Vice President, Business Development & Innovation

Company: American Egg Board
Location: Chicago
Posted on: February 21, 2026

Job Description:

Job Description Job Description Description: American Egg Board's mission is to increase demand for eggs and egg products through research, education and promotion. The American Egg Board (AEB) was created by an Act of Congress in 1976 at the request of America’s egg farmers, who desired to pool resources for national category-level egg marketing. Home to The Incredible Egg and Egg Nutrition Center, AEB is dedicated to increasing demand for all U.S. eggs and egg products. For more than 40 years, America’s egg farmers have supported this mission by funding the AEB. The AEB is 100 percent farmer-funded, and those funds directly support the research, education and promotion necessary to market eggs. The Vice President, Business Development & Innovation will lead and direct Business Development and Innovation activities as part of AEB’s Demand Creation hub. Develop and implement plans and strategies that accelerate the demand for eggs with a primary focus on bringing new Eggcelerator Lab innovations to market and executing joint marketing and promotional programs with customers. Aggressively expand U.S. egg and egg product exports by driving penetration in critical international markets. Serve as part of the leadership team to implement overall AEB priorities and drive culture throughout the organization. Empower and hold staff accountable for directing and executing plans within their areas of responsibility. ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS: Create and execute plans and strategies that direct Innovation both short- and long-term to identify new opportunities for eggs and egg products. Develop and implement Sales and Marketing plans to launch Eggcelerator Lab innovations and help customers bring them to market. Design and launch embedded chef program, putting culinary resources in-house at strategic foodservice and CPG customers to accelerate the launch of new egg products and menu items. Establish methods for measuring the impact and results of the Eggcelerator Lab, including overall and project-level return on investment. Develop and implement Business Development strategies that create ongoing, strategic relationships with channel partners, through engagement with key AEB resources and capabilities across innovation, insights, sustainability, marketing, and nutrition. Build senior-level relationships with customers to create strategic partnerships, execute marketing and promotional programs, and increase demand for eggs. Develop retail strategy, including hiring a shopper marketing agency to ensure eggs are marketed and promoted throughout the store. Oversee strategy development and launch of Egg University to provide egg insights, education, and training to customers and partners. Develop strategies to grow U.S. egg exports including launching new AEB international branding, implementing new selling tools to support priority export markets and identify strategic international customers to partner with to drive growth. Support development and execution of cooperative international marketing arrangement/entity. Identify opportunities to leverage alternative methods for funding the Eggcelerator Lab and egg innovation, including customer project co-funding, licensing and royalty agreements, grants, and sponsorships. Hold direct reports responsible and accountable for developing and executing plans in their respective areas that support AEB’s strategies and priorities. Lead, coach, and develop direct report(s) to foster continued professional development and overall business acumen. Develop relationships with board members and key industry stakeholders to build alignment around Innovation, Business Development and International plans and initiatives. Demonstrate and communicate the effectiveness and value of AEB programs to board members and key industry stakeholders. Serve as a trusted member of the AEB Leadership Team to drive overall strategy and culture throughout the organization. Develop and manage relevant budgets and contracts to ensure strong financial integrity within AEB. SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY Director, Product Innovation Director, Customer Innovation Director, Business Development Director, International Market Development Requirements: QUALIFICATIONS To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed are representative of the knowledge, skills, and ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. In addition, the following qualification will be needed: Bachelor’s or equivalent degree in business, marketing, or related field; a master’s or advanced degree is preferred. 12 years of professional experience in innovation, business development, and/or marketing. Additional relevant experiences include culinary, R&D, and sales. Proven track record of leading high-performing teams and highly visible innovation, product development and/or culinary projects. Strong business acumen and demonstrated success in developing sound business plans that deliver results. Self-starter, with an entrepreneurial spirit, who is results-driven and sets high expectations for self and team. Ability to present sound business recommendations and secure buy-in from executive leadership teams. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills; ability to interact externally and internally to support accomplishing business strategies. Ability to influence others while working cross functionally. Intermediate to advanced knowledge of Microsoft Office products (PPT, Word, Excel) including skills for formatting and creative visual display of information. Passion to be part of an iconic and energetic organization! PHYSICAL DEMANDS The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk, hear, and see. The employee is frequently required to sit, stand, walk, use hands to handle, and reach with hands and arms. The employee will occasionally lift, push, or move over 20 pounds. TRAVEL This position requires approximately 25% travel. REASONING ABILITY Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral or diagram form. Ability to deal with problems involving several variables in standardized situations. OTHER DUTIES Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice. WHY JOIN US: Competitive Compensation: $175,000-$250,000 Comprehensive Benefits: Medical, dental, vision, 401k with employer contribution, profit sharing, and health and wellness reimbursement program. Paid Time Off & Holidays: Vacation, Sick, Mental Health Days, and 12 company paid holidays. AEB is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration regardless of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, disability, or veteran status. Application Process: If you are unable to apply online due to a disability, please contact aebhr@aeb.org.

Keywords: American Egg Board, Arlington Heights , Vice President, Business Development & Innovation, Sales , Chicago, Illinois