Market Development Agronomist, Seed
This individual will be the local agronomy expert (Seed & Chem) that coaches, influences, and creates opportunities with key owners and sellers.
This remote role will partner with customers in the Southern half of Iowa. Ideal candidates will be located in the Ames, Des Moines, Iowa City, Davenport areas.
This individual will drive demand of products, innovation, services, and connections to new markets using their technical expertise in agronomy/seed skills and advanced understanding of the services platform (in this geography, a seed agronomy skillset is strongly preferred). Conducting customer agronomy training, communicating technical subject matter, and supporting business transformation around total acre solutions. The Account Plans will be used to determine the specific owners, sellers, and Sales Development Managers (SDMs) that the MDA will work with.
Responsibilities:
(50%) Customer Facing: Advanced Acre Execution and Coaching w/Retail Sellers
- Serves as the technical specialist in leveraging the Advanced Acre strategy to differentiate our system.
- Enables the creation of new markets by combining products, data insights and services to drive revenue growth and capture new markets.
- Coaches the Advanced Acre solutions strategy to assigned retail sellers and designated growers in conjunction with internal sales team as determined from Account Plans.
- Partners with the Sales Development Manager on targeted sales activities, providing technical expertise and knowledge during sales calls and visits with customers.
- Conduct technical training opportunities to include CPP & Seed products, services platform for identified retail locations, and Answer Plots in collaboration with SDMs
- Facilitate virtual services, agronomic and product delivery through identified video and digital platforms.
- Provides Innovation/Insight trials direction and execution to identified owners and internal staff
(30%) Non-Customer Facing: Partner with WinField United Product Managers
- Help inform and drive product pipeline by providing feedback and representation from local market.
- Create local insights and differentiated product positioning to aide in the seed and cpp selling story for the retail selling base in specified geography.
- Assist Product Managers to do internal trainings with Business Unit sales teams.
(20%) Other Activities
- Actively engage in enhancing skill sets through the Center of Excellence, internal training meetings, etc.
- Collaboration with key regional influencers (ex: basic partner agronomists)
- Attend regional/national meetings through business planning and creation of training plans, materials, and pre-call preparation.
Required Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in agriculture or business-related field plus 5 years of industry experience; or an equivalent of 10 years of successful work experience in agronomy
- Advanced degree including MS or PhD in agronomy or closely related field is preferred but not required
- Experience coaching, training, and executing technical agronomic decisions and developing and educating others on products, services, and programs
- Demonstrated success in interacting with key stakeholders and more senior leadership
- Experience diagnosing customer expectations and needs and responds promptly
- Proactive communicator with exceptional written, verbal, and formal presentation skills
- Ability to make sound decisions and complete tasks in a fast-paced work environment
- Proven ability to coordinate and collaborate with multiple stakeholders and to influence at all levels
- Proficient in Microsoft Office Applications (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint); virtual collaboration tools (Teams, Zoom); and CRM software (Salesforce)
- Must have current and valid state driver’s license
- Ability to travel up to 50% (daily, extended hours and some overnight stays) to customers within an assigned sales area.
Salary Range: $90,000 - $115,000
Annual Bonus Target: $32,000
About Land O'Lakes, Inc.
Join us and be part of a Fortune 250, farmer- and member-owned cooperative that is reimagining the business of food. We have been named a Top Workplace by Indeed and LinkedIn, and to the TIME 100 Most Influential Companies list.
Benefits for most full-time roles include medical, dental, vision, PTO, life & disability insurance, education assistance, a 401k and a variety of well-being resources. Most part-time employees are eligible for prorated PTO, holiday pay, employee development programs, prorated education assistance, and a 401(k).
Land O'Lakes, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE) M/F/Vets/Disabled. The company maintains a drug-free workforce, including post-employment substance abuse testing pursuant to a Drug and Alcohol Policy.
Neither Land O’Lakes, nor its search firms, will ever contact you and ask for confidential information over the phone or in email. If you receive a call or email like this, please do not provide the information being requested.
What We Do
Land O’Lakes, Inc. is a 100-year-old farmer- and retailer-owned cooperative originally formed with the purpose of working together to create new market opportunities. Fast forward to today and we’ve built on that uniting spirit, developing a comprehensive and leading view of agriculture while maintaining an unwavering commitment to delivering strong annual performance and long-term, shared success with our member-owners.
Land O’Lakes believes farmers are the entrepreneurs who truly change the world for the better. By working together with our member-owners, we can continue to strengthen our system, champion farming’s true potential and place our farmer- and retail-owners at the heart of creating a better world for all.
