Senior Vice President Ag Retail and Distribution

Summary

The senior vice president, Ag Retail and Distribution is a member of the CHS Strategic Leadership Team and reports directly to the Chief Executive Officer. This executive provides enterprise leadership, strategic direction, and operational oversight for CHS Ag Retail and Distribution assets across the United States.

Through the vice presidents of Operations, vice president, Animal Nutrition, and senior director, Environmental Health & Safety, the senior vice president is accountable for partnering with product line leadership to drive financial performance, operational excellence, growth, asset management, talent, risk management, customer relationships, governance practices, and the ongoing advancement of retail capabilities, facilities, image, and customer experience.

The senior vice president leads a geographically diverse organization of approximately 3,500 employees and ensures that regional operations, Animal Nutrition activities, and environmental health and safety practices align with CHS enterprise strategy, Board direction, and business priorities. The role is accountable for building and maintaining an integrated, high-performing Ag Retail and Distribution operation that serves producers, member cooperatives, customers, and communities while creating long-term value for CHS owners.

The position operates in a highly seasonal business environment, with peak activity and heightened operational demands during the spring planting and fall harvest seasons.

The role works closely with CHS functional and product-line leaders, Producer/LLC Boards, member cooperatives, and external agribusiness partners to strengthen and grow the Ag Retail business and advance enterprise collaboration.

Responsibilities

Enterprise and Strategic Leadership

• Establish and execute strategy that aligns with CHS enterprise strategy and business priorities.
• Serve as member of the Strategic Leadership Team, contributing to enterprise strategy, performance, investment decisions, risk oversight, and cross-business initiatives.
• Lead Regional Operations leaders, Animal Nutrition, Environmental Health & Safety through team of senior leaders; ensure consistent execution, accountability, and operational excellence.
• Lead organizational change and operating evolution, including the operations and integration wholesale distribution assets, services, capabilities, and wholesale/retail relationships.
• Assess industry trends, risks, and growth opportunities. 

Operational Performance, Safety, and Asset Management

• Ensure safe, compliant and profitable Ag Retail and Distribution operations.
• Drive operational readiness, execution, and continuous improvement.
• Ensure effective leadership during seasonal peak periods, optimizing resources, service levels and customer responsiveness. 
• Sponsor continuous-improvement efforts that improve operating efficiency, asset utilization, and customer outcomes.
• Advance retail and distribution capabilities, facilities, standards, and market presence to deliver a consistent and trusted customer experience.

Financial, Capital, Risk, and Growth Management

• Lead operating plans, budgets, forecasts, and long-range growth strategies.
• Oversee capital allocation, major investments, acquisitions, divestitures, and other strategic transactions.
• Manage business risks and compliance requirements.
• Identify and advance opportunities that strengthen market position, expand customer value, and deliver returns on invested capital.

Talent, Culture, and Leadership Development

• Build, develop, and retain a high-performing leadership team while fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, engagement, and safety.
• Communicate strategy and direction in a way that inspires employees and aligns the 3,500 employees to achieve superior results.
• Partner with Human Resources on workforce planning, succession management, leadership development, recruiting, and organizational effectiveness.

Producer/LLC Board, Member Cooperative, and Customer Relationships

• Maintain strong relationships with Producer/LLC Boards, member cooperatives, customers, and strategic partners.
• Provide executive oversight of governance responsibilities, including Board engagement, investment decisions, operational policies, and leadership succession.
• Represent CHS within the agricultural industry and business community.

Enterprise Collaboration and Governance

• Partner with CHS business units, and functions to advance integrated market strategies, shared capabilities and operational efficiencies.
• Ensure compliance with CHS policies, governance requirements, risk-management standards, and applicable laws and regulations.

Animal Nutrition Leadership

• Ensure Animal Nutrition strategy, commercial priorities, operational plans, customer solutions, talent, capital requirements, and financial performance are aligned with the broader strategy and enterprise priorities.
• Partner with the vice president, Animal Nutrition and regional leaders to identify opportunities to strengthen customer relationships, expand offerings, improve service, and create sustainable value.

Minimum Qualifications (required)

• Bachelor’s degree in business, agriculture, finance, operations, or a related field; an equivalent combination of education and relevant executive leadership experience may be considered.
• Ten or more years of progressively responsible leadership experience in agribusiness, agricultural retail, energy, commodity-related, distribution, or similarly complex operational environments.
• Significant experience leading multi-site, geographically dispersed operations with substantial employee populations and budget accountability.
• Experience leading operations in a highly seasonal business environment with significant demand variation, particularly during spring and fall peak periods.
• Demonstrated success leading and developing senior leaders with broad operational, commercial, and financial accountability.
• Experience with strategic planning, capital allocation, financial analysis, operating budgets, and large-scale business transformation.
• Proven ability to build trusted relationships at all levels, with Boards, producer owners, customers, member cooperatives, and internal stakeholders.
• Demonstrated experience with commodity, credit, operational, and business-risk management practices.
• Demonstrated record of leading safely, ethically, and with strong operational and financial discipline.

Additional Qualifications

• Advanced degree in business, agriculture, finance, operations, or a related discipline.
• Senior executive leadership experience in agricultural retail, agronomy, grain, energy, Animal Nutrition, cooperative business models, or related supply-chain operations.
• Experience working with cooperative governance structures, Producer/LLC Boards, boards of directors, or comparable governance bodies.
• Experience leading acquisitions, integrations, major capital projects, or enterprise operating-model transformations.
• Experience working across complex enterprise functions, product lines, and geographically dispersed operations.
• Experience partnering effectively with others to drive P&L performance

Working Conditions and Travel

• Significant travel is required throughout the United States to visit Ag Retail operations; meet with Producer/LLC Boards, member cooperatives, customers, and business partners; and participate in enterprise leadership meetings.
• Periodic travel to CHS corporate locations and occasional travel outside the primary trade territory, espeically during seasonal business cycles (spring and fall) may be required.
• Work hours are driven by business needs and may regularly exceed a standard workweek.
• Must be available to respond to significant operational, safety, customer, people, governance, or business matters as needed.

Compensation Data

$350,000 - $470,000