Global Organic Service Line Leader

Company Overview

FoodChain ID is a global provider of testing, inspection, certification and technical services across the food, agriculture and consumer-product supply chain. We help clients demonstrate product integrity, meet regulatory and market requirements, and build trust with customers worldwide.

Role Purpose

We are seeking a commercially minded and technically credible Global Organic Service Line Leader to lead the growth, technical development and operational excellence of our organic certification business globally.

Based in Italy, the role will bring together local organic certification businesses under a clear global strategy: identifying growth opportunities, strengthening technical capability and accreditations, developing key partnerships, and sharing best practice across the organisation. This is a senior leadership role with significant international stakeholder engagement and travel.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Development and Growth

• Define and deliver the global growth strategy for FoodChain ID’s organic certification services.
• Monitor global organic-sector trends, including changing regulations, domestic market developments, export requirements and emerging customer needs.
• Identify priority markets, sectors, clients and routes to market for organic certification and associated services.
• Build relationships with major food, agriculture, retail, ingredient and export-focused organisations.
• Develop strategic partnerships that strengthen market access, technical capability or customer proposition.
• Work with commercial and country leaders to develop targeted account plans and support major opportunities.
• Identify and assess potential M&A targets that would strengthen FoodChain ID’s organic footprint, capability or market access.
• Represent FoodChain ID externally through industry associations, events, customer meetings and relevant regulatory or sector forums.

Technical Development, Accreditation and Capability

• Provide oversight of the technical strength, accreditation position and regulatory readiness of organic certification operations globally.
• Ensure local businesses have the technical capability needed to meet national requirements while supporting international growth.
• Lead the development of consistent technical standards, policies and guidance across the organic service line.
• Support the calibration, training and continuing development of technical staff, auditors and inspectors.
• Identify capability gaps and establish development plans to strengthen expertise, capacity and succession across the business.
• Work closely with technical, quality and accreditation teams to maintain confidence in the integrity, consistency and quality of certification decisions.

Operational Excellence and Best Practice

• Review systems, processes and operating models across the organic businesses.
• Identify best practice in customer experience, technical delivery, inspection management, certification decision-making and operational efficiency.
• Develop a practical roadmap to standardise and deploy best practice across the organisation, while respecting local regulatory requirements.
• Use operational and commercial data to identify performance opportunities, improve consistency and support profitable growth.
• Foster collaboration between country teams, enabling them to share expertise, resources and successful approaches.

Experience and Qualifications

• Significant experience in organic certification, organic agriculture, food certification, inspection or a closely related TIC environment.
• Strong understanding of the global organic market, including major certification schemes, regulatory frameworks and trade/export requirements.
• Demonstrable commercial experience, including business development, strategic partnerships, key-account engagement or market expansion.
• Technical credibility with auditors, inspectors, certification teams, regulators and customers.
• Experience leading international, cross-functional or multi-country teams and influencing stakeholders without direct reporting lines.
• Exposure to integration work, operating-model improvement or M&A assessment would be advantageous.
• Fluent English is essential; Italian and other European languages would be an advantage.
• Willingness to travel internationally.

Personal Attributes

• Strategic and commercially ambitious, with sound technical judgement.
• Comfortable operating across different countries, cultures and regulatory environments.
• Credible and collaborative leader who can align technical, operational and commercial stakeholders.
• Practical, data-led and focused on converting strategy into measurable results.
• Passionate about the integrity and development of the global organic sector.