John Deere Strategy Delivery Lead, Angela Nieto, has gained considerable cross-functional career experience. Additionally, she enjoys helping others, thrives on challenges, and actively takes a lead in championing diversity and inclusion within the company.
“I love the purpose, mission and vision of working for John Deere,” says Angela. “I love the endless opportunities for growth and development, and I love the focus on people.”
An exciting career path
Determined, disciplined and responsible, Angela’s career pathway firstly commenced with internships and co-ops that were focused on the Treasury.
Angela started her John Deere career pathway as an Early Development Program (EDP) participant that saw her rotated across areas such as Manufacturing Engineering and Supply Management.
“My career has had mainly a manufacturing path. I have had positions of increasing responsibilities in Manufacturing, Engineering, Quality, and Operations. However, I have had other assignments such as Factory Master Plan lead, Project Manager for SKD / CKD and my current role as a Strategy Delivery Lead,” explains Angela.
“I have had roles in several factories including Dubuque, Des Moines, Waterloo, Montenegro – Brazil, and I’ve been engaged with different products such as Crawlers, Backhoes, Tillage, Sprayers, Cotton Pickers, Grain Drills, Tractors. Throughout my career, I have been extremely involved with several employee resource groups (ERGS) including WomenREACH, JD WiM (Women in Manufacturing), SWE, HOLA, and SHPE."
As part of her current role, Angela plans and executes key strategic initiatives for the company.
“I have to interact with almost all areas of the business, which has given me the opportunity to learn so many things I wasn’t exposed to before,” says Angela.
When looking at some of the key strengths she draws upon in her role, Angela drills down on the need for team leadership, being tri-lingual (Spanish, English, Portuguese), her cross-functional experience, building productive relationships and rapport with a diverse set of individuals – from high-level leaders to shop-floor employees – and engaging employees and team members.
Looking at getting more women into roles like hers, Angela explains, "We need to offer women challenging assignments, but most importantly encourage, support and advocate for them to stretch into areas of the organization they never thought of going into. We need to provide feedback, mentoring and support as they get into these assignments and create an environment where women can thrive – with opportunities such as flexible working and daycare, etc."
Great workplace opportunities at John Deere
And for women wanting to work at John Deere, Angela attests that “John Deere is a great place to show your talents and different perspectives."
“There are great opportunities to get engaged with the Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) at John Deere, build a strong network, and make a difference in the company and the community. There is also the opportunity to have a wide variety of experiences worldwide, and you can have a variety of mentors, including men.”
Enjoying a good work/life balance
Getting the work/life balance right and being bodybuilders, Angela and her fiancée enjoy going to the gym and holding themselves accountable for meeting their daily goals of exercise, nutrition and sleep.
Travel is also a passion for Angela. “I love to travel,” she says. “One of my personal goals is to go to a new place in the world every year. I enjoy spending time with my family and traveling with them.”
Become a female thought leader at John Deere
Join John Deere and embark on an exciting career in agriculture.
John Deere is a prime employer for women, so search their latest career opportunities and embark on a new role with purpose.
Find out more
Disclosure: Where Women Work researches and publishes insightful evidence about how its paid member organizations support women's equality.