Title: Director of Education Programs

Reports to: CEO

Location: Remote, global

Hours: Full-time, Exempt

Salary: $85k - $125k, depending on experience

Position Summary

Coffee Quality Institute (CQI) seeks an experienced leader of people and programs to serve as its Director of Education Programs. This role is responsible for overall leadership of CQI’s existing Education Programs (Quality Evaluation, Post-Harvest Processing, Community Centers, and Q Certified/Q Coffees), and will also work with a range of internal and external stakeholders to develop and deploy new programs relevant to CQI’s mission. For new and existing programs alike, the Director of Education Programs will be responsible for operational efficiency, financial growth, and mission impact.

Externally, the Director of Education Programs represents CQI before diverse stakeholders within the global CQI community, and to the industry at large. Internally, they are part of CQI’s senior leadership team, with team leadership and supervisory responsibilities as well as substantial Board engagement. Collaboration with the Director of Science and Content and subject matter experts in the Education Department is especially important, essential to ensuring that new and existing offerings are both mission-aligned and responsive to market demand.

Ideal candidates will have: relevant educational credentials; an entrepreneurial outlook and growth mindset; extensive experience leading people and programs, including private- sector experience; strong financial management skills, including P&L management; a track record of success, preferably in the coffee sector; familiarity with CQI programs; and a deep commitment to CQI’s mission, vision, and values.

About CQI

CQI is a nonprofit organization working since 1996 to improve the quality of coffee and the lives of the people who produce it. We deliver our mission through education in cupping, sensory evaluation, and post-harvest processing, creating a common language for quality and helping to turn improvements in coffee quality into improvements in the lived realities of the people who produce coffee. CQI implements its education programs in collaboration with a global network of certified Educators and Q Venues, and supports project work in collaboration with local and international organizations working in the places where coffee is grown. Since 2004, CQI has certified tens of thousands of coffee professionals around the world as Q Graders and delivered millions of dollars’ worth of training to producers.

CQI is committed to building and maintaining a diverse team that looks like the coffee sector we serve, creating opportunities for members of historically disadvantaged groups, and creating a welcoming working environment for everyone.

CQI is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.

Key Responsibilities

Responsibilities of the role include, but are not limited to:

Provide dynamic leadership for CQI Education Programs, including Quality Evaluation, Post-Harvest Processing, and Community Centers (Q Venues, In-Country Partners, Q Certification/Q Coffees): develop strategy, manage budgets, set program policy, develop and monitor progress on key performance indicators, all against a backdrop of change in the fields of coffee, education, and coffee education;
Provide leadership for a team of direct and indirect reports: support performance and development planning, provide regular feedback on performance and sustained support for professional development;
Represent CQI externally a broad range of CQI stakeholders (including but not limited to the Steering Committee, Instructors, Assistant Instructors, Lecturers, and learners) and the industry at large;
Represent CQI through active and constructive engagement with the communities of CQI Educators, Q Graders, and learners;
Design and lead implementation of at least one annual Community of Practice gathering of CQI Instructors and Assistant Instructors;
Grow CQI Education Programs offerings, enrollment, revenue, and impact;
Collaborate internally (Director of Science and Content and others as needed) and externally (Steering Committee and other members of the CQI community as needed) to identify and validate new content needs; support the development and lead the rollout of relevant new educational offerings;
Play a leadership role within CQI as a member of the senior management team.

Key Relationships

INTERNAL | CQI Staff: CEO; Directors; Education Department members; CQI Board: Education Committee; Board of Trustees

EXTERNAL | CQI network: CQI Steering Committee; CQI Educators; In-Country Partners; Q Venues; Q Certified Coffee owners; Q Coffee licensees; other: industry at large.

Desired Profile

Undergraduate degree in business, education, or other relevant field; MBA or other relevant graduate degree preferred;
8-10+ years of successful leadership of people and programs, with at least with at least 5 years of financial responsibility;
Strong financial management skills, preferably in a for-profit setting and including P&L management;
Advanced data analytics abilities, experience mining performance data for actionable insights and continuous improvement;
Entrepreneurial outlook, growth mindset, experience “selling” products, services, and/or ideas;
Demonstrated coffee subject matter expertise, including experience in sensory evaluation; prior experience with CQI programs as a learner and/or Educator a plus;
High-level external representation and relationship management experience;
Professional maturity and judgment;
Conspicuously strong communication skills, including speaking and writing for senior audiences;
Advanced English-language skills required; professional competence in at least one other language relevant to CQI’s academic and research relationships desired;
Ability to travel extensively, up to 8-10 times per year, including international travel and occasional travel to remote locations;
Experience with Microsoft Office Suite, Outlook, Microsoft Teams, and SharePoint is a plus;
Demonstrated success in fast-paced, remote working environments;
Understanding of non-profit culture; and
Commitment to CQI values.

Coffee Quality Institute

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Director of Education Programs