Head of Business Development and Agile Working – Primal Kitchen

Job Description

Location: Remote and/or option to work Hybrid (Chicago, IL)

Company Overview:

Primal Kitchen is a fast-growing brand undergoing significant transformation and scaling efforts as we realize our mission to change the way the world eats. Our brand is rooted in innovation, quality, and purpose, and we are seeking a dynamic and strategic leader to serve as our Head of Business Development & Agile Working.

Role Overview:
The Head of Business Development and Agile Working is responsible for driving strategic growth initiatives, leading cross-functional teams, and championing operational excellence across supply chain, procurement, and commercialization projects. This leader shapes the business’s future by identifying new opportunities, fostering agile ways of working, and ensuring seamless execution of high-impact projects, including our ingredient integrity initiatives. The role is pivotal in aligning business development with operational strategy to accelerate sustainable growth and maintain competitive advantage.

Key Responsibilities:

Supply Chain & Business Development:

• Oversee technical and supply chain readiness for new product launches, ensuring seamless execution of growth and innovation projects.
• Drive major manufacturing cost improvement programs through cross-functional leadership and regular reporting to senior management.
• Assess network capacity and losses, recommending strategic solutions to optimize production across product lifecycles.
• Manage key external manufacturing partners, acting as the primary connector between Operations, Sales, and Marketing to support commercialization and optimization efforts
• Ensure manufacturing compliance with Kraft Heinz standards and lead execution of new product development and cost-out initiatives across the network.

Ingredient & Sourcing Strategy

• Keep Primal Kitchen ingredient standards and integrity at the forefront of our sourcing strategy, executing short-term and long-term plans for supply continuity, testing protocols and brand expansion.
• Set and oversee strategic procurement direction to ensure cost-effective, high-quality, and reliable ingredient and packaging supply.
• Mitigate supply risks and resolve shortages by driving proactive planning and cross-functional collaboration.
• Build and maintain strong supplier relationships, negotiating contracts and ensuring performance meets business needs.
• Align procurement activities with R&D, innovation, and business development to support product pipeline and growth.
• Monitor procurement metrics, market trends, and compliance, driving continuous improvement and sustainability initiatives across ingredients and packaging.

Project Management & Agile Working:

• Champion a culture of continuous improvement by implementing agile methodologies and best practices across teams.
• Ensure projects are delivered on time and in full, driving accountability for schedule, scope, and quality.
• Foster cross-functional collaboration to streamline workflows and remove barriers to efficient project execution.
• Monitor and report on project performance, using data to identify opportunities for process optimization and risk mitigation.
• Serve as the primary liaison with Kraft Heinz to align agile practices and delivery standards with broader company objectives.

Team Leadership:

• Inspire, develop, and empower team members to achieve high performance and embrace agile ways of working.
• Foster a culture of open communication, psychological safety, and constructive feedback across diverse teams.
• Lead through change by modeling adaptability, resilience, and a growth mindset in dynamic environments.
• Build strong cross-functional relationships, influencing and aligning stakeholders to drive results.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in business, Operations, Engineering, or related field; advanced degree or relevant certifications (e.g., PMP, Agile/Scrum) is a benefit
• 7+ years of progressive experience in project management, operations, or process improvement, ideally within food, CPG, or a fast-paced innovation-driven environment.
• Proven track record of leading cross-functional teams and driving complex projects from concept to execution.
• Deep expertise in continuous improvement practices; able to tailor approaches to fit both entrepreneurial and corporate settings.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with experience using or building project management and collaboration tools
• Exceptional communication, influence, and stakeholder management skills across all levels of the org