Responsible Sourcing Specialist

Job title:           Responsible Sourcing Specialist (12 month FTC)

Function:        Sustainability              

Reports to:     Head of ESG Programme Management

Location:         Dublin

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Ornua is a leading dairy co-operative which sells premium dairy products globally on behalf of its Member Co-operatives, Ireland’s dairy processors and, in turn, Irish dairy farmers. 

Ornua has revenues of €3.4 billion and is supported by a global team of approximately 2,800 employees. The Group operates as a commercial organisation across 10 business units, including 12 production facilities located in Europe, North America, the Middle East and Africa. 

The commercial organisation is responsible for the marketing and sales of Ornua’s consumer brands including Ireland’s most successful food export: Kerrygold. Consumer markets are served by production facilities in Ireland, Germany and the UK and by in-market Sales & Marketing Teams in Asia, Germany, Ireland, MEA, Poland, Spain, rest of Europe and North and Latin America. 

It also manages the procurement of Irish and non-Irish dairy products, the sale of dairy ingredients to food manufacturing and foodservice customers globally, and the implementation of de-risking and trading strategies to manage market volatility. These activities are supported by production facilities and in-market teams in Europe, North America, the Middle East and Africa. 

WHY THIS ROLE IS VALUABLE: 

The Responsible Sourcing Specialist will own and continuously improve Ornua’s responsible sourcing programme across purchased goods and services. Working closely with Procurement, suppliers and relevant business functions, the role will apply a risk-based due diligence approach, embed requirements into procurement processes, strengthen supplier capability and support regulatory, customer and reporting obligations.

KEY AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY:

• Own and continuously improve Ornua's Responsible Sourcing Framework, policies, standards and supplier requirements.
• Lead risk-based supply chain mapping, supplier segmentation, due diligence, assessments and assurance across priority commodities, materials and services.
• Embed responsible sourcing requirements into supplier onboarding, tendering, contracting and supplier performance management processes.
• Drive continuous improvement in the responsible sourcing, traceability and assurance performance of Ornua's priority commodities.
• Support Procurement-led supplier engagement, capability building and remediation activities across environmental, human rights and ethical sourcing risks.
• Manage responsible sourcing data, reporting, platforms and certification schemes, providing audit-ready information and performance insights.
• Provide subject matter expertise on agricultural and farm sustainability, including farm research projects, customer farm visits, sustainability claims and stakeholder engagement.

KEY REQUIREMENTS: 

• Minimum 3 years’ experience in responsible sourcing, sustainable procurement, supplier ESG due diligence, ethical trade or a related sustainability role.
• Good knowledge of food, agricultural or manufacturing supply chains, including environmental, human rights and ethical sourcing risks.
• Experience conducting supplier assessments, due diligence, audits, corrective actions and risk remediation programmes.
• Experience embedding sustainability or responsible sourcing requirements into procurement, contracting or supplier management processes.
• Strong analytical and systems capability, including experience managing data, reporting, dashboards and supplier-related platforms.
• Excellent stakeholder engagement, communication and programme management skills, with the ability to influence across functions and suppliers.
• Understanding of agricultural sustainability, farm-level environmental issues and sustainable sourcing practices would be advantageous.

• Relevant graduate or postgraduate qualification desirable.
• Knowledge of agricultural supply chains and the dairy industry is desirable.
• Familiarity with Sedex/SMETA, RSPO, SAI Platform or comparable schemes is desirable.
• Experience with Power BI, supply-chain traceability or international supplier capability-building is desirable.
• Experience with project management and familiarity with CPD is desirable.

Closing date: 20 October 2026