Vice President of Operations & Planning, Environmental ...

Role Purpose While the position is Rosemont-based, we offer a flexible, hybrid, arrangement!The U.S. dairy industry is on the mission of a lifetime: to be an environmental solution. We''ve had a longstanding commitment to environmental sustainability, and today, the dairy industry accounts for less than 2% of the country''s total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. We''ve made progress, but we''re not stopping there. The dairy community is committed to conserving natural resources and making further progress. Our 2050 goals address the areas where U.S. dairy collectively can have the greatest impact. Specifically, the goals are: Become carbon neutral or better by 2050; optimize water use while maximizing recycling; and improve water quality by optimizing utilization of manure and nutrients.The Vice President will be part of the Net Zero Initiative (NZI), an industry-wide effort, to make technology and best practices more accessible and affordable to farms of all size through research, on-farm pilots and generation of new revenue opportunities for farmers. Responsibilities include developing supply chain projects designed to demonstrate and accelerate adoption of environmentally and economically viable practices and technologies on dairy farms; managing and reporting collaborative project progress Join us and contribute to U.S. dairy''s role in building a sustainable future.The main goals of the VP of Operations & Planning, Environmental Stewardship are to sustain the department''s big picture, oversee the department''s operations, manage the department''s resources, identify potential areas of improvement, increase the department''s efficiency, and implement the right processes and practices to ensure projects are completed on schedule, and within scope budgets, under direction of the EVP of Environmental Stewardship. This role operates in alignment with the organization''s central Project Management Office (PMO), which reports up through the Chief Financial Officer. This role also requires close coordination with, and at times may be required to manage, project managers and administrative coordinators embedded in the Sustainability department, helping to guide and optimize their efforts.Responsibilities: Guide daily operations of the department to ensure its effectiveness and efficiency Optimize and improve operational management systems, processes, and best practices, identifying potential problems and points of friction and working to find solutions to maximize effectiveness and efficiency Coordinate multiple workstreams for optimal integration and efficiency across the team Inspire and motivate teams to perform at their best ability by providing necessary resources and coaching Coordinate and lead execution of DMI board committee tasks and meetings related to the Sustainability department Work directly with the organization''s PMO on solutions for inefficiencies and process improvements and carry out implementation Report and escalate issues to the department lead and/or PMO as needed Facilitate planning and resource management to ensure resource availability and allocation throughout the department Participate in long-term planning to ensure department projects/initiatives align with the organization''s priorities Create long- and short-term department plans based on the organization''s strategic plan Use provided tools/software to report the overall progress of projects and create Gantt charts to set targets for milestones, adhere to deadlines, and allocate resources Assess, analyze, and manage the departmental budget, serving as a liaison with finance and legal departments regarding budget and contracts Coordinate department''s overall project management efforts Understand the full landscape of projects across the Sustainability department Provide timeline guidance and resources to project leads, subject matter experts, and project managers to ensure deliverables are being met Develop process to identify potential risks and liabilities of multiple projects and propose risk mitigation solutions in conjunction with the project lead and department lead Motivate people involved in projects to use tools provided, processes developed to complete and track tasks on time May be required to project manage major initiatives or fill in as a back-up for project managers in unforeseen circumstances Oversee department-based deliverables and reporting Ensure project reporting is laddering up to the organizational dashboard by using provided reporting tools Oversee all incoming and outgoing project documentation and reporting for the department, for purposes of internal and external reporting (e.g., board committee deliverables) Provide support and guidance to project managers to develop project performance measures using appropriate project management tools and ensure timely updates on measurements Proven success in: Developing project plans for tracking/reporting results to demonstrate progress toward goals Creating, maintaining, and organizing project management documents (e.g., charters, status report templates, etc.) and databases Working effectively with cross-functional teams, including external resources, to achieve business results Prioritizing and delivering work/projects with minimal supervision/oversight Ongoing relationship and account management with valued partners/stakeholders RequirementsSkills & Abilities: Strong leadership skills A solid understanding of business cases and risk management processes Efficient and strategic fact-based decisions Proven self-management and team-management skills Ability to monitor and control project budgets Understanding of performance metrics reporting Demonstrated strong judgment and time management skills Ability to handle conflicting priorities in a multi-task environment Excellent verbal and written communication skills in addition to presentation skills Ability to build, maintain, and grow meaningful relationships with internal and external partners Ability to speak effectively to a wide variety of audiences Demonstrated problem-solving skills Detail-oriented Strong work ethic and integrity Comfortable navigating in an entrepreneurial/ambiguous environment Education & Experience: Bachelor''s degree from an accredited university At least seven (7) years of progressive experience in operations, project management, or a related field Dairy and/or agricultural operations experience a plus Experience with project management tools and software (e.g., SmartSheets) preferred Travel:Minimal travel required BenefitsWe 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.â„¢ 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.â„¢ (DMI) is funded by America''s 31,000+ 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.

Created: 2025-10-04