Director, Food & Beverage Vertical

C.H. Robinson; Eden Prairie (MN); On-site; USD 128,000 - 296,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health plans

HSA

Dental & Vision

Life Insurance

Disability

PTO & holidays

401(k) matching

Employee Stock Purchase Plan

Job summary

C.H. Robinson seeks a Director, Food & Beverage Vertical to define and drive the strategy powering growth, profitability, and customer success within a key industry segment. You will align Commercial, Data, and Centers of Excellence teams to deliver measurable outcomes and scalable solutions.

Leading across a matrixed organization, you will translate market insights into action, guide governance and priority setting, and ensure execution with accountability for results.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university
• Minimum 8 years of customer engagement, consultative client management, commercial strategy, or business experience segment/vertical leadership experience
• Minimum 5 years of experience supporting Food & Beverage, Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG), refrigerated transportation, grocery, manufacturing, or related supply chains
• Minimum 3 years of experience leading strategy, growth initiatives, business performance, or cross-functional programs tied to measurable commercial outcomes

Responsibilities

• Define and execute the Food & Beverage vertical strategy, including prioritization of growth opportunities, investment decisions, and strategic trade-offs
• Drive vertical performance outcomes, including revenue growth, profitability, customer expansion, and market share across Food & Beverage industry segments
• Analyze market trends, customer economics, competitive dynamics, and performance data to identify opportunities, risks, and areas for differentiation
• Translate industry insights into actionable growth strategies, scalable offerings, and recommendations for capability development, investments, and partnerships
• Partner with Commercial, Capability Integration, Data, Commercial Excellence, and Centers of Excellence teams to align resources and execution against vertical priorities
• Guide the development of industry-specific solutions and capabilities that address customer needs while ensuring scalability, standardization, and commercial viability
• Support strategic customer engagements by helping shape value propositions, growth opportunities, and market-facing strategies within the Food & Beverage sector
• Establish and monitor key performance metrics, ensuring initiatives deliver measurable commercial, customer, and financial outcomes
• Partner with Data and Analytics teams to quantify ROI, evaluate performance trends, and adjust priorities based on results and emerging opportunities
• Drive adoption of the enterprise operating model, reinforcing clear priorities, execution standards, and accountability across the vertical
• Identify execution gaps, organizational barriers, and capability needs, and lead efforts to improve performance and operating effectiveness
• Lead governance and prioritization processes for the vertical, providing data-driven recommendations that inform strategic decisions, resource allocation, and investment choices
• Define and communicate success measures, performance expectations, and solution standards to ensure consistent execution and value creation across the business

Skills

Strategic leadership

Cross-functional influence

Commercial strategy

Data-driven decision making

Stakeholder alignment

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Job description

C.H. Robinson is seeking a Director, Food & Beverage Vertical to define and drive the strategy that powers growth, profitability, and customer success within one of our most important industry segments. This is a highly visible leadership opportunity for a strategic business leader who can identify where the market is headed, translate insights into action, and align teams around the opportunities that matter most.

As the leader of the Food & Beverage Vertical, you will be responsible for shaping how C.H. Robinson wins in the industry by connecting customer needs, market trends, and business performance to focused, scalable solutions. Working across a matrixed organization, you will bring together Commercial, Capability Integration, Data, and Centers of Excellence teams to deliver measurable outcomes, strengthen competitive advantage, and create exceptional value for customers. Success in this role requires a combination of strategic vision, cross-functional influence, operational discipline, and the ability to drive execution through others while maintaining accountability for results.

Responsibilities

• Define and execute the Food & Beverage vertical strategy, including prioritization of growth opportunities, investment decisions, and strategic trade-offs
• Drive vertical performance outcomes, including revenue growth, profitability, customer expansion, and market share across Food & Beverage industry segments
• Analyze market trends, customer economics, competitive dynamics, and performance data to identify opportunities, risks, and areas for differentiation
• Translate industry insights into actionable growth strategies, scalable offerings, and recommendations for capability development, investments, and partnerships
• Partner with Commercial, Capability Integration, Data, Commercial Excellence, and Centers of Excellence teams to align resources and execution against vertical priorities
• Guide the development of industry-specific solutions and capabilities that address customer needs while ensuring scalability, standardization, and commercial viability
• Support strategic customer engagements by helping shape value propositions, growth opportunities, and market-facing strategies within the Food & Beverage sector
• Establish and monitor key performance metrics, ensuring initiatives deliver measurable commercial, customer, and financial outcomes
• Partner with Data and Analytics teams to quantify ROI, evaluate performance trends, and adjust priorities based on results and emerging opportunities
• Drive adoption of the enterprise operating model, reinforcing clear priorities, execution standards, and accountability across the vertical
• Identify execution gaps, organizational barriers, and capability needs, and lead efforts to improve performance and operating effectiveness
• Lead governance and prioritization processes for the vertical, providing data-driven recommendations that inform strategic decisions, resource allocation, and investment choices
• Define and communicate success measures, performance expectations, and solution standards to ensure consistent execution and value creation across the business

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university
• Minimum 8 years of customer engagement, consultative client management, commercial strategy, or business experience segment/vertical leadership experience
• Minimum 5 years of experience supporting Food & Beverage, Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG), refrigerated transportation, grocery, manufacturing, or related supply chains
• Minimum 3 years of experience leading strategy, growth initiatives, business performance, or cross-functional programs tied to measurable commercial outcomes

Preferred Qualifications

• Understanding of food safety, cold-chain logistics, inventory management, and transportation challenges unique to the Food & Beverage sector
• Established network and industry relationships within the North American Food & Beverage market
• Experience supporting or leading customer, industry, segment, or growth initiatives
• Strong knowledge of North America transportation, logistics, or supply chain markets
• Experience using customer, market, or performance data to identify opportunities and guide decisions
• Experience working in a matrixed environment and influencing cross-functional teams
• Strong communication skills, including the ability to align stakeholders and present recommendations to internal or external audiences
• Values a diverse and inclusive work environment

Compensation Range

$127,500.00 - $295,900.00

The base pay range displayed on each job posting reflects the minimum and maximum base pay for the position across all U.S. locations. Your individual base pay within this range is determined by work location, which takes into account geographic cost of labor, and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. Compensation details listed in this posting reflect the base pay only and do not include additional variable compensation.

Equal Opportunity

C.H. Robinson is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to a workplace and performance culture that reflects the strengths of our worldwide marketplace. We value unique experiences and diverse backgrounds of our people within our company, our business relationships, and our communities. We’re committed to providing an inclusive environment, free from harassment and discrimination, where all employees feel welcomed, valued and respected.

Benefits

Your Health, Wealth and Self

Your total wellbeing is the foundation of our business, and our benefits support your financial, family and personal goals. We provide the top-tier benefits that matter to you most, including:

• Three medical plans which include
  • Prescription drug coverage
  • Enhanced Fertility benefits
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• Health Savings Account (including employer contribution)
• Dental and Vision
• Basic and Supplemental Life Insurance
• Short-Term and Long-Term Disability
• Paid observed holidays
• 2 paid floating holidays for U.S. hourly employees
• Flexible Time Off (FTO) offered to U.S. salaried employees - no accruals and no caps. Paid Time Off (PTO) offered to all other employees in the U.S. and Canada
• Paid parental leave
• Paid time off to volunteer in your community
• Charitable Giving Match Program
• 401(k) with 6% company matching
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan
• Plus a broad range of career development, networking, and team-building opportunities