Commercial Lead - il and Crop Health

UPL; Pope Field (NC); Remote; USD 100,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

UPL NA is seeking a Commercial Lead for Seed, Soil and Crop Health in the U.S. This role involves leading the sales team, developing strategies for growth, and managing key customer relationships. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in seed treatment sales and a strong understanding of the agricultural market.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of seed or seed treatment sales experience required.
• Proven success in leadership roles in regional sales management.
• Strong understanding of the US agricultural landscape.

Responsibilities

• Develop strategies for seed treatment and soil health business.
• Manage relationships with key customers and distributors.
• Drive sales growth and ensure compliance with regulations.

Skills

Leadership

Negotiation

Communication

Problem-solving

Strategic thinking

Education

Bachelor's degree in Agronomy or AgriBusiness

Master’s degree

Job description

UPL Limited (NSE : UPL & BSE : 512070, LSE : UPLL) is a global provider of sustainable agriculture products and solutions, with annual revenue exceeding $6bn. We are a purpose-led company. Through OpenAg, UPL is focused on accelerating progress for the food system. We are building a network that is reimagining sustainability, redefining the way an entire industry thinks and works – open to fresh ideas, innovation, and new answers as we strive towards our mission to make every single food product more sustainable. As one of the largest agriculture solutions companies worldwide, our robust portfolio consists of biologicals and traditional crop protection solutions with more than 14,000 registrations. We are present in more than 130 countries, represented by more than 10,000 colleagues globally. For more information about our integrated portfolio of solutions across the food value chain including seeds, post-harvest, as well as physical and digital services, please visit upl-ltd.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Job Summary : UPL NA is seeking a dynamic and experienced professional to join our U.S. Commercial Ag team as the newCommercial Lead - Seed, Soil and Crop Health. This role is expected to provide leadership and direction to the Seed & Soil Health (S&SH) sales team to develop strategies on how to grow their seed treatment, in-furrow, and soil health business and the NPP (Natural Plant Protection) BioSolutions sales team to develop strategies on how to develop, implement and grow biological sales action plans with growth metrics and new product launches. The role holder develops relations with key customers, channel partners, industry forums and internal cross-functional stakeholders to drive business growth and build a stronger UPL brand in the market. They also ensure compliance with regulations while leading the sales team to success in a competitive market, execute tactics to achieve budgeted sales and profit objectives, and accurately forecast product needs to align with customer demand and supply chain capabilities.

Job Responsibilities :

• Partner with the cross functional teams including US Sales, Marketing, R&D, SCM and Finance to develop annual S&SH & NPP sales plan :
• Delivery tactics for the annual sales budget for the US S&SH & NPP team.
• Customer forecasting by quarter; customer planning; drive SAT New Product Launches; and driving key UPL initiatives with customers that drive growth.
• Manage relationships with assigned companies and specialty distributors.
• Drive key meetings including tradeshows & new product launches.
• Manage the SG&A of both the S&SH & NPP budget numbers.

Strategy Planning, Forecasting and Execution :

• Develop annual forecast and manage monthly changes to achieve full year financial goal.
• Utilize the Salesforce platform, get the teams trained on using the platform, retaining & communicating significant customer interactions / information, and maintain annual business plan for the customers.
• Develop & maintain a monthly region by product by volume forecast working with the entire team aligning to the annual business budget.
• Attend & participate in the key business calls (e.g., CST, S&OP, etc.) to maintain effective regional communications, understand issues & opportunities and align messaging to the regions weekly team calls.
• Consistent and regular communication with UPL North America Leadership, Regional Product and Customer Marketing, SCM, Finance and Tech Service Teams to ensure alignment.

Customer Relationship Management :

• Develop key relationships with key distribution, retailers, growers, and decision influencers to establish strong business relationships with assigned national & regional distributor accounts.
• Elevate both S&SH & NPP to a strategic position with accounts, and work with Key Account Management (KAM) team on integrated CP / SAT road maps, business plans, and offers.
• Manage negotiations with the key customers, retails to secure mutually beneficial agreements. Develop and manage contracts, ensuring compliance with company policies and legal requirements.

Budgeting Management :

• Responsible for monitoring and adhering to company guidelines for producing individual sales targets, expenses, promotion, travel, and entertainment budgets.

People Management :

• Develop a high-performance team and drive a culture of accountability, meritocracy, and inclusiveness.
• Define team objectives to achieve the annual budget and conduct bi-annual reviews to ensure that the team and individuals are performing towards their goals.
• Utilize key training tools to increase the team’s overall sales strength (e.g., NuVue, UPL Tools).
• Ensure that the team’s focus is linked to the regional plans focusing their timing on key strategic initiatives to grow the S&SH & NPP businesses and key accounts.
• Develop and adhere to coaching goals agreed to with the Head, Sales US Ag leader.
• Collaborate with HR on people development, performance management, culture, and engagement priorities.

REQUIRED EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE :

• Bachelor's degree preferred with a focus in Agronomy or AgriBusiness required, Master’s degree is a plus.
• 10+ years of seed or seed treatment sales experience and / or with bio agricultural products is required.
• Proven success in leadership roles in regional sales management, key account management within the seed / seed treatment / crop protection industry.
• Strong understanding of the US agricultural landscape and the Seed / Seed Treatment market and bio agricultural market as well as the distribution channels and cropping practices in the US is required.
• Proven track record of driving business / sales growth for a new product segment and applying strategies to scale up a business in a resourceful manner.
• Strategic thinking and the ability to develop and implement effective commercial plans.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and interpersonal skills.
• Excellent problem-solving skills and ability to think logically and systematically.
• Results-oriented with a track record of achieving and exceeding sales targets.

TEAM : Direct reports : 6; Indirect reports : 1 (marketing)

LOCATION : United States (Remote)

TRAVEL : 60- 70%

UPLCOMPETENCIES :

• Adaptability & Resilience : Recognizes and is open to changing circumstances and alters behavior and scales up as necessary; increases personal awareness and appreciation of individual and cultural differences to create an open, inclusive, and accepting workplace.
• Entrepreneurial Mindset : Has a creative mindset and ability to think holistically, takes calculated risks and maximizes opportunities.
• Results Orientations : Takes action, pursues goals with persistence and achieves results; communicates goals and vision to the team to drive enthusiasm and ambition.
• Execution Excellence : Enhances the speed of execution and builds efficiency in processes, systems and people; has sharp focus on quality-orientation.
• Strategic Orientation : Demonstrates knowledge of the social, economic, and environmental factors and how they impact the business. Identifies key issues that could impact the business and develops strategy through an analytical lens / design thinking.
• Building Teams and Talent : Empowers colleagues through knowledge sharing and delegation, quickly establishing rapport; provides recognition for achievements and accomplishments.
• Customer Centricity : Understands the customer needs and pain points, fulfills the needs and expectations by focusing on creating value for customers.

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