General Manager - Munson Lakes Nutrition

Land O'Lakes•Howard Lake, MN

6d•$188,080 - $282,120

About The Position

Munson Lakes Nutrition (MLN) is an animal nutrition joint venture owned by Land O’Lakes / Purina and regional member cooperatives Centra Sota, Crystal Valley, and Federated COOP. It provides feed solutions and on-farm consulting to dairy, beef, and other livestock producers across the Upper Midwest. The General Manager / CEO serves as chief executive of the joint venture, with full enterprise P&L responsibility. The role leads strategic planning, sales, multi-site operations, commercial expansion, finance, and human resources. The executive will guide a growing, multi-mill business while maintaining strong relationships with cooperative owners and producer-members. The position’s strategic mandate includes evaluating expansion opportunities and integrating mergers into MLN’s production, quality, and delivery platform; building a high-performing commercial sales organization; establishing consistent safety and manufacturing standards across facilities; and aligning growth strategies, capital allocations, and value delivery with the Board and owner-cooperatives. The role requires regular regional travel, approximately 15–25%, across feed mills, customer farms, partner cooperative offices, and corporate board meetings. The stated salary range is $188,080–$282,120, with candidates in most cases expected to be hired near the midpoint of the range.

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% of the time.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree or MBA.
Familiarity with the agricultural cooperative business model, 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; provide quarterly governance and performance reporting.
Represent MLN in the agricultural community, trade associations, and customer networks.
Lead and execute the commercial sales organization’s strategy to grow profitable volume, revenue, 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 and incentive structures and establish CRM-driven pipeline disciplines.
Oversee operations across manufacturing locations and improve capacity utilization and throughput efficiency.
Standardize operating methods, automation platforms, standard operating procedures, and quality assurance frameworks across mill locations.
Direct logistics and delivery operations, including the bulk and bag delivery fleet, to improve route density, dispatch efficiency, equipment reliability, and customer service.
Lead ingredient procurement, commodity risk management, and vendor relationships in coordination with ownership purchasing networks.
Promote workplace safety across manufacturing sites and transportation assets.
Ensure compliance with FDA regulations, FSMA, CGMP, HACCP certifications, and medicated feed licensing requirements.
Standardize testing, batch tracking, trace-back capabilities, 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 margin, operational efficiency, and EBITDA targets.
Direct working capital, accounts receivable, inventory turns, and credit policy in partnership with the Controller.
Develop ROI business cases for capital improvements, automation upgrades, and facility modernization.
Maintain financial controls, cost accounting, and financial audit processes.
Develop a unified, high-accountability culture focused on integrity, craftsmanship, safety, and customer service.
Lead organizational design, workforce planning, and change management to integrate employees from new facilities.
Promote professional development, technical cross-training, and succession planning across production, logistics, sales, and administrative teams.
Evaluate expansion opportunities and oversee operational, cultural, and technological integration of mergers.