Senior Manager, Agribusiness EMEA

Senior Manager Agribusiness EMEA 

Location: Hamburg / Manchester 

Reports to: Sr Director Commercial EMEA 

Direct reports: Min. 3 (Agronomist, Co-Products Coordinators) 

Grade: I  

Workplace type: Hybrid 

Company Background:  

Ingredion is a global Fortune 500 provider of ingredient solutions that touch millions of lives, every day. With over 19,000 customers in 120 countries, we create solutions that help nourish, comfort, and delight people all over the world. We are proud to source our strength from nature.  That’s why we’re growing sustainably, with an industry-leading product portfolio that includes plant-based proteins, sugar alternatives and clean and simple ingredients that deliver on changing consumer needs while protecting our planet. Although we are best known for our food ingredients, we are much more than a food business. We co-create bespoke solutions with our customers; from cosmetics and beauty to paper and textiles, to pharmaceuticals, driven by relentless curiosity. We make it our business to anticipate industry trends, and to bring together the potential of people, nature and technology to make life better.  

We don’t just make ingredients. We create possibilities. Be What’s Next® with us.  

The Senior Manager Agribusiness EMEA is a passionate, dynamic and strategic leader with strong business acumen, agronomics expertise, and ability to drive results through effective cross-functional leadership. In this newly created key strategic and highly commercially focused leadership position, you will be responsible for defining and overseeing the short-, mid- and long-term agricultural strategic direction, procurement, sustainability, and agronomics for specialty corn in the EMEA region. Sitting on the EMEA Commercial leadership team, you will also actively represent the EMEA region in the Global Agricultural council to deliver the three primary global objectives: reduce risk, improve costs, and valorize co-products. 

Core Responsibilities:

• Corn Strategy – development and execution of a long-term strategic roadmap for the Agri Business in EMEA, owning the EMEA corn strategy and the five-year strategic plan with critical milestones enabling a sustainable competitive advantage for corn and specialty hybrids. Establish effective resources, business processes, and infrastructure to support the development and execution of the strategy, planning and managing within budgets, continuously explore ways to improve service, quality, and costs. 

• Corn Procurement & Management – contracting and procurement of all direct purchases of corn for the EMEA region (excluding tollers and Pakistan), managing commercial agreements for seed production and research. Lead the specialty seed production and supply for EMEA, identifying and developing savings and synergies for corn management. Close collaboration with the commercial and procurement teams to ensure optimum quantities of corn planting for our European plants, and proactive management of in field and in processing yields with clear cost reduction objectives. Strategic review and development of alternative corn growing region options to support strategic growth partnerships across EMEA.  

• Specialty Seed Development – in close collaboration with the plant science team initiate a gene editing program in EMEA for waxy corn, and facilitate natural hybrid developments and yield improvements, working closely with regulatory authorities to shape rather than react to new developments. Foster close interaction and collaboration with the Global Plant Science and Global Specialty Grains teams to ensure global plans meet European needs and to implement global strategy and global best practices in EMEA, incl. regional leadership of global strategic roadmap for Specialty Grains. Proactively work with seed companies to develop a European ecosystem for a next generation waxy variety based on gene editing technology and follow what is shown to be possible with a conventional program to develop the same next generation varieties. 

• Sustainable Agronomy – applying data and learning experience to assess and develop new growing regions and suppliers, lead the EMEA agronomist team to enable best in class growing conditions for specialty corn and improve the livelihoods of farmers, meeting sustainability practices while reducing the premiums through better agronomics and risk management. Continue to drive sustainability agenda (FSA/SAI) and develop initiatives for regenerative agriculture. 

• Co-product Commercialization – strategic review of co-products with an objective to materially increase the value from the Hamburg co-products based on a long-term strategic plan. Connect directly with customers to further valorize co-products/animal nutrition, capturing value through premium pricing. Develop a pet food strategy and propose capital investments/improvements for upgrading co-products output to pet food standards where applicable. Identification and development of skills and capabilities required to enable a more commercially focused team. 

• Regulatory – monitor the external environment and regulatory changes; build relationships with partners, industry experts, government authorities and key opinion leaders to remain the leader in specialty corn for the food industry. Proactive engagement with Starch Europe and other institutions to influence and shape the future debate on gene editing and other new technologies in this space.  

Qualified candidates will have: 

Mandatory requirements:  

• Management degree in business, economics, or agriculture  

• Significant experience in Agribusiness or a related field (e.g. seed production/ commercialization, agricultural commodity trading or origination with a country merchant or cooperative) 

• Experience developing short-, mid- and long-term strategies and plans that are responsive to the long-term needs of specialty corn and understanding the strategic and commercial implications of decisions 

• Demonstrated experience in a customer interfacing role and ability to value sell an advantage  

• Demonstrated negotiating, networking and influencing skills – comfortable and effective at communicating with multiple stakeholders at al levels of the organisation 

• English and French fluency, both written and spoken, German advantageous 

Required behaviors and skills: 

• Growth Mindset – customer centric, inspires innovation, and relentless in overcoming obstacles to pioneer our agricultural program in EMEA 

• Building Trusted Partnerships – cultivates and maintains partnerships across regions and functions, helping teams successfully navigate competing priorities.  

• Delivering Strategy – translate strategies into actionable business plans and actions by using market and functional knowledge. Ability to think strategically and translate vision and strategy into tangible business plans and actions  

• Passionately Drives for Results – proactively engages the right resources from across the organization in setting challenging goals and delivering results 

• Encouraging Personal Growth – effectively leads people, providing clear direction, recognition, and positive feed-forward 

Relocation available: yes 

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, age, national origin, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, military status, or disability status. 

Ingredion provides reasonable accommodations to qualified job applicants with disabilities throughout the hiring process. If you need an accommodation, please inform us.