Director, Dairy Sustainability and Strategic Sourcing

Why Grande?

With more than 80 years of crafting “The Finest Italian Cheeses That Money Can Buy”, Grande is a leader in the industry! Whether partnering with independent pizzerias from coast-to-coast to ensure they’re delivering the very best pizza to their customers or assisting our food manufacturing partners in delivering specialty whey ingredient solutions, our commitment to quality can’t be matched. While Grande’s reputation of excellence in the market is important, we believe our commitment to our workplace and community culture is of equal merit – our Associates come first at Grande. To complement our industry-leading benefits, Grande puts an emphasis on your career growth opportunities, while always promoting a positive work/life balance and supporting the communities in which we live and work. If you want to learn more about our company – what we do and how we go about it – or learn more about our beautiful, state-of-the-art corporate headquarters, visit www.grande.com. 

Did we convince you yet? If not check out our unique benefits

• Free onsite clinics.
• Free onsite fitness center.
• Free healthy snacks throughout facility.
• Health and wellness reimbursement program.
• Associate cheese purchasing program.
• Two-year mentorship program.
• Relaxation rooms (based on location).
• Coffee and gelato bar (based on location).
• State of the art corporate building: https://www.grande.com/careers/#office

Why Fond du Lac?

In Fond du Lac (FDL) you get the full four-season experience – warm in the summer with highs reaching into the 80s and plenty of sunshine for golf, biking, camping and live music under the open sky, and brisk air in the winter with average temps in the 20s and ample snow for snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, ice fishing and winter festivals. The greater FDL area (population 43,000) is easy to get around and roughly an hour drive to almost all major metros in the state (Milwaukee, Madison and Fox Cities/Green Bay). We’ve been rated “Top 100” in job growth among small U.S. metro areas. Additionally, our cost of living is 4% below the national average and you’ll pay 21% less for housing, rent and property taxes compared to the rest of the country. From wonderful educational partners (public and private K12 schools and three local colleges/universities), a plethora of things to do/see, and a vibrant business and commerce community…learn more about how you can call Fond du Lac, HOME!

Job Summary

Grande is seeking a results-driven, strategic leader to own the overall delivery of end-to-end Purchasing and Environmental Sustainability for the Enterprise as our next Director, Milk Marketing (Dairy), Sustainability and Strategic Sourcing.  From farm to Operator (customer) this role will provide focus, vision and strategy necessary to build dairy producer partnerships, delivering joint growth and business continuity.  In this role you will proactively develop and manage a broad dairy and Agricultural network to influence industry on critical issues. With a quality first focus, you will develop and maintain an understanding of what is possible for best-in-class strategic sourcing within dairy, foodservice and beyond. Additionally, you will help the team establish best-in-class processes and provide resources to allow execution, ensuring Purchasing is, and continues to be a source of differentiation and competitive advantage for the Enterprise.

Establishing trust and delivering business value while eliminating non-value-added costs is critical in this role. It will require a strong and adaptable leadership presence and experience, to make an impact in both the board room and on the farm. Proven experience in leading teams and demonstrated collaborative successes is a requirement. A strong focus on continuous improvement while demonstrating a competitive winning spirit is essential. In the absence of an executive contact, this role will facilitate necessary business to business communications. The ideal candidate will be well connected within the dairy industry, with demonstrated success of innovation adoption and implementation.

What you need to be considered for the role:

• 4 Year / Bachelors Degree in Agricultural Business Management, Agricultural Science, Supply Chain Management or other related field required.
• Minimum of twelve (12) years of broad related experience in Dairy Industry; Dairy Producer Relationship experience is required.
• Experience within the dairy manufacturing space is required, with strong knowledge of key economic market influences.
• Must have served on a dairy or agricultural Industry board, with a proven track record of leadership, industry connections and strategy development.

Preferred:

• Graduate Degree - MBA or MS with an emphasis in Procurement or Supply Chain preferred.
• Strategic Sourcing/Purchasing and/or Environmental Sustainability leadership experiences are a bonus.

• ISM Certifications (CPSM or CPM) highly desired.

• APICS certification preferred.