Senior Director, Sustainability

National Cattlemen's Beef Association; Centennial (CO); On-site; USD 145,000 - 155,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health Insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

Paid Vacation

401(k) with Company Match

Life Insurance

Long-Term Disability

Short-Term Disability

Sick Time

Job summary

National Cattlemen's Beef Association in Centennial, CO is seeking a Senior Director of Sustainability to oversee USRSB and NCBA sustainability programs. This executive role leads strategic planning, coordination with producers, researchers, and industry partners, and drives continuous improvement across sustainability initiatives.

The position requires a strong track record in leadership, communications, and collaboration, with travel up to 50%.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree required; Ph.D. is a positive attribute.
• 8+ years of beef industry or related experience.
• Strong communication and public speaking skills.
• Ability to lead cross-functional teams and strategic planning.
• Travel up to 50% of the time.

Responsibilities

• Lead NCBA sustainability goals and programs.
• Executive Director of USRSB with strategic plan implementation.
• Manage direct reports supporting USRSB and NCBA sustainability activities.
• Coordinate stakeholder engagement and grant administration.
• Represent the industry at meetings and events.
• Collaborate with universities and partners to pursue research opportunities.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Public speaking

Stakeholder engagement

Organizational planning

Communication

Education

Master's degree in business

Job description

Centennial, CO 80112

Posted: 07/22/2026

Employment: Full-time, Exempt

Pay: $145,000.00 - $155,000.00 per Year

Department: Producer Education & Sustainability

Experience: Intermediate

Job Description

Responsible for the collaborative and strategic leadership of National Cattlemen’s Beef Association sustainability programs and initiatives. This role serves as the executive director for the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (USRSB) through an administrative agreement with NCBA. In these roles, the Senior Director of Sustainability serves as a beef sustainability champion through strategic planning, tactical execution and fostering collaborative working relationships with cattle producers, processors, retail & food service companies, researchers, state and breed partners and other industry stakeholders to drive positive sustainability outcomes and continuous improvement.

Essential Functions

An employee in this position may be called upon to do any or all of the following essential functions. These examples do not include all of the functions which the employee may be expected to perform.

• Collaborative leadership of NCBA’s sustainability goals and supporting programs.
• Serves as Executive Director of U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, providing leadership, operational oversight, and implementation of the USRSB strategic plan.
• Leads management of direct reports in support of USRSB and NCBA sustainability activities.
• Coordinates with NCBA staff to support sustainability-related initiatives, including grant development and administration, sustainability strategy, and stakeholder engagement.
• Facilitates consensus-based decision making among diverse stakeholder groups to advance the mission, vision, and goals of USRSB.
• Coordinates and supports the activities of the USRSB Board of Directors, Working Groups, Task Forces, and membership.
• Collaborates with universities, research institutions, funding organizations (e.g., Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research), and industry partners to identify and pursue research and grant opportunities that advance industry sustainability objectives.
• Leads the implementation and evaluation of the USRSB strategic plan, annual plan of work and supporting budgets.
• Coordinates development of communications, educational resources, reports, presentations, webinars, and outreach materials supporting USRSB initiatives and stakeholder engagement.
• Serves as spokesperson and representative for the cattle industry at relevant industry meetings, conferences, workshops, and stakeholder events.
• Collaborates with the NCBA checkoff funded sustainability research team to understand and leverage collective research efforts and outcomes.
• Serves as the USRSB liaison to the Global Roundtable on Sustainable Beef.
• Proactively engages to ensure adopted initiatives support the beef industry Long Range Plan and lead to improved beef industry sustainability.
• Collaboratively engage with internal sustainability team on stakeholder relationships both domestically and internationally.
• Travel up to 50% of the time is expected.
• Other job duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• EDUCATION - Masters’s degree in business, animal science, agri-business, sustainable agriculture, pasture & range science or a related field is required; a Ph.D. is a positive attribute but not required.
• EXPERIENCE – Must have a thorough understanding of beef industry and beef sustainability with a minimum of 8 years of beef industry or related experience.
• EQUIVALENCY - None
• CERTIFICATION(S) – None
• SKILLS- Needs to be strategic, respected, and knowledgeable, able to bring vision and strategy to life. Must be able to effectively interface with beef producers, beef industry partners and stakeholders, the research community, and government personnel. Must possess a strong background in working within a multidisciplinary group of professionals and industry representatives. Must have the ability to bring consensus to group decision making. Must have ability to help set future direction in organizational planning by effectively communicating new/current plans to staff and industry. Excellent communications and public speaking skills are required. In addition, the individual must have strong organization skills, be a self-starter, and demonstrate a strong ability to work on multiple projects in a demanding team environment.

Company Description

Initiated in 1898, the National Cattlemen's Beef Association is the marketing organization and trade association for America's one million cattle farmers and ranchers. With offices in Denver and Washington, D.C., NCBA is a consumer-focused, producer-directed organization representing the largest segment of the nation's food and fiber industry. NCBA works to achieve the vision: "To be the trusted leader and definitive voice of the U.S. cattle and beef industry."

Benefits

• Health Insurance
• Dental Insurance
• Vision Insurance
• Paid Vacation
• 401(k) with Company Match
• Life Insurance
• Long-Term Disability
• Short-Term Disability
• Sick Time

EEO Statement

It is our intention that all qualified applicants be given equal opportunity and that selection decisions be based on job-related factors. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, or any other status protected by law or regulation. Be aware that none of the questions are intended to imply illegal preferences or discrimination based on non-job-related information. The position is expected to stay open until the posted close date. Please submit your application as soon as possible as the posting is subject to close at any time once a sufficient pool of qualified applicants is obtained.

Colorado Residents: In any materials you submit, you may redact or remove age-identifying information such as age, date of birth, or dates of attendance at or graduation from an educational institution. You will not be penalized for redacting or removing this information.