Executive Director, Food Chain Workers Alliance

The Food Chain Workers Alliance (FCWA) is a bi-national coalition of 34 worker-based

organizations whose members plant, harvest, process, pack, transport, prepare, serve, and sell

food, organizing to improve wages and working conditions for all workers along the food chain.

FCWA unites workers across all sectors of the food system. Our members use different strategies and work in different regions, yet are aligned in their vision for a grassroots, worker-led movement to build power and end exploitation in the food system. As a member-driven organization, FCWA is a unique space for this collective strategy.

The Alliance’s organizing North Star is to increase organized worker density in the food system with strategies led by our members. We have worked to fulfill this mission through centering worker leadership development, supporting member organizing, nurturing collective strategies, and building alliances with broader social movements for justice.

THE POSITION

FCWA is seeking an executive director to lead the organization who has a deep understanding of and commitment to building bottom-up food worker power and strengthening movements for social justice. We seek a candidate who is a strategic thinker, is visionary and collaborative in their approach, and committed to building a healthy, safe working environment with trusted relationships across staff, board, and members.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

The ED is responsible for overseeing all of FCWA’s work with the aim of ensuring that all programs interconnect and are grounded in and move forward the vision set by FCWA members. The ED supports FCWA staff to carry out this vision through collaborative mentorship and leadership.

Strategic Organizational Development

• Develop and implement collaborative strategic planning processes across the organization with members and staff grounded in our organizing North Star, while also bringing their own strategic lens and ideas.
• Ensure our work, infrastructure, and member programming reflect and ensure ongoing reflection on the principles and commitments outlined in our Organizing platform and Anti-Oppression policy;
• Support the development and implementation of new programs that develop from member strategic planning discussions, incorporating their own grounded organizing vision.

Movement Building

• Develop, maintain and manage strong internal movement building structures of the organization, such as membership meetings, our annual summit, and other membership wide programs in collaboration with member committees and staff teams;
• Support program directors to carry out and grow movement-building collective member work including determining strategy and nurturing new campaigns and projects;
• Maintain and develop relationships with larger social justice networks in furtherance of programmatic goals and membership vision, and actively participate in priority external coalitions;
• Map food worker organizing and build relationships with organizations outside of our membership (including at a global level), and track larger trends in organizing, and movements that connect with our member priorities.

Staff Supervision & Team Development

• Lead the staff team, and support staff program directors and program teams in developing, implementing, and evaluating goals and work plans aligned with our vision and evolving member priorities;
• Supervise staff team members individually and support staff to build their leadership in their program area;
• Ensure a collaborative organizational culture based in trust and shared accountability, where all staff have opportunities to learn and grow in the organization.

Operations + Infrastructure

• Support the Operations Director to lead operations work/team;
• Oversight on financial reporting, legal liability, HR, and ensuring compliance with best practices;
• Develop the annual budget and track cash flow, and ensure overall organizational financial health.

Fundraising

• Support the Director of Fundraising to cultivate funder relationships, set fundraising goals and priorities to align with our program goals, and review and edit grant proposals and reports.

Board Development

• Support the FCWA board to carry out their responsibilities, including orientations with new board members, moving policy discussions forward, synthesizing information for board members to support their decision-making, and facilitating board response to organizational oversight needs.

OUR IDEAL CANDIDATE WILL POSSESS THE FOLLOWING QUALITIES, SKILLS & EXPERIENCES:

• A minimum of 10+ years of experience in worker-based and grassroots organizing, including both worker center and union organizing models; with a minimum 5+ years of experience in organizational development and/or leading teams;
• Experience leading grassroots strategic planning processes and experience mentoring and supporting staff and/or members to develop strategy;
• Demonstrated experience assessing and acting creatively and swiftly on shifting conditions to advance campaigns and strategy;
• Experience incorporating racial justice frameworks into the general operations and programming of an organization;
• Experience building multi-racial and diverse coalitions, and experience with member-centered decision making, campaign development, and governance;
• Conflict resolution skills and experience with conflict resolution tools and processes.
• FCWA strives to be a place where we can build strategy and visions grounded in an anti-capitalist and global analysis. Candidates should bring well-rounded political analysis that reflects this in practice;
• Experience cultivating funder relationships and writing funding proposals for organizing;
• Detail-oriented with excellent financial management and operations skills, including experience managing an organization or project budget and an understanding of legal and administrative responsibilities for nonprofit management;
• Candidates should be eager to develop a trusting and honest relationship with the staff team. This includes bringing strong interpersonal, facilitation, and communication skills, and a high level of emotional intelligence;
• Ability to work collaboratively, share responsibilities, and support and acknowledge staff contributions.

Preferred

• Experience and connections with national level (including Canadian) worker organizing and coalitions;
• Experience working directly with a board of directors to support their role;
• Bi- or multi-lingual (oral and written fluency) in Spanish and/or another language is a plus.

We recognize that no single candidate will possess every qualification. If you are interested in the position and hold many of the experiences and attributes above, we encourage you to apply.

COMPENSATION & LOCATION

The location for this position is flexible, though ideally it will be based in a region where there

are current or potential FCWA members. FCWA staff mainly work remotely, with in-person member and staff meetings throughout the year.

The ideal start date will be August 2025.

The salary range for this position is $95,000-$105,000, commensurate with experience. FCWA offers excellent benefits and prioritizes flexible schedules to support work-life balance.

The FCWA is an equal opportunity employer and strongly encourages people of color,

immigrants, food workers, women, non-binary, and LGBTQ individuals to apply.

TO APPLY:

Apply via idealist or send a resume and cover letter to info@foodchainworkers.org. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis beginning June 23, 2025 until the position is filled.