Senior Agronomist Specialist

Foods you love. Brands you trust. And a career that empowers you to grow. 
 
At Nestlé USA, we’re all working towards the same goal – to delight and deliver for our consumers. With a rich portfolio of beloved brands, including DiGiorno, Toll House, and Coffee mate, in 97% of U.S. households, we have a unique opportunity – and responsibility – to be there for every moment in our consumers’ lives.

 

Joining Nestlé means becoming part of an inclusive workplace that inspires innovation, encourages strategic thinking and creativity, and celebrates your achievements. No matter where you work within the organization, you are empowered to challenge the status quo, embrace risk-taking, and pioneer new ideas. Our supportive and collaborative environment encourages bold ambitions and continuous learning so that everyone can grow and thrive.
 
This position is not eligible for Visa Sponsorship.

 

 

POSITION SUMMARY: 
In this role, you will play a key part in supporting Nestlé Infant Nutrition by ensuring a steady supply of high-quality vegetable-based ingredients. You will be an advocate for regenerative agriculture and biodiversity initiatives, contributing to our efforts on both global and regional levels. Collaborating closely with our suppliers, you will enhance their capabilities to deliver the right quantity and quality of vegetable-based ingredients for Infant Nutrition. Your primary duties will include leading supplier development projects that align seamlessly with our Corporate Agriculture strategies and meet our business needs, as well as ensuring the availability and compliance of raw and processed materials. Additionally, you will work alongside our Strategic Buyers to support the implementation of our procurement sourcing strategy and ensure that the vegetable-based ingredients we use meet the highest standards of food safety and quality, keeping contaminants within acceptable limits.

 

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES:
RIGHT SOURCING: Ensure Compliant Supply

• Support Nestrade and Procurement in their effort to deliver vegetable-based ingredients to Infant Nutrition factories and co-mans that consistently meet quality and sensorial expectations.
• Build Gerber vegetable grower/supplier capacity to consistently meet Gerber contaminant requirements.
• Support creation of vegetable ingredient specifications that incorporate Nestlé strict standards for infant foods.
• Support collection of grower and supplier crop information (i.e. Spray histories, soil sample data, etc.).
• Support Gerber’s raw material efforts to address current and emerging contaminants of concern.
• Collaborate with Nestrade and Procurement to identify and support opportunities for minimizing cost impacts due to Nestlé Infant Nutrition contaminant standards.
• Develop and maintain Gerber’s vegetable research projects and translate the results into practical solutions for Gerber growers.

 

OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE

• Develop effective communication strategies for growers and suppliers to effectively translate research results into compliant high quality conventional and organic raw materials.
• Communicate with Nestrade and Business Partners regarding progress by Gerber growers and adoption of sustainable pest management strategies by Gerber’s conventional vegetable growers.
• Assist Nestrade and Procurement with assessing potential new suppliers and/or growing regions for sourcing contaminant compliant ingredients.
• Communicate regularly with SAD Manager on status of ingredient and Regen Ag research status.
• Communicate raw material progress and challenges effectively throughout the organization through the development of effective reports and presentation as needed.
• Seek opportunities to provide Marketing, Regulatory Affairs and Corporate Affairs with positive information about Gerber’s sustainability and Creating Shared Values efforts.
• Collaborate with factory and QA on collection of test data for benchmarking contaminant levels in vegetable-based ingredients and monitoring program success.
• Use expertise to support Innovation & Renovation efforts by Procurement, Operations, Technical Applications Group and the Nestlé Development Center.
• Support Biodiversity and Regen Ag 3rd Party Program Assessments 
• Gain extensive expertise in organic and conventional vegetable production through field experience and interactions with suppliers, growers and academia.
• Use expertise to support evaluation of third-party Regen ag assessment programs.
• Use expertise to provide insights within Nestlé Agriculture on biodiversity development and assessment.

 

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT 

• Seek opportunities to gain knowledge in all areas of regenerative agricult