Chief Executive Officer - #151179

The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) is a statutory Levy board, with its Head Quarters in Coventry. We provide a wide range of services to support farmers and growers across the sectors of Beef and Lamb, Cereals and Oilseeds, Dairy, and Pork. Our core mission is to unlock the success of British agriculture with a commitment to putting levy payers at the heart of everything we do.

There are more than 100,000 farming and supply chain businesses across the country who collaborate on market and business development through AHDB. We work to develop the market intelligence, science, research, technology, and sustainability insights that farmers and processors need to deliver meaningful growth and economic success in a rapidly changing world.

We also develop strategy on markets and export opportunities to support our world-class food and farming industry. Our international team has been instrumental in developing markets such as China, the USA and the Far East, as well as supporting the British brand in the traditional key markets for UK exports.

We are seeking to appoint our next Chief Executive Officer (CEO). We have developed our 5 year strategy but there is work to do in embedding it and ensuring the AHDB is future fit for levy payers. The key mission of our new CEO will be to inspire confidence and self-belief both in our people and in the industry, so we can collectively deliver a sustainable and profitable future.

Responsibilities

• Lead the delivery and evolution of AHDB’s 5-year strategy, ensuring it creates value for levy payers through research, innovation, and insight
• Provide strong, visible leadership to the organisation and act as the primary link between the Board, leadership team, and wider stakeholders
• Oversee performance across all four sectors (Beef & Lamb, Cereals & Oilseeds, Dairy, and Pork), ensuring collaboration, accountability, and progress against agreed goals
• Inspire and manage the executive team, ensuring performance across strategy, finance, operations, and customer satisfaction, and drive the restructuring and streamlining of business processes
• Develop strategic partnerships and collaborations across the industry to deliver new income opportunities, strengthening AHDB’s impact and long-term sustainability
• Ensure effective corporate governance and uphold the organisation’s statutory responsibilities, including serving as the AHDB Accounting Officer, safeguarding public funds and ensuring their appropriate use
• Ensure a culture of continuous development and growth by implementing strategies that expand our knowledge and expertise for the benefit of levy payers and the AHDB as a whole
• Ensure our strategies put levy payers at the heart of our work, ensuring our support and solutions drive their success and build understanding and connections

Essential Criteria

• An exceptional leader with experience and credibility in agriculture, capable of managing complex organisations focused on customer needs and support with many stakeholders
• Strategic leadership experience within complex, multi-stakeholder organisations, preferably in regulated or levy-funded environments. An understanding of public policy frameworks and the ability to engage effectively with government, Ministers, and public institutions is essential
• Proven capability in organisational transformation, including driving efficiency, value, and performance during rapid change
• Inspiring and inclusive leadership skills. Able to motivate diverse teams, and foster talent development at all levels
• A focus on customer and stakeholder outcomes is vital, ensuring evidence-led strategies that respond to levy payers' needs
• Experience in delivering governance, risk, and performance management is key
• Flexibility regarding work hours, travel, and representation on national and international stages are also important, along with a valid full UK driving licence

Benefits - here are just a few things we offer

• 30 days annual leave plus one privilege day and bank holidays
• Four times life assurance cover
• A market-leading defined contribution pension scheme
• Reward membership – multiple online discounts and savings

Apply now with your current CV and a covering letter or contact [email protected] if you require any further information.

Please note, we reserve the right to close the vacancy early should we receive a significant number of suitable applications.

At AHDB, you'll find we are a people-first organisation, committed to a building a workplace and an industry where everyone can grow, contribute, and belong.