This global lead will build and oversee Barry Callebaut’s group-wide ESG due diligence system, turning legal requirements into processes that teams can apply across operations and supply chains. The work connects risk assessment, governance and implementation, with cocoa and ingredients sourcing among the areas in scope.
The role addresses human rights and environmental risks while preparing the business to meet evolving requirements such as the CSDDD, Forced Labor Regulation and Swiss reporting rules. Its practical impact depends on making responsibility clear across functions and suppliers, and on creating evidence that supports reviews, reporting and responses to authorities. This connects regulatory readiness with the group’s stated aim of supporting cocoa’s future and improving farmer livelihoods.
This suits someone who has built corporate due diligence or sustainability compliance systems, understands supply chain risk and regulation, and can turn complex legal input into clear guidance for international teams.
Job FAQs
What are the main missions and responsibilities of this role?
The role owns the design and ongoing governance of a group-wide ESG due diligence system for human rights and environmental risks in operations and supply chains. It turns legal interpretations into policies, responsibilities, business processes, controls, KPIs and implementation plans.
Core work includes coordinating annual risk prioritization across countries, commodities and suppliers, setting supplier assessment and escalation approaches, and addressing gaps with sourcing teams. The lead also provides accurate, evidence-backed due diligence content for group reporting and supports supplier, customer and stakeholder requests.
Key learning opportunities for this job
The role could deepen expertise in applying CSDDD, the EU Forced Labor Regulation, EUDR and Swiss requirements within a multinational business. It offers practical exposure to how legal interpretations become controls, supplier processes, management oversight and audit evidence.
Working with functions such as Legal, Procurement, Finance and HR could build experience in cross-functional governance and change management. The role may also develop knowledge of cocoa and ingredients supply chains, human rights and environmental risk assessment, and due diligence reporting.
How does the ideal candidate look like (experience, skills)?
The posting seeks a candidate with a relevant master’s degree and at least seven years of experience establishing or operating ESG due diligence or sustainability compliance systems, ideally in a multinational. Knowledge of CSDDD, FLR, EUDR, Swiss requirements, the UN Guiding Principles and OECD Guidelines is relevant.
Strong project management, precise writing and the ability to convert complex rules into workable processes are important. Food, agricultural commodity or consumer goods experience is an advantage, as are French, German or other languages alongside fluent English.
Advice to stand out and make a successful application
Show a specific example of a due diligence or compliance system you built or ran, explaining its scope, risk method, governance, controls and how you checked whether teams applied it. Where possible, distinguish your contribution from the broader project outcome.
Prepare to discuss how you would translate a legal interpretation into supplier processes, decision rights and evidence requirements. Experience with cocoa, agricultural commodities or complex international supply chains would be useful to connect directly to the role’s operating context.
What aspects of the company's sustainability is this role likely to focus on?
The role is likely to focus on identifying and addressing human rights and environmental risks in the group’s own operations and supply chains, including cocoa and ingredients sourcing. It connects supplier risk assessment and mitigation with requirements such as CSDDD, FLR and EUDR.
The work also supports evidence-based ESG reporting and stakeholder responses. This relates to Barry Callebaut’s stated aim of supporting the future of cocoa and improving farmer livelihoods, though the role’s defined scope is the due diligence system and its implementation.
What are the main challenges someone in this role might face?
A key challenge could be aligning functions and regions around clear ownership when legal requirements, existing processes and operational practices differ. Turning complex or changing regulations into controls that are workable for business teams will require close coordination with Legal and Compliance.
Supplier risk assessment may also involve uneven data quality and varying capacity to address gaps. The role must maintain credible evidence for reporting and assurance while supporting practical mitigation and escalation decisions across a broad supply chain.
How could a typical day look like for someone in this position?
A day could include reviewing regulatory updates with Legal or Compliance, resolving questions about how requirements affect a policy or supplier process, and coordinating implementation actions with Procurement, HR or Finance. The role may also examine risk assessment results and follow up on supplier gaps with sourcing colleagues.
Other work could involve preparing evidence-backed reporting content, drafting guidance or training material, and discussing implementation progress or escalations with the Head of ESG. Priorities are likely to vary with reporting cycles, supplier issues and regulatory developments.
What are the opportunities for professional growth and development in this role?
The role could deepen expertise in corporate ESG due diligence, supply chain risk and regulatory implementation across multiple jurisdictions. It also offers experience in group-wide governance, management oversight, supplier engagement and ESG reporting.
By working across Legal, Procurement, HR, Finance and regional teams, the lead may build a path toward broader ESG program leadership or senior sustainability compliance roles. The scope and reporting line place the role close to the Head of ESG, while overall strategy remains with that leader.
The main stakeholders you might be interacting with
The Head of ESG is the role’s manager and retains responsibility for overall ESG strategy. Regular partners are likely to include Legal and Compliance, Public Affairs, Procurement, HR, Finance, the ESG Reporting specialist and Global Sourcing Cocoa and Ingredients.
The lead may also engage suppliers on due diligence requirements and mitigation plans, and support requests from customers, investors, banks, NGOs and authorities. These interactions involve translating the group framework into clear requirements, evidence and responses.
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