Business Development and Agronomy Manager, Eastern Canada

ICL Group

11d

About The Position

As the Business Development and Agronomy Manager, you will serve as a technical expert for the North American Specialty Agriculture business, supporting business development and commercial excellence. The Business Development and Agronomy Manager, a new position, will play a key role in supporting the strategy and growth of ICLs Growing Solutions business from the ground up in eastern Canada. This role will provide the agronomic foundation to support the entrepreneurial mindset of the sales team by identifying and quantifying the value of our granular, water soluble, controlled release and liquid fertilizer products of the crop nutrition portfolio as well as adjoining technologies like adjuvants, biologicals, and biostimulants. This position will include developing and managing relationships with key influencers and help support sales staff in presentations and product training for retail distribution customers and growers. Location: Candidates for this position must reside within Eastern Canada (Ontario, Quebec, or Maritime Provinces).

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in agronomy or related field with coursework in plant science, soil science, plant health and plant nutrition.
5+ years of experience working in the field of agronomy.
Broad understanding of fertilizer technology, markets and application including enhanced efficiency fertilizers, water soluble fertilizers, and liquid fertilizers across cropping systems of North America.
Analytical skills including ability to read and understand analytical reports relating to soil, water, and plant material.
Excellent oral and written communication skills.
Proficient in Microsoft Office Applications.
Must have excellent decision making and problem-solving skills.
Demonstrated ability to contribute in a virtual team setting while being an effective self-starter able to manage daily activities to achieve long term goals.
Must be able to manage personal goals and corporate objectives while keeping a customer centric focus.
Ability to be nimble and respond to the business needs of a growing team and business.
Leadership and entrepreneurial mindset to establish and grow a business and team.
Sales nimbleness, while the team is establishing and growing, being mindful of capturing and collecting sales for the business.
Must be able to travel up to 50% across the assigned territory within Canada.

Nice To Haves

Background in fertilizer industry and fundamental fertilizer types, handling, and application systems.
Demonstrated experience designing and implementing field research trials either as a principal investigator or field trial manager coordinating work with academic or contract research organizations.
MS and/or PhD in agronomy or a related discipline
Knowledge of high value crops and irrigation systems used in production
Bilingual French/English

Responsibilities

Through discovery (explore and discover) identify product solutions to nutritional problems farmers and dealers have in growing their crops in field or in greenhouse. While maintaining a focus on innovation which contributes to the growth and profitability of the business.
Work in collaboration with Technical Sales Managers in the Growing Solutions team to align agronomic support with key growth areas.
Develop and lead product training sessions for both customers and internal staff.
Provide technical support to retailers and growers on the use of the entire specialty agriculture portfolio.
Collaborate with marketing and R&D to identify and prioritize new opportunities and evaluate new technologies.
Leverage strong understanding of sound agronomic practices in a multitude of row, vine, vegetable, permanent, and other high value crops, cropping environments and irrigation systems to support the growth of the ICL Growing Solutions portfolio of products.
Inform the business and initiate activity in new crop and/or product opportunities ahead of established sales in a manner that allows for seamless transition into successful commercial activity.
Contribute to and guide the creation of new products and new product formulations to meet market needs.
Translate trial results into commercially useful selling tools for the team of technical sales managers including articles, presentations, and product messaging.
Design, implement and manage on-farm and university trials utilizing the portfolio of products, including controlled release fertilizer (CRF), water soluble NPK fertilizer, liquid fertilizers, FertilizerPluS (Polysulphate and PKpluS) and biostimulants to highlight product performance against the competition and other technologies.
Develop and present technical presentations at trade events and industry conferences.

Benefits

Competitive base pay and performance bonus
Medical, dental, vision, and life benefits that start quickly – the first of the month after hire. Wellness Incentive Program to lower your health insurance cost
Inclusive benefits for growing families, covering fertility, adoption, and parental leave
Generous Leave and FMLA policies
Tax-advantaged health savings and spending accounts (when applicable)
Prescription program that provides most generic maintenance medications at no cost (including Insulin products)
401k eligibility from day one of employment with a generous company matching contribution. 100% vested after one year of service
Crisis assistance available to support employees during unforeseen circumstances
Employee Assistance Program that includes comprehensive mental health support for you and your household family members
Student Loan Assistance
Business travel reward points are eligible for personal use
Paid time off to support volunteering and Employee Resource Group’s (ERG) participation
Free membership to a program that offers various discounts for travel, entertainment, groceries, and much more