Sr Product & Agronomy Lead

Job Summary:

Leads all activities related to pre-commercial testing and development, portfolio management for corn and soybeans, and agronomy strategy, ensuring strong alignment with commercial teams. Partners closely with Sales to align product and agronomic initiatives with company goals and growth strategies. Provides overall leadership for agronomic strategy and the agronomy team, while directing the advancement of seed products from pre-commercial development through commercial launch to build a robust, market-driven seed portfolio. Oversees the analysis of pre-commercial field testing to quantify product value for farmers and partners and guide portfolio decisions. Success in this role requires unifying product development, portfolio management, and agronomy to support growth across both sales and GDM-owned germplasm, ensuring solutions meet evolving farm needs.

Duties/Responsibilities:

• Ensure alignment of Product Development, Product Portfolio, and Agronomy to Company objectives and strategies.
• Directing the pre-commercial and commercialization phases of the innovation pipeline.
• Maintain market intelligence on innovations (e.g., genetic traits, seed treatments, emerging technologies), provide relevant insights to subject matter experts, and evaluate opportunities for feasibility studies.
• Manage assigned budget, including Plot Budget precommercial testing budget and strategic product training initiatives.
• Lead the annual production planning process in close partnership with commercial teams, aligned with short- and mid-term business plans.
• Define and guide the agronomic value proposition of products to support effective go-to-market strategies across cross-functional teams
• Lead the Product Resourcing Team (PRT) to ensure alignment from R&D through commercial sales for internal and external technologies.
• Serve as a key member of the Marketing Leadership Team, contributing to annual and long-range planning.
• Bridge product decisions with field execution, building confidence among sales and agronomy teams in product performance and positioning.
• Serve as the product portfolio leader and expert, communicating strategy and progress to the Executive Committee.
• Partner with production and manufacturing teams to inform decisions that mitigate portfolio obsolescence risks.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Required Skills/Abilities:

•  Deep knowledge of agronomy, seed product development, and portfolio management.
•  Strong business acumen and ability to connect technical product value to commercial strategy.
•  Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
•  Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making capabilities.
•  Proven leadership and team development skills.
•  Ability to plan, prioritize, and manage multiple complex initiatives in a fast-paced environment.
•  Demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively across cross-functional teams.
•  Strong communication skills, with the ability to influence stakeholders at all levels.
•  Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite or related tools.

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in business, management, agriculture, agronomy, product/portfolio management, or similarly related field of study. Master’s degree desirable but not required.
• Minimum of eight (8) years leadership experience.
• Minimum of ten (10) years of agronomy and/or product experience.
• Experience in agriculture, especially seed industry, is strongly preferred.
• Solid background in agriculture and/or agronomy.
• Desired background in business strategy.
• Ability to work across business functions to achieve business targets.
• Must have valid driver’s license and meet MVR guidelines.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

• Lead, develop, and oversee the performance and direction of the team.
• Establish team priorities and ensure alignment with company strategy and business objectives.
• Build organizational capability through effective talent management, including hiring, onboarding, coaching, and development.
• Foster a collaborative, high-performance culture across cross-functional teams.
• Set clear performance expectations and provide regular, constructive feedback and formal evaluations.
• Develop successors for leadership roles.
• Manage employee relations matters, including performance improvement, disciplinary actions, and terminations in accordance with company policy.

Physical Requirements:

• Ability to lift up to 20 lbs. (if applicable)
• Ability to travel up to 50 %
• Office and field sales work environment; estimating 50% time in each.