Strategy Manager

Driscoll’s is the global fresh berry market share leader and rapidly building its presence in Europe. By developing and managing key strategic initiatives, the Strategy Manager will accelerate growth in EMEA. This role will have an international impact and exposure to senior leadership.

About Driscoll’s

Driscoll’s is the global market leader for fresh strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries. The company is family-owned and has been in business for over a hundred years. What makes Driscoll’s unique is its oversight across the entire value chain, from research to farm to table. Their exclusive patented berry varieties are developed through years of research using only natural breeding methods. The company works hand in hand with thousands of independent farmers, harvesters, and growers to produce only the finest berries.

Growing the best berries in the world requires care, commitment, and dedication. At Driscoll’s agronomists, breeders, sensory analysts, plant health scientists, and entomologists work together to ensure berries of premium quality. Driscoll’s also shows their care, commitment, and dedication through the investments they make in the communities where they grow. The company has set up extensive programs, grants, and funding to support local communities and non-profits doing critical work for the development of these areas.

“We love nature. It is the source of everything we do and we are doing our best to help preserve it for our children’s future. We work, for example, on reducing water usage and transitioning from plastic to paper packaging solutions.” – Miles Reiter, CEO

In the US – their home base – Driscoll’s has a market share of close to forty percent. In EMEA, a market Driscoll’s entered about fourteen years ago, the company is the market share leader in raspberries and blackberries and has doubled in size every five years. The way of working in the EMEA headquarters in Breda (about 180 people) resembles that of a scale-up: fast-paced and highly entrepreneurial. The EMEA organization is now focusing on continuous improvement and scalable growth to further accelerate expansion.

Vacancy: Strategy Manager

The Strategy Manager will be instrumental to Driscoll’s growth in EMEA. They will support a variety of initiatives across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (involving frequent travel) and establish and execute the short, medium, and long-term strategic plans. The Strategy Manager will report to the Senior Strategy Lead EMEA and work closely together with senior leadership, including the EMEA CFO and the Head of EMEA.

The work of the Strategy Manager will involve strategy development (about seventy-five percent) and program management (about twenty-five percent). They will collaborate with colleagues across the value chain, driving progress on cross-functional projects and initiatives. They will support Project Managers throughout EMEA and be a strategic business partner for senior management, e.g., during strategic review presentations for which they will create engaging and compelling storylines.

“We are looking for a Strategy Manager who thrives in a fast-paced environment. Someone with an interest in food and agriculture who can build a thorough understanding of our business and can translate strategy into action.” – Tyler Roth, Senior Strategy Lead EMEA

The Strategy Manager will support the end-to-end development of EMEA’s most crucial strategies, including M&A, sustainability, and digital transformation. Initiatives they could be working on include the transition to paper packaging, local for local growth strategies, zero residue agriculture, and social and environmental impact. These are all topics that pose high-level, complex challenges and will require excellent analytical skills to translate raw information into actionable strategies as well as the ability to bring together insights from different parts of the organization.

The role is an excellent way to get to know Driscoll’s total value chain and the many supply regions and markets across EMEA. It is a great opportunity to have exposure to senior leadership, contribute to growing an international business, and see much of Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

Interested?

Driscoll’s is working with Top of Minds to fill this vacancy.
To express your interest, please contact Martine Francken at martine.francken@topofminds.com.