Strategy Manager

Company Description: Instinct® is a rapidly growing, family-owned marketer and manufacturer of science-based 100% natural pet food for dogs and cats. Instinct® is the Raw Brand, with a mission to get more raw nutrition into every bowl of dogs and cats, for proven healthier and happier long lives. Our company mission is to Empower people to transform the lives of pets. We are committed to hiring and developing a team of passionate, performance-oriented professionals who live by our 4 values of championing raw, empowered to make a difference, collaborating as one team, and striving for excellence through continuous learning and improvement. Our home office is located in St. Louis, Missouri, with our Center of Excellence Raw Food kitchens in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Instinct® is part of the family-owned group, Agrolimen, who owns leading petfood and human food businesses in the US, China, Europe, and Africa.

Position Summary: Reporting to the Chief Strategy Officer, the main duty will be to support the Instinct strategic reflection, and lead the development and implementation of Instinct Strategy. This role will have two main areas of focus: a) operations strategy, including performance improvement and optimization in procurement, supply chain and manufacturing, b) lead Instinct sustainability transformation. This role will be pivotal for the development and implementation of Instinct ’24-‘26 Value Creation Plan and acceleration of sustainability journey. This position will have relevant exposure to most senior positions at Instinct and the Agrolimen Group. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in business/supply chain/operations consulting and data-driven decision-making.

Primary Job Responsibilities

• Support executive leadership (incl. CSO, COO, and CEO) in operations strategic planning cycles, presenting insights and recommendations through rigorous and well-structured analysis
• Analyze key performance metrics and operational data to identify performance opportunities procurement, supply chain and manufacturing
• Develop and implement strategic initiatives to improve operational efficiencies across supply chain, production, and distribution
• Lead Instinct sustainability strategy and execution: development and implementation of sustainability strategy and lead GHG emissions measurement and reduction strategy, lead cross-functional teams to drive sustainability initiatives and collaborate with external stakeholders (e.g., PSC, NGOs, regulators, other Group companies) to promote and communicate sustainability initiatives
• Analyze industry trends, market dynamics, and competitive benchmarks to inform decision-making
• Prepare presentation materials and solidly present and defend them within senior forums

Personal Attributes

• Highly structured, strategic thinker
• Strong problem solving and analytical skills
• Passionate about sustainability and committed to driving positive environmental and social impact
• Highly valued knowledge of global sustainability standards and frameworks (e.g., SDGs, GRI, SBTI and GHG accounting)
• Strong communication and influencing skills
• Outstanding teamwork and collaboration skills including the ability to work with multiple stakeholders
• Strong project leadership skills to include charting new courses, generating enthusiastic followership, and ensuring follow-up
• Self-starter with ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously with a high degree of independence
• Demonstrable history of delivering superior results in a performance-based company. Continually pushes self and team to excellence while comfortable working at a rapid pace

Required Experience

• Bachelor’s degree (in engineering, business administration, economics or similar is preferable). MBA highly valued
• 5 years’ experience in top tier strategy / management / operations consulting
• Cross-functional team experience

Preferred Experience

• Demonstrable experience in operations and/or sustainability strategy

Travel Requirements:

• Ability to travel up to 25% of time

Compensation and Benefits

Highly competitive compensation package includes health and dental insurance, life and AD&D insurance, flexible spending accounts, health savings account, short and long-term disability, paid time off, Purpose Days off for company partner volunteer opportunities, and 401k with company match.

Our Instinct is to CHAMPION Diversity

At Instinct, we are as passionate about our people as we are about the pets we call family. We are committed to inclusion, empowerment, and respect. We believe that just like our pets, what sets us apart unleashes our greatest strengths. We thrive on the ability to not only empower people to transform the lives of pets through raw nutrition, but also to empower each other to inspire a culture that celebrates our differences. Our unique approach to pet food is what makes us who we are as a company, and our individual identities are what makes us a successful, innovative, authentic team.