Business Development Manager - Apex Ag

Rocky Mountain Agronomics Inc.; Idaho; On-site; USD 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Vehicle allowance

Expense account

Job summary

Apex Ag is seeking a Business Development Manager to lead the commercialization of exclusive biostimulants and PGRs. You will own channel adoption, build a high-value sales book, and recruit/train sales talent while coordinating with marketing and regulatory teams.

Reporting to the COO, you will drive market entry strategies, manage distributor partnerships, and deliver sales forecasts to leadership, with travel across defined territories.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Agribusiness, Agronomy, Business, or equivalent practical experience.
• 5+ years in agricultural inputs with at least 2+ years in a leadership, sales leadership, or business development capacity.
• Proven ability to build new customer relationships and meet revenue targets.
• Working knowledge of soil science, plant nutrition, and fertility program design.
• Willingness to travel frequently within the territory.
• Strong communication, negotiation, and presentation skills.
• Experience recruiting, onboarding, and managing high-performing contract and regular full-time sales talent within ag retail/wholesale.

Responsibilities

• Identify and pursue new business opportunities across grower, cooperative, dealer, and retail channels in target geographies.
• Build and manage a robust pipeline of prospective accounts through prospecting, trade shows, referrals, and cold outreach.
• Negotiate and close contracts with distributors, co-ops, and large-scale growers.
• Collaborate with agronomy and product teams to align solutions with customer needs and seasonal demands.
• Maintain accurate records of opportunities, contacts, and activities.
• Monitor market trends, competitor activity, pricing, and regulatory changes to inform strategy.
• Represent the company at industry events, field days, and trade associations.
• Partner with marketing on campaigns, product launches, and lead generation initiatives.
• Deliver monthly volume burn-rate reports, channel variance analyses, and sales forecasts directly to executive leadership.
• Partner with regulatory consultants, administrative staff, and leadership to track state-level product registrations across WA, OR, ID, NV, UT, CA, and Midwest territories, timing commercial rollouts with legal clearance.
• As the business grows and needs arise, recruit, vet, and onboard experienced contract and regular full time sales talent with pre-existing Stoller/PGR customer bases.
• As new people onboard, design and execute rigorous technical product training, positioning strategies, and objection-handling protocols for internal sales reps, contract partners, and retail agronomists

Skills

Communication

Negotiation

Presentation

Talent recruiting

Education

Bachelor's degree in Agribusiness/Agronomy/Business or related field

Job description

Business Development Manager

Full-Time | Exempt / Salaried

The Business Development Manager serves as the primary sales rep, along with the operational and strategic leader for Apex Ag. This individual owns the strategic implementation of the Apex Ag business plan, driving channel adoption, ensuring the entity meets its mandatory volume commitments, and eventually focused on building bench strength. This position maintains direct high-value sales responsibilities, while also scaling as sales grow by recruiting and training technical sales talent.

Position Overview

Reporting to the COO, this role is responsible for driving the full commercialization of Apex Ag’s exclusive sub-registered biostimulants and plant growth regulators (PGRs). The ideal candidate brings a proven track record in developing the market for a new product line, building and maintaining a book of business, direct experience or familiarity with the biostimulants and PGRs (especially the Stoller/Corteva product portfolio), and the ability to build high-yield distribution partnerships across retail co-ops, buying groups, and enterprise grower networks. In addition, this person would have experience in talent acquisition and sales team development within ag input.

Key Responsibilities

• Identify and pursue new business opportunities across grower, cooperative, dealer, and retail channels in target geographies
• Build and manage a robust pipeline of prospective accounts through prospecting, trade shows, referrals, and cold outreach
• Negotiate and close contracts with distributors, co-ops, and large-scale growers
• Collaborate with agronomy and product teams to align solutions with customer needs and seasonal demands
• Maintain accurate records of opportunities, contacts, and activities
• Monitor market trends, competitor activity, pricing, and regulatory changes to inform strategy
• Represent the company at industry events, field days, and trade associations
• Partner with marketing on campaigns, product launches, and lead generation initiatives
• Deliver monthly volume burn-rate reports, channel variance analyses, and sales forecasts directly to executive leadership
• Partner with regulatory consultants, administrative staff, and leadership to track state-level product registrations across WA, OR, ID, NV, UT, CA, and Midwest territories, timing commercial rollouts with legal clearance
• As the business grows and needs arise, this position will also proactively recruit, vet, and onboard experienced contract and regular full time sales talent with pre-existing Stoller/PGR customer bases
• As new people onboard, design and execute rigorous technical product training, positioning strategies, and objection-handling protocols for internal sales reps, contract partners, and retail agronomists

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Agribusiness, Agronomy, Business, or a related field — or equivalent practical experience
• 5+ years of progressive commercial experience in agricultural inputs (fertilizer, crop protection, PGRs, biostimulants), with at least 2+ years in a team management, sales leadership, or business development capacity
• Demonstrated success in building new customer relationships and meeting revenue targets
• Working knowledge of soil science, plant nutrition, and fertility program design
• Willingness to travel frequently within the territory
• Strong communication, negotiation, and presentation skills
• Demonstrated success in recruiting, onboarding, and managing high-performing contract and regular full time sales talent within ag retail/wholesale

What You'll Bring

• A relentless drive to treat Apex Ag as a high-growth business unit, taking full personal accountability for hitting volume commitments and building enterprise value
• Existing relationships across ag retailers, buying groups, and major enterprise farming operations
• Self-motivated, entrepreneurial mindset with high accountability for outcomes
• Ability to work across technical, agronomic, and commercial conversations with equal confidence
• A passion for agriculture and a genuine commitment to helping growers succeed
• The unique capacity to transition seamlessly between strategic executive planning, talent recruiting/coaching, and direct C-suite grower negotiations

Compensation & Benefits

Equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to an inclusive workplace for all employees.

• Base Salary: Competitive, commensurate with experience
• Incentive: Performance bonus + commission structure
• Benefits: Health, dental, vision, and 401(k)
• Perks: Vehicle allowance and expense account