Senior Director, Product Optimization at Rainforest Alliance

POSITION SUMMARY:

• The Rainforest Alliance is looking for a Senior Director, Product Optimization to serve as the second-in-command to the Chief Product Officer (CPO) and support the leadership team of the Product Business Unit (BU). The Product BU owns all aspects of Rainforest Alliance’s product portfolio, including our certification program and related offerings. It consists of six departments: Product Design, Product Development, Assurance, Data Management & Intelligence, Field Implementation, and Customer Care.
• To deliver on this key strategy for the organization, we are looking for an entrepreneurial Business Partner to the Chief Product Officer, acting at the strategic level, with executive presence, who will work with the Products leadership team and beyond. The Senior Director will play a key role in translating strategic priorities into execution, influencing department heads, and ensuring alignment with broader organizational objectives. Additionally, this role will serve as the primary liaison between the Product BU and the Strategy function, reporting directly to the CPO with a dotted-line reporting relationship to the Chief Strategy Officer.
• This role requires a visionary and execution-focused leader with strong product acumen, the ability to remove roadblocks for department heads, and the expertise to drive operational excellence within the BU.

OVERVIEW:

• The Senior Director is responsible for the implementation and management of the product portfolio strategy within Rainforest Alliance. Reporting directly to the Chief Product Officer (CPO), the Senior Director plays a critical role in the coordination and alignment of the efforts of other directors reporting to the CPO. This position also involves external representation with key market actors, ensuring the product strategy execution aligns with market needs and trends.
• This role requires a visionary and strategic thinker who thrives in a dynamic environment and is committed to driving the success of the product portfolio and the broader business goals.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Strategic Implementation & Management:

• Lead the execution of the product portfolio strategy in alignment with the company’s objectives and vision.
• Serve as a key bridge between the Product BU and the Strategy function, ensuring strategic priorities are effectively translated into execution.
• Continuously assess the performance of the product portfolio, identifying areas for improvement and driving accountability.
• Proactively identify and address operational inefficiencies to accelerate impact and improve execution.

Cross-Functional Coordination:

• Be responsible for the coordination of efforts across the six product-related departments, ensuring synergies and effective collaboration.
• Act as a key liaison between directors reporting to the Chief Product Officer, ensuring that efforts are aligned, and strategic goals are met across the entire product organization.
• Proactively identify and remove barriers that hinder success within the BU, enabling department heads to execute effectively.
• Facilitate decision-making processes and resolve conflicts or misalignments between different departments.
• Influence without direct authority, ensuring that department heads are empowered and equipped to drive their respective mandates.

Performance Monitoring & Reporting:

• Monitor the success of the product portfolio, tracking performance metrics and ensuring alignment with the strategic objectives.
• Provide regular reports to the Chief Product Officer, highlighting key achievements, challenges, and opportunities for improvement.

External Representation:

• Serve as a representative of Rainforest Alliance product execution to external market actors, including clients, partners, and industry stakeholders.
• Identify and coordinate opportunities for strategic partnerships and market growth, contributing to RA’s positioning in the sustainability industry.
• Ensure that the product portfolio delivers against market demands, maintaining the organization’s competitiveness and operational efficiency.

Stakeholder Management:

• Collaborate closely with the Chief Strategy Officer to ensure seamless alignment between the Product BU and Rainforest Alliance's broader strategy.
• Collaborate with key internal and external stakeholders to align product delivery, development, marketing, and sales efforts with the overarching business strategy.
• Provide regular updates to the Chief Product Officer, offering insights on strategy execution, performance metrics, and necessary adjustments.
• Work cross-functionally with other departments such as Communications, Marketing, Finance, and Development to ensure smooth execution of strategic initiatives.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Qualifications to a Master’s degree level, preferably with an MBA.
• Approximately 15 years’ experience in a leadership role within a product organization, with a strong track record in strategy implementation and cross-functional coordination.
• Experience in consulting (implementation-focused), corporate strategy, or program/project management is highly desirable.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to work collaboratively across teams and influence decision-making without direct authority.
• Strong business acumen with a results-driven mindset.
• Proven track record of managing multi-functional, complex, product delivery projects.
• Experience in external representation and market-facing activities is highly desirable.
• Strong interpersonal skills to build relationships at different levels in the organization and handle multiple priorities in a time sensitive manner.
• Proven ability to collaborate with multiple and diverse group of (executive level) stakeholders, creating alignment and building strategic partnerships independently.
• Excellent communication skills in English, speaking and writing. Other language skills is a plus.
• Excellent social skills with ability to interact culturally, linguistically, and respectfully with diverse internal and external individuals.
• Experience with change management practices.
• Ability to travel a minimum of 20% per year, internationally.