Gamechanger Sustainable Partnerships Manager
ABP UK · Marston Green, Birmingham
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Why this role matters
How close this job is to real sourcing and menu decisions.
This role sits inside a live beef supply-chain programme between ABP and Sainsbury's where welfare, antibiotic usage and carbon reduction are named as the metrics this post is accountable for landing on farm. Translating Sainsbury's sustainability goals into farm-level initiatives means this is a seat where "welfare at the forefront of activity" is not a slogan but an operational target someone has to chase down with producers, feed suppliers and genetics partners. Because the role line-manages an Agriculture Manager and owns the governance relationship with a major retailer, someone here has genuine standing to push antibiotic reduction and welfare improvement through a producer network supplying a national supermarket, not just report on it. This is where a major retailer's buying standards are actually delivered on farm: what producers are paid to do, how antibiotics are used, and how carbon is counted in a national beef supply chain. It also builds exactly the retailer-facing, livestock-fluent credibility that opens doors into more senior agriculture and sustainable sourcing leadership later.
Where this role can take you
What this job teaches you, and the jobs it can lead to.
What you'd build
- Retailer account/governance management
- Livestock supply chain coordination
- Welfare and antibiotic performance metrics delivery
- Cross-functional agricultural team leadership
- Data-driven procurement and seasonal planning
Where it can lead
- Head of Agriculture
- Director of Agriculture and Sustainable Sourcing
- Head of Sustainable Sourcing
Roles like these set and sign off the welfare, antibiotic and sourcing standards that an entire producer network supplying a national retailer must meet.
About the role
ABP UK is recruiting a Sustainable Partnerships Manager to lead the Gamechanger programme's key customer relationship with Sainsbury's, reporting to the Head of Gamechanger Farming and line-managing an Agriculture Manager. The role acts as lead liaison with Sainsbury's, ensuring alignment of customer objectives, project management and proactive communication, while scoping strategic goals for the programme with the Head of Gamechanger and translating them into farm-level initiatives that drive continuous improvement across the supply chain. The postholder is accountable for translating strategic targets into operational plans and landing performance metrics including antibiotics plans, carbon reduction and stakeholder relationships, and owns key external relationships with genetics partners, feed suppliers, financial services and technology solutions providers. On performance and growth delivery, the role shares accountability with the Head of Gamechanger for process and governance between Gamechanger and Sainsbury's, leads customer engagements on governance, uses Gamechanger data to inform procurement strategies and seasonal planning, and works with the Gamechanger farming team to drive on-farm excellence while keeping health and welfare at the forefront. The role executes Sainsbury's sustainability goals for Gamechanger including emissions, welfare and antibiotic usage, and supports the Head of Gamechanger and National Operations Manager with operational delivery and reporting. People leadership responsibilities include line-managing an Agriculture Manager, cross-functional collaboration on the JS agricultural account, and leading the Gamechanger team through a hybrid structure on project workstreams. Stakeholder engagement responsibilities cover supporting the internal key customer account team, attending external shows, events and agricultural forums and industry groups, developing relationships between partners and Gamechanger farming, and supporting producer groups and innovation in livestock rearing practices. The operational excellence and ESG remit covers embedding best practice and process discipline, ensuring operations align with ESG commitments (carbon reduction, welfare, sustainability), and identifying innovations to strengthen circular economy and supply chain resilience. Required skills and experience include proven senior leadership experience within agriculture, food supply chain or related sectors; excellent cross-functional leadership and stakeholder management; attention to detail and forward planning; strong communication and interpersonal skills; proficiency in animal husbandry and UK livestock industry knowledge; commercial acumen balancing strategic objectives and operational realities; experience with data, forecasting models and performance dashboards; and knowledge of ESG, sustainability and carbon-reduction practices in farming or food production. Desired attributes include strategic thinking with execution discipline, resilience and adaptability, strong collaboration across teams, data-driven decision-making, and passion for innovation in sustainable and integrated farming systems. The role reports to the Head of Gamechanger Farming, has one direct report (Agriculture Manager), and works closely with the Farming Sustainability Controller and Director of Agriculture and Sustainable Sourcing. The role is on-site at Marston Green, Birmingham.
This is an extract. Read the full advert on the employer's site.
Key terms to include in your CV and cover letter
What this employer is asking for, in their words. Applications are often screened by software looking for exact phrases, so if these describe your experience, use their wording.
- livestock supply chain management
- agricultural sustainability
- antibiotic stewardship
- carbon reduction
- animal husbandry
- retailer account management
- stakeholder engagement
- cross-functional leadership
- performance dashboards
- forecasting models
- supply chain resilience
- ESG reporting
- producer relationship management
- governance and reporting
- line management
How to position yourself
The language that works with hiring managers for this kind of job.
Frame your interest around supply chain resilience, retailer partnership delivery and the commercial case for lower antibiotic use and carbon reduction in livestock systems — this employer wants someone who can balance "strategic objectives and operational realities", not a welfare advocate. Build and foreground commodity and livestock production knowledge, data/forecasting fluency, and experience managing multi-stakeholder agricultural accounts, since those are the explicit requirements here.
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