trade USA traders, providing compliance guidance and ensuring adherence to certification requirements.

• Work effectively as a team member, supporting peers in day-to-day assurance processes.

Experience / Qualifications
Skills, Experience, & Knowledge

• 2 years or more of professional work experience in auditing and relationship management.
• Must have demonstrated data analysis skills
• Experience with desk auditing or comparable experience reviewing objective evidence and making determinations of compliance.
• Must have exceptional oral and written communication skills in English.
• Proficiency in Spanish is required. Must have functional oral and written communication skills in Spanish for assurance activities.
• Must be detail-oriented, logical, systematic, methodical, able to problem solve, and often work autonomously.
• Familiarity with produce and seafood commodities and their trading practices is highly desirable.
• Must have the ability to be flexible, adaptable, and to multi-task in a fast-paced and deadline-oriented environment.
• Proficiency in MS Office applications (most notably in MS Excel).
• Experience in CRM software like Salesforce is a plus.

Key Competencies & Behaviors

• Adaptability. Ability to operate with flexibility in a fast-paced, evolving environment.
• Highly collaborative team player who can work cross-functionally with all levels of an organization, both internally and externally.
• Entrepreneurial spirit. Takes initiative to problem-solve and provide innovative ideas and program improvements. Excellent at following up on leads with the energy, influence, and people skills to build and service strategic partnerships.
• Adaptable communicator. Strong verbal and written communication and presentation skills and the ability to distill complex topics concisely for different audiences. Comfortable interacting with multiple audiences such as small-scale businesses, brands, and retailers. Multilingual communication skills are a strong advantage.
• Problem Solver. Ability to think analytically, problem-solve creatively, learn, adapt and work both autonomously and with teams.

Our Workplace

At Fair Trade USA, we are a mission-driven organization and are deeply committed to fostering an environment that is built on the principles of JEDI; a just, equitable, diverse, and inclusive community for all. We are committed to upholding an inclusive workplace where all people feel equally respected and valued, and where we can all thrive. We are a proud equal opportunity employer and welcome applicants from every educational background, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, age, race, ethnicity, national origin and ancestry, veteran status, marital or family status, and disability.

We believe in empowering our teams to choose to do their best work and grow at Fair Trade USA. We offer a comprehensive compensation approach including salary, performance-based bonuses, and employee recognition awards, and a generous and thoughtful approach to employee benefits which include:

• Fully Remote & Flexible Workplace with monthly Final Friday half days
• Incentive compensation and Bonus awards
• Generous Health, Dental, and Vision insurance
• Up to 5% Employer 401k Match
• Excellent PTO including 12+ Holidays / 15+ Vacations / 9 Sick Leave days annually
• Annual Winter Break Week with Office Closure from 25th December through New Year
• Six Weeks Sabbatical Leave after 7 years’ service
• Parental Leave and Caregiver Programs
• Mental Health and Wellbeing programs
• Employee Recognition Awards
• Employee Perks and Discount programs with Fair Trade Certified partners