Regulatory Director

Regulatory Director

About the Organic Trade Association:

The Organic Trade Association (OTA) is a membership-based business association for organic agriculture and products in North America. OTA is the leading voice for the organic trade in the United States, representing over 9,500 organic businesses across 50 states. Its members include growers, shippers, processors, certifiers, farmers’ associations, distributors, importers, exporters, consultants, retailers, and others. Our member businesses work together through networking, advocacy, and other initiatives to encourage and protect organic farming practices and to share messages about the positive environmental and nutritional attributes of organic products with consumers, the media, and policymakers.

We are a connected community of innovators and pioneers working to shape the future of organic food and farming. Together with our members, we are focused on solutions.

What you’ll do:

Working closely with the V.P. of Regulatory & Technical Affairs and CEO, you will be expected to develop and carry out organic policy strategy and actions through member engagement in the interest of OTA’s mission and its members. As the Regulatory Director, you will function as a creative member of OTA’s team, share information effectively to assist others in doing OTA’s work, build positive and strong relationships with members and OTA staff and demonstrate personal responsibility in job performance.

You should have:

·       5+ years of related experience

·       Bachelor’s Degree; job-related continuing education required

·       Knowledge of and passion for organic agriculture, industry

·       Extensive and practical knowledge of organic standards with a focus on crops and livestock, as well as corresponding materials issues

·       Excellent industry relations and well-respected within the organic producer/ certification community

·       Excellent facilitation and moderation skills

·       Superb written/verbal communication skills; Ability to produce written documents in a clear, concise, timely, and accurate fashion

·       Exemplar interpersonal skills, including consensus building, meeting and discussion facilitation, and active listening – including comfort with membership outreach and development

·       Ability to work independently

·       Ability to work as a team member

·       Shares information with stakeholders

·       Ability to work well under pressure with critical deadlines

·       Excellent word processing skills and solid knowledge of spreadsheet, database, and word processing software.

·       Ability to travel – up to 25% of the time

Your responsibilities as the Regulatory Director include:

·       Work closely with V.P. of Regulatory on NOP organic standards development, including research, data collection, drafting of comments, white papers, and reports

·       Conduct tracking of NOSB activities, NOP rulemaking, and program announcements

·       Serve as the lead technical expert on issues related to crop and livestock standards

·       Serve as the lead technical expert on issues related to crop and livestock materials

·       Serve as in-house technical support/lead to international trade work

·       Support GA staff and associated member communities on topics/policies specific to NOP organic standards

·       Summarize and provide external communications regarding NOP and NOSB organic regulatory developments

·       Ensure website content related to organic standards and education is accurate and up to date

·       Educate organic and allied industry as well as public officials on issues affecting organic producers

·       Mobilize members for effective engagement and advocacy on organic regulatory issues

·       Represent and advocate for OTA’s positions through public/conference presentations as approved

·       Serve as OTA representative on relevant boards as approved

·       Provide regular briefings to Supervisor and/or CEO to stay up to date on issues pertinent to membership

·       Support member prospect outreach as identified and when appropriate

·       Support task forces related to NOP organic regulatory issues: serving as co-chair and/or staff-maximizing member engagement and quality of work deliverables; facilitating member consensus and position development

·       Provide support for developing and improving systems for regulatory tracking and OTA member outreach and engagement utilizing tools such as Mobilize, OneDrive, SalesForce, and others as needed

·       Maintain a positive relationship with the organic industry and allied stakeholders

·       Travel to meetings or events as required; may involve extended travel; willingness to meet with members and prospective members as required

·       Attend staff meetings; contributes to bi-weekly News Flash and quarterly newsletter; maintain relevant web pages; engage relevant member forums (list serves); engage with staff from other departments as necessary for Association purposes

·       Follow staff travel and home office policies

We offer you:

We value our employees’ time and efforts. Our commitment to your success is enhanced by our competitive compensation and an extensive benefits package, including paid time off, medical, dental, and vision benefits, and future growth opportunities within the company. Plus, we work to maintain the best environment for our employees, where people can learn and grow with the company. We strive to provide a collaborative, creative environment where everyone is encouraged to contribute to our processes, decisions, planning, and culture.

The Organic Trade Association does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital/family status. Persons with disabilities, who require alternative means for communication of program information, should contact us.