General Manager - Munson Lakes Nutrition

Land O'Lakes•Howard Lake, MN

4d•$188,080 - $282,120

About The Position

Munson Lakes Nutrition (MLN), a joint venture owned by agricultural cooperative partners, provides animal nutrition products and on-farm consulting across dairy, beef, and other livestock sectors in the Upper Midwest. The General Manager / CEO serves as the joint venture’s chief executive officer with full enterprise P&L responsibility, leading strategic planning, commercial growth, multi-site operations, finance, and human resources. The role will guide expansion and integration of facilities, build a high-performing technical sales organization, and strengthen operational standards across the multi-mill business. The General Manager will work closely with the Board of Directors and owner-cooperatives to align strategy, capital investments, and value for member owners, while representing MLN within the agricultural community and customer networks. The position requires regular regional travel of approximately 15–25% across feed mills, customer farms, partner cooperative offices, and board meetings. The stated salary range is $188,080–$282,120. Candidates offered employment can generally expect a rate near the midpoint of the salary range. Land O’Lakes describes its benefits as a broad portfolio intended to support employees and their families; specific benefits are not listed.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in agribusiness, animal science, agricultural economics, business administration, engineering, or a related discipline.
At least 10 years of progressive senior leadership experience in feed manufacturing, animal nutrition, grain handling, or commercial agriculture.
Demonstrated general management or P&L experience managing an enterprise or substantial business unit with $75 million or more in revenue and full operational and commercial accountability.
Direct experience leading multi-plant manufacturing networks, plant expansions, or post-acquisition facility integrations.
Experience structuring, leading, or coaching a technical B2B agricultural sales organization.
Ability to travel regionally approximately 15–25%.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree or MBA.
Familiarity with agricultural cooperatives, joint ventures, or multi-stakeholder governance frameworks.

Responsibilities

Advise the Board of Directors and participate in strategic planning, long-term capital forecasting, and enterprise risk management.
Build collaborative relationships with owner entities and align business strategies with owner objectives.
Establish annual business plans, operating budgets, and capital expenditure proposals, and provide quarterly governance and performance reporting.
Represent MLN as its public-facing executive in the agricultural community, trade associations, and customer networks.
Lead the strategy, structure, and execution of the commercial sales organization to drive profitable growth and market share.
Recruit, develop, and retain technical sales specialists, ruminant nutritionists, and key account managers.
Expand market penetration in dairy and beef production regions across Minnesota, Wisconsin, and neighboring states.
Develop value-added offerings such as on-farm consulting, ration balancing, custom formulations, and digital agricultural decision tools.
Set sales performance metrics, incentive structures, and CRM-based pipeline practices.
Oversee manufacturing operations across locations and improve capacity utilization and throughput.
Standardize operating methods, automation platforms, procedures, and quality assurance across mill locations.
Direct logistics and delivery operations, including the bulk and bag delivery fleet, to improve routes, dispatch, equipment reliability, and customer service.
Lead ingredient procurement, commodity risk management, and vendor relationships in coordination with owner purchasing networks.
Promote workplace safety across manufacturing sites and transportation assets, targeting zero incidents.
Ensure feed safety and compliance with FDA regulations, FSMA, CGMP, HACCP certifications, and medicated feed licenses.
Standardize testing, batch tracking, trace-back, and quality control across acquired and legacy plants.
Maintain environmental, health, and safety compliance with local, state, and federal requirements.
Manage full P&L accountability, including revenue growth, gross margins, operational efficiency, and EBITDA targets.
Direct working capital, accounts receivable, inventory turns, and credit policy adherence with the Controller.
Prepare ROI business cases for capital improvements, automation, and facility modernization.
Maintain financial controls, cost accounting, and financial audit readiness.
Develop a unified, accountable culture focused on integrity, craftsmanship, safety, and customer service.
Lead organizational design, workforce planning, and change management, including integration of employees from new facilities.
Support professional development, technical cross-training, and succession planning across organizational teams.
Evaluate opportunities to expand the organization’s market presence and lead the operational, cultural, and technological integration of mergers into MLN’s production, quality, and delivery platform.