Strategic Partnerships Manager
Strategic Partnerships Manager
FrieslandCampina’s Strategic Partnerships team is unlocking value across our production network by creating win-win collaborations that optimize capacity and milk valorization. As strategic partnerships manager, you’ll be the driving force behind innovative partnership opportunities - from tolling and co-manufacturing to milk swaps and joint ventures - turning underutilized capacity into profitable business. This role demands energy, commercial drive, and the ability to move fast while building compelling business cases, driving complex projects, and leading negotiations across functions. Ready to be the face of FrieslandCampina’s partnership ambitions and make the impossible possible?
Ce que nous demandons
You’re a high-energy dealmaker who brings pace, positivity, and a proven way of working to every opportunity. You don’t wait for things to happen – you make them happen. You have a structured approach to business development that you’ve built and refined through years of experience, and you combine that discipline with the commercial drive to represent FrieslandCampina as the face of our partnership ambitions. You thrive on building relationships, spotting unconventional opportunities, and getting diverse stakeholders on board with creative solutions. You’re comfortable with ambiguity, skilled at turning “that won’t work” into “here’s how we can make it work,” and genuinely energized by the challenge of making complex deals happen.
Your profile includes:
- bachelor’s or master’s degree in Business, Supply Chain, Food Science, or related field; food technology background is a plus;
- minimum 7 years of relevant experience in business development, strategic partnerships, or commercial roles within FMCG, dairy, ingredients, or manufacturing;
- a proven business development framework or methodology that you bring to every opportunity – you don’t start from scratch, you apply what works;
- track record of proactively sourcing and closing deals, not just managing existing pipelines;
- proven project management skills – you drive multidisciplinary initiatives from concept through implementation and keep momentum when things get complex;
- strong commercial and analytical skills with ability to build sound business cases and model deal economics;
- demonstrated experience negotiating contracts and structuring agreements that protect strategic and financial interests;
- ability to influence and align stakeholders across Procurement, Supply Chain, Finance, and Commercial functions – you get people excited about what’s possible;
- natural relationship builder who represents the organization with energy and professionalism at mid- and senior-level;
- proactive, pragmatic mindset with ability to balance creativity with structured execution in a matrix environment;
- fluent in English; Dutch is an advantage.
Ce que nous offrons
- unique company culture of Dutch heritage and international presence;
- great work-life balance, competitive salary & benefits package;
- workweek of 38 hours, competitive pension, holiday allowance of 8%, flexible working hours, ability to work from home, bonus opportunities;
- diverse training and coaching programs to help you develop and map out your professional career;
- internal growth is strongly encouraged at FrieslandCampina;
- informal & friendly working environment where you collaborate with driven and professional colleagues;
- autonomy and trust to create longer term impact that helps bring better nutrition to the world;
- free milk & cheese during lunch at our headquarters, delicious barista coffee for energy throughout your workday;
- FrieslandCampina has a ‘bike plan’ and a ‘corporate fitness plan’.
Description du poste vacant
As strategic partnerships manager, you’ll identify, structure, and execute partnership opportunities that optimize our production network capacity while delivering profitable outcomes for FrieslandCampina and our partners.
Your key responsibilities:
Opportunity Development:
- identify and evaluate tolling, milk swaps, co-manufacturing, and joint venture opportunities that optimize underutilized factory capacity;
- think creatively about potential partners – from competitors to out-of-box collaborators seeking dairy processing or stainless steel capacity;
- convert market insights and competitive dynamics into robust business cases with clear value propositions;
- develop recommended deal structures that balance commercial ambition with operational feasibility.
Negotiation & Deal Structuring:
- lead and co-lead negotiations with competitor dairies, co-manufacturers, and strategic accounts up to agreed thresholds;
- structure agreements that protect FrieslandCampina’s strategic and financial interests;
- ensure compliance with governance frameworks and financial limits;
- escalate for final approval when required while maintaining deal momentum.
Cross-Functional Execution:
- coordinate timelines, deliverables, and stakeholders for approved partnerships across multiple functions;
- integrate perspectives from Supply Chain, Procurement, Finance, and Commercial teams to ensure alignment;
- navigate internal complexity and get diverse stakeholders on board with creative solutions;
- communicate effectively with factory teams to understand operational constraints and possibilities.
Project Management & Governance:
- drive multidisciplinary projects from concept through successful implementation;
- prepare status reports, track milestones, identify risks, and escalate issues proactively;
- establish transparent governance structures with partners;
- maintain senior-level external relationships and represent FrieslandCampina professionally in strategic discussions.
Program Contribution:
- support the Ideal Network Utilization program by translating partnership models into committed volumes;
- contribute to enterprise-wide initiatives that strengthen network performance and milk valorization;
- identify opportunities for swap deals and other creative arrangements that optimize the broader network.
You will report to the Manager Plan and Deliver and work within the Strategic Partnerships team, collaborating closely with colleagues who each manage different types of factories, deals, and partnerships across FrieslandCampina’s network.
Détails de l'équipe
Voir tous les collègues sur LinkedInYou’ll join the Strategic Partnerships team within FrieslandCampina’s Supply Chain organization, where each team member is responsible for different types of factories, partnerships, and deal structures. While there’s relatively limited overlap within the team itself, you’ll need to build strong relationships across the organization – particularly with factory teams, procurement, finance, and commercial functions.
Your challenge will be to navigate a complex matrix environment where you’re driving innovative partnerships that don’t always fit “how we normally do business.” Success requires the ability to think creatively about what’s possible, build compelling cases for unconventional opportunities, and get diverse stakeholders aligned and excited about making it happen.
You’ll be based at our headquarters in Amersfoort, working with multidisciplinary teams to make a real difference in optimizing our production network while bringing better nutrition to the world.
About our team and office:
- multidisciplinary team - highly skilled, focused on making our best work together;
- friendly environment - with wonderful cafeteria, free milk, cheese and Lattiz coffee, and subsidized lunches, drinks and events;
- easily accessible - close to central station and with private parking spaces.
Our Strategic Partnerships team values entrepreneurial thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and the ability to make the impossible possible. You’ll work alongside professionals who combine commercial acumen with operational understanding, all united in creating value through innovative partnerships.