Director, Food & Beverage Vertical

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

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

401(k) with company match

Paid time off

Career development opportunities

Job summary

C.H. Robinson is seeking a Director, Food & Beverage Vertical to shape strategy, drive growth, and align teams acrossCommercial, Data, and Centers of Excellence.

This leadership role focuses on delivering measurable outcomes in revenue, profitability, and customer success within a major industry segment. You will collaborate across a matrixed organization to translate insights into scalable solutions, monitor KPIs, and ensure strategic investments align with market trends and client needs.

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

Leadership experience

Strategic thinking

Cross-functional collaboration

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Job description

In Office

Eden Prairie, MN United States of America

Atlanta, GA United States of America

Conshohocken, PA United States of America

Plano, TX United States of America

Minneapolis, MN United States of America

Phoenix, AZ United States of America

Oakbrook Terrace, IL United States of America

Chicago, IL United States of America

Full time

R49211

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

We will review applications for this role on an ongoing basis and encourage all interested candidates to apply at their earliest convenience.

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.

Questioning if you meet the mark? Studies have shown that some individuals may be less likely to apply unless they match the job description exactly. Here at C.H. Robinson, we’re building an inclusive workplace where all employees feel they belong. If this position excites you, we welcome you to apply whether you check all the preferred qualifications or just a few. You may just be our next great fit!

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.

EOE\Disabled\Veteran

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

Learn more about our benefit offerings on our BENEFITS & WELLBEING (https://www.chrobinson.com/en-us/about-us/careers/life-at-chr/benefits-and-wellbeing/) page

Why Do You Belong at C.H. Robinson?

C.H. Robinson solves logistics problems for companies across the globe and across industries, from the simple to the most complex. With $22 billion in freight under management and 19 million shipments annually, we are one of the world’s largest logistics platforms and rank in the FORTUNE 200. We’ve been an innovator in logistics for over 100 years. Our global suite of services accelerates trade to seamlessly deliver the products and goods that drive the world’s economy. With the combination of our multimodal transportation management system and expertise, we use our information advantage to deliver smarter solutions for more than 90,000 customers and 450,000 contract carriers on our platform. Our technology is built by and for supply chain experts to bring faster, more meaningful improvements to our customers’ businesses.

As a responsible global citizen, we contribute millions of dollars to support causes that matter to us and our people. FORTUNE has named C.H. Robinson one of the World’s Most Admired Companies 2024, showcasing our position as a leader in our industry. Our commitment to excellence is further affirmed by being named a Great Place to Work 2023-24 by the Great Place to Work Institute, one of Forbes’ Best Employers for Diversity and one of America’s Greatest Workplaces in 2023 by Newsweek. Join us as we collaborate, innovate, and work as one global team to make life better and more sustainable for our customers, communities, and world. For more information, visit us at www.chrobinson.com .