Director of Business Operations & Partnerships

Position Overview (office-based in Rosemont, IL with hybrid flexibility; relocation is not available for this position):

Dairy Management Inc. (DMI) is searching for a purpose-driven and organized individual to serve as Director of Business Operations & Partnerships for the Exports, Strategic Intelligence & Planning department, supporting operations of both the department internally and its work with executive stakeholders/partners externally.

DMI is part of a federation of affiliated companies in the dairy industry, and the Exports, Strategic Intelligence & Planning department leads coordination of shared efforts between DMI and those affiliated companies (referred to as State and Regional (SR) organizations).

This is a new role, reporting directly to the SVP of Federation Relations & International Partnerships, that was created in response to a desire to strengthen relationships between DMI and internal and external stakeholders by nurturing trust through consistent communication and dependable actions. With an important lens on increasing efficiency and effectiveness for our farmer funders, this individual will manage cross-organization coordination of important touchpoints between DMI and the federation companies as well as internal department coordination.

This individual will also gain exposure to and have responsibility for managing strategic international partnerships with guidance from the SVP of Federation Relations & International Partnerships.

Overall, this role is well-suited for someone who desires working directly with strategic leaders and CEOs across the federation while developing skills in building strategic partnerships, all in support of advancing DMI’s mission and work on behalf of America’s dairy farmers.

Responsibilities:  

 ·         Support the Federation Relations function by enabling efficient processes and productive communication and collaboration between DMI Executive Leadership and SR CEOs. (40%)

·         Keep a running log of information that needs to be shared between DMI and SR CEOs (internal and external executive stakeholders).

·         Prepare for and help execute SR CEO calls, including distributing agendas, sending pre-reads, taking minutes, producing timely follow-ups, and managing follow-ups to conclusion. Note that the SVP of Federation Relations & International Partnerships facilitates the calls.

·         Manage and update the SR CEO portal to ensure timely and effective dissemination of SR CEO-related information (e.g., presentation decks, planning materials, meeting notes, webinars, etc.).

·         Calendarize learning opportunities (e.g., Strategic Intelligence webinars), events, opportunities to provide input/partner, and deadlines related to federation relations, strategic plan readiness, SR CEO deliverables, SR board meetings, etc. Also reinforce the filing of the speaker/presenter request form and coordinate appropriate resources and materials to present at SR Board meetings.

·         Partner with VP of Strategic Planning to coordinate SR CEO and SR teams' engagement in the strategic planning, measurement, and reporting process.

·         Plan virtual SME summits with the appropriate DMI and SR SME teams (approximately one per strategic plan priority per year) with the goal of effective knowledge retention for all SRs.

·         Support annual feedback process to solicit and elevate SR CEO and DMI executive leader feedback to jointly discuss wins, challenges, and opportunities related to SR engagement, the value of membership, and perceptions of the effectiveness of collaboration/integration.

·         In alignment with the DMI’s Program Management Office (PMO), ensure the daily business operational efficiency of the Exports, Strategic Intelligence & Planning department by 1.) providing oversight of operations, resources, and budget 2.) coordinating and supporting several key initiatives, and 3.) identifying areas for operational improvement. (35%)

·         Partner with the department lead to define department processes and streamline department operations to deliver on the department's annual goals. 

·         Work with the department and finance team to build, track, and manage the department budget.

·         Attend department leadership meetings, working in advance with the department lead to develop and share the agenda, and ensure the team members are aware of the ownership of agenda items. 

·         Coordinate with the owners of departmental workstreams to ensure optimal integration and efficiency across the team and the on-time and on-budget completion of major projects.

·         Review departmental deliverables with an eye for confidentiality and consistent strategic impact.

·         Partner with the VP of Strategic Planning to plan and execute the Situation Assessment Meeting (one per year) to ensure high-quality delivery from start to finish, including leading the development of the deliverables timeline, content needs, and ownership, leading operational execution of the event, hosting a post-event lessons learned meeting, etc.

·         Manage calendar of Strategic Intelligence offerings and engagement opportunities. Ensure all deliverables are shared with the right audience via webinars and Strategic Intelligence newsletter.

·         Take direction from the Annual Meeting team to lead coordination of department’s participation in the event, 1.) ensuring the submission of all deliverables on time and of high quality and 2.) understanding meeting logistics for final execution.

·         Participate as an active member of the Operations Leads team as part of the DMI PMO.

·         Coordinate and delegate administrative tasks to the administrative coordinator as appropriate.

·         Manage strategic international partnerships with direction from the SVP of Federation Relations & International Partnerships. (25%)

·         Day to day management of international innovation partnerships, serving as lead DMI contact.  Partnerships include large foodservice companies as well as manufacturers of dairy products and ingredients.

·         Collaborate with individual partners on annual objectives, strategies and budget to grow U.S. dairy exports

·         Drive success and provide day-to-day oversight, and evaluation, of funded initiatives including:  

·         New product, menu innovation

·         Marketing innovation including packaging, advertising, PR, etc.

·         Become an expert on the dairy industry as well as DMI capabilities and assets to leverage with partners

Requirements

Required skills/abilities:

·         Professional verbal and written communication skills

·         Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail

·         Financial acumen / comfort with budgets

·         Customer service orientation and ability to adapt to the needs of the organization

Required qualifications, background, experience:

·         At least five years of work experience in B2C or B2B marketing, sales, project management, agency account management and/or a related field is required (note: background/experience in strategic insights/intelligence is not required)

·         Bachelor’s degree required

 Travel:

·         Estimated one to two required business trips per year

Benefits

We know that in order to meet our goal of growing dairy demand, we need the best people. We offer competitive compensation and generous benefits to help our employees balance their work and personal lives.

Our comprehensive health and welfare plans offer medical, dental, vision, life, short-term and long-term disability and flexible spending accounts (health care, dependent care, transit and parking). Our 401k provides up to a 10% match and includes a Roth account. DMI reserves the right to change or end its benefits plans or programs at any time.

Dairy Management Inc.™ is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer committed to the principles of diversity. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, ethnicity, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

ABOUT DAIRY MANAGEMENT INC.

Dairy Management Inc.™ (DMI) is funded by America’s nearly 26,000 dairy farmers, as well as dairy importers. Created to help increase sales and demand for dairy products, DMI and its related organizations work to increase demand for dairy through research, education and innovation, and to maintain confidence in dairy foods, farms and businesses. DMI manages National Dairy Council and the American Dairy Association, and founded the U.S. Dairy Export Council and the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy. DMI works with state and regional promotion organizations to implement these programs across the country.

We regret it is not possible to communicate with candidates except those who most closely match our requirements. Thank you.