Director Agriculture

Nestle Operational Services Worldwide SA•Solon, OH

About The Position

Leads the development and execution of Nestlé USA’s integrated agriculture strategy, ensuring a sustainable, resilient, and cost-effective supply of dairy while advancing regenerative agriculture, quality, and sourcing priorities. This role is accountable for aligning agronomy, fresh dairy sourcing, and regenerative agriculture & certifications into a centralized operating model, enabling scale, consistency, and impact across fragmented activities. The Director translates global strategy into U.S. execution, strengthens supplier ecosystems, and partners cross-functionally with Procurement, ESG, and Operations to deliver business and sustainability outcomes.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Agronomy, Animal Science, Agriculture, Environmental Science, Operations, or related field
12+ years in agriculture, quality, sourcing, sustainability, or supply chain
Proven leadership experience managing cross-functional and matrixed teams
Experience in Agricultural supply chains (dairy, crops, or similar commodities)
Strategic leadership with ability to translate vision into execution
Deep understanding of agronomy, agricultural supply chains, and sustainability
Strong commercial and procurement acumen
Ability to influence across global, matrixed organizations
Data-driven decision making and KPI management
Stakeholder engagement and partnership development
Change leadership and transformation capability
Exceptional communication and storytelling skills

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree (MBA, MS) preferred
Experience in global or multi-market agricultural environments
Exposure to carbon, Scope 3, ESG, and certification frameworks
Experience leading transformation or organizational design initiatives
Experience in regenerative agriculture initiatives and practices
Experience in supplier and sourcing strategy development

Responsibilities

Define and execute a holistic agriculture strategy aligned to Nestlé’s Agriculture Framework, ESG goals, and sourcing priorities
Lead transformation of fragmented agronomy and sourcing activities into a centralized, high-performing model
Translate long-term sustainability and supply strategies into actionable roadmaps with measurable outcomes
Drive regenerative agriculture adoption and integrate it into sourcing and supplier development
Lead supplier development to improve quality, productivity, resilience, and sustainability outcomes
Drive carbon reduction, regenerative agriculture adoption, and responsible sourcing across value chains
Manage agricultural risks including supply volatility, cost, regulation, and climate impacts
Ensure secure, competitive supply of key agricultural inputs for fresh milk through effective sourcing strategies
Partner with the Procurement function to ensure effective collaboration and comprehensive sourcing strategies for agricultural products
Provide enterprise leadership across agronomy strategy, protocols, and capability building
Partner Procurement, Quality, Corporate Sustainability and global agriculture teams to embed science-based practices
Drive continuous improvement in crop performance, soil health, and productivity
Lead team of subject matter experts across agronomy and sustainable sourcing to ensure that all business commitments are understood and met.
Build and manage relationships with farmers, cooperatives, suppliers, NGOs, and industry bodies
Represent Nestlé externally in agriculture, sustainability, and regulatory forums
Partner with internal stakeholders (Procurement, ESG, R&D, Quality, Public Affairs) to align priorities
Set KPIs and monitor performance across: Supply security & cost, Sustainability (carbon, regenerative ag adoption), Quality and supplier performance
Ensure compliance with regulatory, certification, and sustainability standards
Manage budget, investment prioritization, and operational execution