About the Opportunity

The Senior Director of Blueberry Product Leadership (“Berry Leader”) owns the strategic direction of Driscoll’s Blueberry Business. The Berry Leader is tasked with developing the vision, understanding the Customer and Consumer needs, developing the supply strategy and leading the cross-functional Berry teams ultimately responsible for executing against strategic supply priorities. The Berry Leader is accountable for designing the future of Driscoll’s supply to:
• Meet the anticipated Customer demand and expectations of Consumers
• Differentiate from the competition
• Enable the growth and profitability targets of the company

This requires the Berry Leader to provide multi-faceted perspectives and insights to steer strategic priorities to deliver on the Company Mission and Vision. To do so, the Berry Leader must develop an intimate understanding of our Customers and Consumers, and the choices they face regarding competitive berries, other fresh fruit categories, and the broader impact of alternative food items. The Berry Leader must also possess a deep understanding of the interaction between current and future genetics, production technologies and geographies that in combination can deliver the strongest supply plan. The Berry Leader must have the leadership skills to influence resource prioritization across broad cross-functional groups within the Enterprise and to marshal investments across multiple stakeholder groups.

The DOTA Blueberry Product Leader is expected to closely collaborate with the VP of Global Blueberry Product Leadership, Product Leaders from other Business Units and the GMs of Southern Hemisphere production sites to create a DOTA blueberry strategic plan that delivers on the Business Unit’s goals while also contributing to Driscoll’s global blueberry ambitions.

 

Responsibilities

• Explore the Future: The Berry Leader has a passion for understanding our Consumers and maintains strong connections with Customers to understand their visions for the category. Berry Leader is globally connected and understands the latest developments in production technologies, plant propagation and genetic development; as well as the application of geography/climate on the production of berries.

• Articulate the Vision: The Berry Leader applies their broad understanding of the category and all exploratory work to create a vision for their berry that drives the strategic planning process.

• Write 5-year Supply Plan: The Berry Leader is responsible for writing Driscoll’s five-year supply plan as part of the annual strategic planning process. This plan must identify the key priorities in solving supply gaps between current supply and desired future supply, including prioritizing investments in research, new geography expansion, and implementation of new production technologies. This includes identifying any investments Driscoll’s is required to make into the production of berries.

• Plan Implementation: The Berry Leader has final sign-off accountability for the varieties that get commercialized (Live Variety Society) and planting material that gets ordered (from nursery) and planted (Dead Variety Society) and production region growth. The Berry Leader is consulted on changes to product packaging, enterprise business model and berry-specific marketing efforts (directionally).

• Research Priorities: In collaboration with Global R&D and business unit Applied Research Functions sets the research priorities for Breeding and Applied Research.

• Cross Functional Collaboration: Collaborates with functional counterparts Finance, Operations and Sales & Marketing to ensure the Plan delivers against Market Objectives and Financial Targets for both Driscoll’s and Growers. Together with Supply Directors is accountable for delivering key assumptions around variety productivity and other metrics related to Enterprise Costs.

• Contributes to the Business Unit’s people priorities and objectives regarding: people leader effectiveness, engaged employees, and enabling others to perform.

• Recruit, onboard, and coach staff to ensure robust learning and career development consistent with the Company’s values and rapidly globalizing profile.

• Domestic and international travel required up to 30%.

• Represents Driscoll’s in an ethical and business-like professional manner in all interactions with growers, co-workers, suppliers, customers and the business community at large.

   

Candidate Profile

A successful candidate will have:
•    Bachelor’s degree in agribusiness or related field and a minimum of 10 years’ relevant work experience. 
•    They must possess intellectual curiosity, proven leadership capabilities, and strong analytical skills. 
•    High degree of financial literacy is required. 
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