Manager Nature

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As the Manager Nature, you will play a pivotal role in advancing Ahold Delhaize’s ambitions on nature and biodiversity. You will be responsible for shaping and implementing policies and standards that mitigate deforestation risks, preserve biodiversity (i.e. linked to land and water use), and promote responsible sourcing of commodities and animal products across our global brands. This is a unique opportunity to influence the sustainability performance of one of the world's largest food retail groups, working in close collaboration with brands, sustainability specialists, industry groups, and supply chains.

We’re Ahold Delhaize, one of the world’s largest food retail groups and a leader in both supermarkets and e-commerce. Together with our 17 strong local retail brands in the United States, Europe and Indonesia, we make a meaningful difference in the lives of our brands’ customers, our people and the world around us. We offer a highly dynamic, international work environment in which our associates thrive.

As Manager Nature you will help shape and drive Ahold Delhaize’s sustainable product policies and standards across our local brands. You’ll play a key role in developing and implementing definitions, exclusions, action and performance, metrics, and targets focused on responsible sourcing and supply chain transparency, with an initial specific focus on land-based commodities, deforestation and conversion -free, and animal welfare. In this role, you act as a subject matter expert, supporting both strategic direction and hands-on as-needed project delivery across our local brands. As our strategic focus on nature continues to develop, the specific responsibilities of this role will continue to evolve but will remain focused on nature and the welfare of animals.

You will work closely with the Director Nature who is responsible for developing our overarching nature strategy and critical focus areas. Additionally, this role will work collaboratively with colleagues in the Health & Sustainability Team (covering topics including health and hunger relief, human rights, climate, and circularity), sustainability leads in the regions and brands and external stakeholders such as NGOs and industry groups. Your work will directly contribute to improving internal processes, driving impact on sustainability goals, and strengthening Ahold Delhaize’s position as a responsible retailer. You will report into the Ahold Delhaize Group VP Climate & Environment.

Your role is highly diverse and encompasses various responsibilities. Here are the key ones:

• Co-develop and implement responsible sourcing policies and standards, with a focus on key commodities (e.g. palm oil, soy, coffee, cocoa and wood fiber), and animal welfare (e.g. egg-laying hens and pork) in partnership with our local brands, legal, and compliance.
• Oversee our work on deforestation and conversion and contribute to long term evolution of our approach.
• Co-develop topic and commodity specific long-term roadmaps toward our targets working in partnership with our local brands.
• Monitor quarterly progress towards our targets working in partnership with finance business planning and performance teams.
• Propose new ambitious definitions, actions, metrics, and targets based on industry best practices, frameworks, benchmarks, and science in partnership with our Sustainability Leadership Team
• Lead development of improvement initiatives and projects aimed at more sustainable sourcing and product risk reduction.
• Conduct product risk analyses and advise brands on how to improve supply chain sustainability in partnership with human rights teams.
• Represent Ahold Delhaize in relevant external industry working groups and maintain strong NGO relationships.
• Coordinate reporting to, and review of, various benchmarks like CDP, RSPO, RTRS, and BBFAW
• Support the preparation of relevant sections of our annual report
• Act as a trusted advisor on product sustainability, sharing expertise and best practices across the organization through various working groups.

You will be given the freedom and responsibility to take ownership of your work and broaden your horizons by working together with knowledgeable colleagues from different countries who have an abundance of expertise in many areas. We will continuously support you and help you build on your talents and skills for the future.

We are looking for a sustainability professional with a background in responsible sourcing, deforestation and commodity risk management. You bring a balance of strategic thinking and hands-on project management skills, and are comfortable operating in a multinational and cross-functional environment.

Aside from what we ask of you in this role, we also have a great deal to offer you: plenty of growth opportunities and various cross-brand career options; flexible working hours; hybrid working – we encourage you to spend at least 3 days a week, on average, at the office (based on a 40-hour work week) and the chance to drive meaningful change on a global scale. You can look forward to a good work-life balance, and the chance to work in an inclusive environment that wholeheartedly encourages growth and welcomes you just the way you are.

Plus:

• A gross annual salary of €77.000 to €90.000 (including holiday allowance) based on full-time employment
• Attractive bonuses
• A first-rate pension plan
• 20 vacation days and the option to buy an additional 12,5 days from your personal ‘flex budget’
• Travel expenses or an NS travel card
• A laptop and smartphone

We think you’ll be best geared for success if you meet the following requirements:

• University degree in sustainability, supply chain management, environmental sciences, or a related field.
• Minimum 5-7 years of experience in sustainability roles, preferably in retail, FMCG, or supply chain contexts.
• Demonstrated knowledge of supply chain sustainability risks and industry best practices related to deforestation, biodiversity, and land-based commodities.
• Experience working with NGOs, multi-stakeholder initiatives, and industry platforms is a plus.
• Excellent communication skills and ability to influence across levels.
• Strong analytical and project management capabilities.
• Experience working these issues in food supply chains is a plus.

Aside from these hard skills, we think you should also bring some much-valued soft skills to the table: entrepreneurial mindset, outspoken communication skills and an inspirational vision. In addition to these, empathy, and enthusiasm will take you far.

Are you keen to join the Health & Sustainability team? Even if you don’t tick all the boxes, but you still believe you have the personality and skills that make you a suitable candidate, we strongly encourage you to reach out to us. now via the button on this page, or feel free to contact Milou van Regteren, Talent Acquisition Partner via [email protected] if you have any questions.

At Ahold Delhaize and our local brands, we broadly define diversity as being inclusive of thoughts and skills, generational differences, LGBTQ+, gender, race and ethnicity, disabilities, nationalities and more, and we accept all people for who they are.

The deadline to for this position is August 26th, please don't wait to as the role may close earlier when receiving sufficient suitable profiles.

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Ahold Delhaize is one of the world’s largest food retail groups and a leader in both supermarkets and e-commerce. Together, we help people eat well, save time and live better – it’s how we make a difference. And we do it because we care: for our customers, our people and the world around us.