Market Development Agronomist

Land O'Lakes, Inc.; Arden Hills (MN); Remote; USD 93,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Land O'Lakes, Inc. is seeking a Market Development Agronomist to coach and influence retail sellers and growers, driving demand for our agronomy and seed products, services, and total acre solutions.

The MDA will work with SDMs and Account Plans to identify owners and sellers while leveraging data insights to create new markets. The role is remote/virtual within the territory, with travel up to 50% and a leased company vehicle provided.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in agriculture or business-related field plus 5 years of industry experience; or 10 years of successful work experience in agronomy and recommend 1-2 years of people leadership experience
• 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
• Ability to create working relationships internally and externally
• 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
• Trustworthy with a strong level of personal commitment
• 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
• Experience demonstrating agility and leading/adapting quickly to change
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and CRM tools (Salesforce)
• Must have current and valid state driver’s license

Responsibilities

• 40% Customer Facing: Advanced Acre Execution and Coaching w/Retail Sellers
• 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
• 40% 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 (COE), 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.

Skills

Leadership

Coaching

Training

Agronomy

Communication

Stakeholder management

Independence

CRM expertise

Education

Bachelor’s degree in agriculture or business-related field

10 years agronomy experience / 1–2 years leadership

MS or PhD in agronomy preferred

Tools

Salesforce

Microsoft Office

Teams

Zoom

Job description

The Market Development Agronomist (MDA) is the local agronomy expert that coaches, influences, and creates opportunities with key owners and sellers. They 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. 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.

This position is remote/virtual and can work from home but must be located within the territory in order to partner directly with our customers.

The East KS/Garden City KS area would be ideal.

Job Responsibilities

40% 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

40% 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 (COE), 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 and recommend 1-2 years of people leadership experience
• 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
• Ability to create working relationships internally and externally
• 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
• Trustworthy with a strong level of personal commitment
• 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
• Ability to work independently and manage productivity
• Experience demonstrating agility and leading/adapting quickly to change
• 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

Essential Functions/Work Environment

• Ability to travel up to 50% (daily, extended hours and some overnight stays) to customers within an assigned sales area.
• You will be provided with a company leased vehicle.

Compensation

This is a sales role that is compensated with a target mix of base salary plus commission.

Base salary is dependent upon experience/tenure and generally ranges between: $93,360 - $140,040

Target bonus is: Thirty-Two Thousand

In most cases, candidates offered employment can expect to be hired at a pay rate near the middle of our salary ranges.

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.

Land O'Lakes does not use Automated Decision-Making Technology, as defined by California law, to substantially replace human decision-making or make significant decisions about applications for employment or contracting opportunities.