Director, Stewardship Standards, Measurement & Reporting

Rosemont, Illinois, United States (in-office Tuesday through Thursday; visa sponsorship and relocation are not available for this position)

People. Planet. Community.

Dairy’s journey starts on the farm, and the road we travel demonstrates our unwavering commitment to sustainable nutrition, as our farmers provide lasting and meaningful nourishment to people, the planet and our communities, both urban and rural.

We are a nonprofit organization located in the greater Chicagoland area and we're always looking for talented people to join our team who share the passion and motivation to promote the goodness of dairy.

Position Overview 

The Director of Stewardship Standards, Measurement & Reporting plays a key role in supporting the development, refinement and alignment of voluntary sustainability standards and metrics relevant to dairy cooperatives and processors in support of the industry’s collective 2050 Environmental Stewardship Goals, the U.S. Dairy Stewardship Commitment and U.S. dairy’s sustainability reports.

A primary focus of this role is to work with dairy community representatives to help ensure that the U.S. Dairy Stewardship Commitment continues to serve as a credible and practical platform for industry-wide measurement and reporting. The Director will shape and manage the methodologies and reporting system underpinning the Stewardship Commitment to ensure scientific credibility and operational feasibility for dairy cooperatives and processors and to enable industry-level reporting.

The Director will monitor emerging market expectations and requirements to help the industry anticipate and adapt to new sustainability reporting requirements. The role will support in efforts to engage with external organizations and partners to ensure U.S. dairy farmers, cooperatives and processors are represented. By strengthening alignment and monitoring external developments, this position will support industry efforts to safeguard credibility, manage risk, and support the promotion of economically sustainable pathways. 

Key Responsibilities

1. Stewardship Commitment Terms, Metrics & Reporting (50%)

• Manages and guides the review, refinement, and maintenance of the Stewardship Commitment Terms and metrics.
• Ensure metrics are consistent to the extent appropriate with recognized global standards and frameworks such as the GHG Protocol, GRI, and SASB, while maintaining their practicality for implementation across the U.S. dairy supply chain.
• Support the annual Stewardship Commitment affirmation and reporting process, ensuring data quality, consistency, and integrity.
• Guided by the Stewardship Commitment Committee, coordinate updates, facilitate reviews, and develop supporting materials.
• Provide technical guidance and support to ensure that all sustainability reporting, including the U.S. Dairy Sustainability Report, accurately reflects industry progress as measured through the Stewardship Commitment.
• Collaborate with external partners to improve data accuracy, comparability, and efficiency and promote the adoption of consistent methodologies and tools that reduce duplication, improve data reliability and strengthen industry reputation.
• Contribute to the U.S. Dairy Sustainability Report by ensuring accurate data interpretation and alignment with Stewardship Commitment metrics.

2. GHG Accounting and Reporting (20%)

• Serve as the internal subject matter lead on GHG accounting, with expertise in Scope 1, 2, and 3 methodologies, FLAG, and LSRS.
• Manage integration of GHG-related data into Stewardship Commitment reporting tools and systems and, as applicable, industry reporting on progress toward GHG neutrality goal.

• In collaboration with industry partners, coordinate industry positions and perspectives among the GHG Accounting Working Group to ensure methodological consistency between U.S. dairy’s internal reporting and global frameworks.
• Support the GHG Team of the Processor Stewardship Exchange to facilitate collaboration and shared learning among processors and cooperatives.
• Support leadership in representing U.S. dairy in global and national discussions on GHG accounting, methodologies, and value chain reporting.

3. Industry Engagement and Continuous Improvement (20%)

• Manage engagement with external standards, frameworks, and coalitions, including the Value Change Initiative, SAI Platform Carbon Collaboration, Dairy Sustainability Framework (DSF) GHG Community of Interest, Global Dairy Platform’s Dairy Processing Task Force, and other efforts relevant to agricultural and supply chain sustainability.
• Manage efforts to inform DMI research teams, including DMI’s Environmental Research team, on evolving measurement practices, standards and metrics.
• Support in gathering and disseminating case studies and examples of financially feasible, science-based solutions that demonstrate sustainability progress and best practices.
• Support the development of webinars, workshops, and learning resources that build industry capacity in sustainability accounting and reporting.

4. Monitoring Standards and Market Developments (10%)

• Track, monitor and summarize emerging and existing standards and frameworks (e.g., GHG Protocol, GRI), customer requirements, and regulatory developments related to sustainability reporting across key markets.
• Map risk exposure and potential implications of developments for U.S. dairy farmers, cooperatives and processors and customers, identifying where standards may introduce costs, risks, or reporting obligations.
• Develop periodic briefings and exposure analyses for Innovation Center leadership, committees, and working groups.

New Hire Salary Range -- $100,000-$130,000 annually. This is a salary range that DMI believes, at the time of this posting, that it might be willing to pay for the posted job in the location specified.

Requirements

• Education: Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree in business sustainability, environmental science, agricultural systems, or related field preferred.
• Experience: 6–8 years of experience in sustainability reporting and GHG accounting, preferably within agriculture or food manufacturing sectors.

• Strong working knowledge of GHG Protocol, SBTi, and agricultural emissions accounting methodologies, as well as sustainability reporting.
• Extensive experience managing sustainability data, reporting systems, and stakeholder review processes.
• Ability to synthesize technical information into actionable insights and clear guidance.
• Excellent communication, organization, and problem-solving skills.
• Experience working collaboratively across complex, multi-stakeholder environments (e.g., cooperatives, processors, and value chain partners).

Benefits

We know that in order to meet our goal of growing dairy demand, we need the best people. We offer competitive compensation and generous benefits to help our employees balance their work and personal lives. We know that in order to meet our goal of growing dairy demand, we need the best people. We offer competitive compensation and generous benefits to help our employees balance their work and personal lives. Our office is conveniently located, taking less than 10 minutes to walk from CTA's Blue Line Rosemont station. We offer regular and chocolate milk on tap.

Our comprehensive health and welfare plans offer medical, dental, vision, paid parental leave, life, short-term and long-term disability and flexible spending accounts (health care, dependent care, transit and parking). Our 401k provides up to a 10% match and includes a Roth account. DMI reserves the right to change or end its benefits plans or programs at any time.

Dairy Management Inc.™ is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer committed to the principles of diversity. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, ethnicity, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

ABOUT DAIRY MANAGEMENT INC.

Dairy Management Inc.™ (DMI) is funded by America’s nearly 28,000 dairy farmers, as well as dairy importers. Created to help increase sales and demand for dairy products, DMI and its related organizations work to increase demand for dairy through research, education and innovation, and to maintain confidence in dairy foods, farms and businesses. DMI manages National Dairy Council and the American Dairy Association, and founded the U.S. Dairy Export Council and the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy. DMI works with state and regional promotion organizations to implement these programs across the country.

We regret it is not possible to communicate with candidates except those who most closely match our requirements. Thank you.