Overview:
The Business Engagement Lead (BEL) will represent PepsiCo’s Global Sustainable Agriculture (GSO Ag) team across India and the Middle East & Africa (MEA), driving the implementation of our Positive Agriculture (Pos Ag) agenda. This role bridges global strategy with regional execution, working closely with Agro, Procurement, and Sustainability teams as well as suppliers, growers, and external partners.
The BEL will ensure accurate reporting, enable supplier and grower engagement, and strengthen regional leadership alignment to deliver on PepsiCo’s Pos Ag goals and commitments. The ideal candidate brings strong agricultural or sustainability expertise, commercial acumen, and the ability to influence senior stakeholders across diverse markets.
Responsibilities:
Driving Positive Agriculture Implementation
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Support the successful execution of the Pos Ag agenda in respective regions, adapting responsibilities to regions structures and capabilities.
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Provide procurement (Category + MSO teams) and Agro teams with measurement tools, governance structures, and reporting frameworks.
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Maintain an up-to-date list of ingredients, their sourcing origins, and assigned buyers.
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Lead region-based prioritization for Positive Agriculture activation, considering risks, volumes, acres, and opportunities.
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Work closely with Agro and Procurement teams to define and refine the execution model (independent implementation, supplier-led models, In-house sustainability programs, etc).
Regional Leadership Engagement
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Build and maintain trusted relationships with:
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Regional CSOs, Procurement teams (Regional Category leads + MSO teams), Agro leads, OU Sustainability leads, and other relevant stakeholders.
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External partners, suppliers (In case of Supplier led programs), and implementers.
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Act as the first point of contact for regional sustainability inquiries and guidance.
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Engage GSO SMEs (Theme and Ingredient leads) for deeper expertise on Pos Ag goal delivery like Livelihoods, DCF sourcing (Forest Risk Commodities) and activating enablers like Regional and Global Public Private Partnerships.
Performance Monitoring & Continuous Improvement
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Conduct monthly review calls with regional CSOs, CPOs, Agro lead and other key stakeholders using standardized dashboards highlighting KPI’s and key actions.
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Identify and address capability gaps in sustainability reporting, supplier engagement, and impact measurement, in conjunction with GSO Pos Ag Capability lead.
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Continuously evaluate and improve sectors sourcing sustainability strategy based on evolving business and environmental needs.
Ensuring Accurate & Effective Glidepath Reporting
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Provide guidance on glidepath submissions, ensuring accuracy and completeness.
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Evaluate submissions, provide feedback, and engage GSO SMEs where needed.
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Support the regional and Anchor OU sustainability team in overseeing the glidepath process while maintaining commodity/country-level details.
Direct Supply Chains (Grower sourced Crops managed by Agro i.e. Potatoes)
Driving Positive Agriculture Implementation
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Work with regional Agro and procurement teams to scale sustainability impact across the sector.
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Oversee and support the execution of Positive Ag initiatives for Agro-managed crops, adapting to sector-specific structures and capabilities.
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Provide Agro teams with measurement tools, governance structures, and reporting requirements.
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Grower Engagement
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Work with Agro leads and grower networks to implement sustainability best practices, including Regen Restore and Protect programs.
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Identify opportunities to expand PepsiCo's direct sourcing model where beneficial.
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Facilitate knowledge-sharing across regions by bringing in global solutions (e.g. Smart Irrigation, low emission fertilizers, Biochar, etc) for region-wide adoption.
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Reporting & Governance
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Ensure accurate reporting of Pos Ag metrics for direct-sourced crops.
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Act as the first point of contact for guiding Agro teams on reporting frameworks and compliance.
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Support Agro teams in glidepath reporting, ensuring that sustainability commitments are measurable and trackable.
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Conduct monthly reviews with Agro teams to flag risks, track progress, and recommend course corrections.
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Indirect Supply Chains (Supplier-Sourced Crops Managed by Procurement)
Supplier Implementation & Engagement
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Work closely with Procurement teams (Regional Category leads + MSO teams) to manage supplier-driven sustainability initiatives (where makes sense).
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Ensure that suppliers receive clear guidance on measurement tools, governance expectations, and reporting protocols.
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Ensure alignment of sustainability reporting with procurement and relevant x-charges for GSO led programs with regional and OU finance teams.
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Provide insights on common supply origins across different sectors to drive synergies.
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Provide RFP questions to Procurement teams and join strategic supplier calls to explain PepsiCo Pos Ag goal expectations. Help Procurement teams (especially buyers) understand the holistic cost model, by sharing the Pos Ag cost and implications to any change in sourcing model (like shifting origins, swapping Ingridients, etc)
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Evaluate supplier responses on Pos Ag Goal metrics and provide procurement teams with:
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Rankings of suppliers based on sustainability impact.
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Go/no-go recommendations or necessary adjustments for approval.
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Post-approval, ensure that contractual reporting requirements are embedded in supplier agreements.
Independent Implementer Engagement
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Identify, evaluate, and onboard independent implementation partners to drive supplier-led sustainability programs.
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Lead and manage relationships with third-party sustainability implementers, ensuring alignment with PepsiCo’s goals.
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Oversee onboarding, contracting, reporting compliance, performance reviews of independent implementers.
Monitoring & Governance of Supplier Programs
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Receive monthly supplier reports and flag risks, inconsistencies, or areas for improvement.
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Provide training to suppliers to ensure accurate reporting and compliance with sustainability frameworks.
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Work with Procurement to initiate annual reviews of supplier programs, aligning messaging and sustainability commitments.
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Support procurement in accurately developing Pos Ag glidepaths and ensuring accuracy in their sustainability submissions.
Qualifications:
Education & Experience:
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Master’s degree or Post Graduation in Agriculture, Sustainability, Environmental Science, Supply Chain, Business, or related field.
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10–12+ years of professional experience in agriculture, procurement, sustainability, or supply chain roles, with demonstrated leadership in cross-functional and multi-stakeholder settings.
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Experience in program design, implementation, and monitoring within agriculture or sustainability domains (direct and/or supplier-sourced).
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Proven track record of engaging with external partners (suppliers, NGOs, governments, or implementation partners) to deliver sustainability initiatives.
Preferred Qualifications:
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Direct experience with crops like (e.g., Potatoes, Veg Oils, Grains and Sweeteners).
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Strong understanding of agricultural systems in India and/or MEA markets, including smallholder engagement models.
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Familiarity with external sustainability frameworks and initiatives (e.g., SBTi, Regen Ag principles, Rainforest Alliance, Fairtrade, WBCSD).
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Demonstrated success in managing supplier-led sustainability programs and independent implementation partners.
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Previous experience in a global FMCG, food & beverage, or agricultural commodity company.
