THE ORGANIZATION

For more than 15 years, FishWise has worked closely with the seafood sector to improve sustainability. At the core of our approach is close collaboration with seafood businesses. By working with these companies, we enact credible and measurable changes in their seafood sourcing, enhance our credibility and reputation, and build a rich body of industry and NGO expertise that demonstrates leadership in the field. FishWise also leads the seafood sector through the creation of resources and guidance to improve traceability, human rights, and to combat illegal, unregulated, and unreported (IUU) fishing.

FishWise’s Social Responsibility Division is unique among sustainable seafood and marine conservation organizations due to its dedication of a full-time team who works with companies, social responsibility experts, and environmental experts. We achieve impact by:

• Partnering with companies to implement supply chain improvements
• Connecting social and environmental experts to seafood industry efforts
• Creating best practice guidance and resources
• Convening diverse stakeholders toward improvement of the seafood sector

Our Values

We are…

• Forward-thinking: We stay on the cutting edge of emerging social responsibility and seafood topics, creating actionable solutions for and with our business and NGO partners.
• Advocates: We use our voice to create and advance the work of others, raising awareness of urgent topics through dialogue with organizations of diverse voices and critical opinions.
• Passionate: We care about the wellbeing of workers and the health of the world’s oceans, and our passion inspires action and global change.
• Solution-oriented: We value the importance of working with different stakeholders to set ambitious yet achievable goals.

We advance our mission through working…

• Collaboratively: We partner with a wide range of companies and organizations to create and achieve shared goals together. Collective action is an essential component of lasting change.
• Innovatively: We are bold and curious, using new skills and solutions to solve intractable problems in order to translate an ideal vision of the world into a reality.
• Inclusively: We celebrate diversity and foster a supportive environment for all employees.
• Transparently: We are committed to being open and honest about decision making.

THE OPPORTUNITY

The Social Responsibility Division Director will lead a division that enjoys a diverse scope of work and a multi-pronged approach to advancing human and labor rights in the seafood supply chains. With the recent launch of the Roadmap for Improving Seafood Ethics (RISE) platform, and our existing partnerships with businesses, FishWise is in a strong position to spark concrete advancements across the sector. Our dedication to collaboration with seafood sustainability and human/labor rights NGOs creates rich opportunities for bridge building and fostering awareness of diverse solutions.

Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer, the Social Responsibility Division Director will drive social responsibility programming and strategy at FishWise. This will include ensuring successful management of FishWise’s strategic and long-term goals to improve practices that advance social responsibility, providing guidance and input to the Social Responsibility Division staff. The DD will work across the FishWise divisions (including traceability, business engagement, and data) to ensure coordination amongst strategies and work streams. In coordination with the CEO and Advancement Director, the DD will strengthen existing donor and funder relationships and develop new partnerships.

FishWise is committed convening and connecting labor and human rights organizations, on-the-ground organizations and the seafood sustainability community. This role is central to FishWise’s unique ability to foster collaborative relationships with social responsibility and sustainability experts. The DD will foster and cultivate multi-stakeholder engagement and collaboration through conferences and events. This emphasis on external engagement includes a strong capacity to effectively communicate and broadcast the Social Responsibility Division’s efforts and industry developments.

Finally, the DD will support social responsibility and business engagement staff to create and implement services for companies to enable more ethical working conditions in seafood supply chains. Working closely with staff, the DD will facilitate the advancement of human rights in supply chains alongside environmental improvements to achieve a more holistic definition of sustainable seafood.

The candidate’s success in this role will be demonstrated in the following areas:

Workstreams

• Optimize the RISE platform: Ensure that the RISE platform and tools are efficient, accessible to various seafood audiences, and offer effective movement-building principles.
• Catalyze seafood industry members to action via RISE and FishWise business services: Engage companies to implement RISE guidance in order to demonstrate a powerful proof of concept, stimulating opportunity for broad-scale, industry-wide adoption.
• Integrate social responsibility guidance globally: Promote and integrate RISE guidance within multi-stakeholder efforts across the seafood industry and beyond, to influence the policies and recommendations of regional, national, and international governing bodies.

Processes

• Cultivate: Build and foster relationships across the Social Responsibility Division, broader FishWise team, the Board, and other human rights and seafood stakeholders. Listening to and progressing the work of others is critical to improving work in seafood.
• Expand: Grow FishWise’s social responsibility division work through fund development, and work in collaboration with Social Responsibility Division staff to generate resources, strengthen existing FishWise work streams, and execute novel work.
• Implement: Drive organization-wide impact through establishing effective and streamlined systems for project, budget, and staff management. Integrate and oversee the implementation of the Division’s areas of strategic focus, which include seafood industry guidance, direct partnerships with businesses, development of new services, and collaboration with NGOs.
• Promote: Champion the work of FishWise, bring inspired communication skills, and advocate for broad adoption of FishWise social responsibility tools, services, and convenings.
• Strategize: Advocate for the Social Responsibility Division with a bold and strategic mindset. Approach business challenges and opportunities with a strong understanding of the nuanced realities of the industry, and maintain a strong and fearless vision of where the industry can go.
• Support: Build strong, collaborative relationships with Social Responsibility Division staff, cultivating a cohesive culture and inspired team dynamics. This includes creating professional development opportunities for Social Responsibility Division staff through technical expertise, coaching, and feedback regarding roles, responsibilities, and projects.

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE

FishWise seeks a leader and collaborator who will value building the internal strengths of Social Responsibility Division staff, as well as externally enhancing FishWise’s opportunities to communicate and interact with members of the global industry and NGO community to inspire action and sector-wide advancements.

Internally, with a dedication to effective communication, respect, and mentorship, the DD will prioritize values of individual well-being, professional development, and emotional intelligence to lead the SR Division staff. The DD will provide their staff with strategy, technical expertise, coaching, and feedback regarding their roles, responsibilities, and projects via weekly work plans and bi-annual performance reviews. The DD will also actively engage in strategic planning and upper-level management activities to ensure coordination amongst FishWise divisions and work streams, and foster effective communication with Finance staff on grants, financial tracking, and associated communications for the Division.

Externally, the DD will leverage strong and inspired communication skills to elevate the Social Responsibility Division’s mission and work with the industry and NGO communities, highlighting successes, current tools and services, and seek to inspire action.

Ideally, to enhance industry engagement and further FishWise’s goals to improve global supply chain practices, the candidate will possess knowledge and experience of responsible business practices either through work experience in corporate social responsibility or collaboration with businesses on social responsibility topics. Knowledge of worker-centered approaches to supply chain management is also an asset, as our Social Responsibility Division continues to integrate a worker-focused approach into both external guidance as well as business partnership programmatic implementation. An excellent network within the seafood industry, human rights, or international development field is preferred.

Minimum qualifications

To be considered, the candidate must possess an advanced degree in a related field and a minimum of ten years of progressive responsibility in private, nonprofit, or public sector organizations, including management experience. The candidate must be a motivated self-starter and critical thinker, with the proven ability to meet deadlines and manage multiple simultaneous work streams. They will bring a commitment to developing, inspiring, and leading a high-performance team to advance the mission of the division and the organization as a whole. Strong knowledge management in complex, multi-stakeholder processes will be used to achieve strategic objectives. The candidate will have a high degree of proficiency in Mac computers including Microsoft Office and Adobe Suite; excellent professional writing, editing, and verbal communication skills, with experience in public speaking and presentation. Domestic and international travel are required.

To be considered

FishWise is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.

We offer an excellent benefits package and a competitive salary that is commensurate with experience.

This is a full-time position, preferably based in the FishWise office in Santa Cruz, CA, but with the option to be based remotely, preferably in the San Francisco Bay area.

Office hours: Monday – Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Evening and weekend work may be required.

Personal transportation is required.

To apply, please click on the “Apply” link above to submit your resume and a cover letter expressing your passion for the mission and fit for the role.

Download a PDF of the position profile.