A UK tech company, who wishes to remain anonymous, has announced that it is recruiting an interim chief feminism officer (CFO). It has claimed this is the first role of its kind ever to have been advertised.
The CFO's main responsibilities will be to manage female recruitment, including ensuring that more female talent is hired, and to support and mentor existing female staff.
The job advert stated that the recent news agenda around gender equality spurred the tech company to investigate how it treats its female workforce. It said it has realised the firm was ‘part of the problem’, and is hoping a new CFO will be able to change how it’s run from ‘the inside out’.
Speaking to HR magazine Loana Wurzel, chief talent officer at the firm, said: “The company is extremely hot on gender equality, and now seemed like the right time to do something about problems within the tech industry. One of the areas we really wanted to disrupt was the 'traditional boys' club' that can be prevalent in the industry, and this was a great way to do it.
“It’s a big name, and even though this is just a trial if it goes well it has the potential to have a huge influence on similar companies.”
Regarding whether tackling gender inequality is HR's responsibility, Wurzel said: “This is a completely different model. It’s not about taking away from what HR is doing, it’s about trying something new.”
The advert states that the ideal candidate will be a ‘people person’ with good social skills and an empathetic nature. However, they must also be 'strong-minded and confident in implementing new business strategies and managing a large team'.
The position is not limited to women. This is because ‘both sexes can offer different insights and expertise on sexism within the workforce and draw on personal experiences of professional gender inequality from different perspectives’, the advert stated.
“We're really focusing on getting the right person for the role and seeing if there’s a way to make it a permanent position," said Wurzel. "You have to be open, I don’t think it has to be a female CFO, so long as they can bring the right ideas to the table. I think these days most men would speak out about sexism in the workplace and would be able to offer their own insights.”
The advert also stated that the ideal candidate will have at least 10 years’ experience working in senior roles within technology, preferably at global corporations, however this isn’t essential. The job will pay £1,000 per day (up to £261,000 a year) and the advert stated that the role is based in central London at a ‘pioneering tech company’.
