[Hiring] Market Development Specialist @Land O'Lakes

Role Description

The Market Development Agronomist (MDA) is the local field agronomist that coaches, influences, and creates opportunities with key owners and sellers within the defined geography. They drive demand of seed and CPP products, services, and connections to new markets using their technical expertise in agronomy and seed. The MDA accomplishes this by:

• Conducting customer agronomy and product trainings.
• Communicating technical subject matter.
• Supporting business transformation around total acre solutions.

This is a remote role that will be working with customers near Jonesborough, AR and Memphis TN. The ideal candidate will be located in this geography.

Responsibilities

• 40% Customer Facing: Whole Acre Execution and Coaching w/Retail Sellers
  • Serves as the technical specialist for seed, CPP and foliar nutrition products 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, etc. 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.

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.

Competencies

• Executes as a Valued Business Partner.
• Demonstrate a Coaching Mindset.
• Optimize Selling Effectiveness.
• Drive for Total Acre Solutions.
• Lead and Embrace Change.
• Demonstrate Agility.
• Execute with Focus and Accountability.
• Engage and Include.
• Act Strategically.
• Make Insightful Decisions.
• Business Acumen.
• Exemplify Land O’Lakes wide leadership competencies: Collaboration, Innovation, Courage, Ownership, and Decisiveness.

Salary Range

$91,120 - $136,680

Annual Bonus Target: Thirty Two Thousand

Benefits

• Medical, dental, vision, PTO, life & disability insurance, education assistance, a 401k and a variety of well-being resources for most full-time roles.
• Most part-time employees are eligible for prorated PTO, holiday pay, employee development programs, prorated education assistance, and a 401(k).