Market Development Specialist

Land O'Lakes•Memphis, TN

1d•Remote

About The Position

The Market Development Agronomist (MDA) is a local field agronomist responsible for coaching, influencing, and creating opportunities with key owners and sellers within a defined geography. This role drives demand for seed and CPP products, services, and connections to new markets by leveraging technical expertise in agronomy and seed. The MDA accomplishes this by conducting customer agronomy and product trainings, communicating technical subject matter, and supporting business transformation around total acre solutions. They are an integral part of the sales team that supports the overall business. The specific owners, sellers, and Sales Development Managers (SDMs) the MDA will work with are determined by Account Plans. This is a remote role, working with customers near Jonesborough, AR and Memphis TN, and the ideal candidate should be located in this geography. Land O'Lakes, Inc. is a Fortune 250, farmer- and member-owned cooperative.

Requirements

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.
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).
Proficient in virtual collaboration tools (Teams, Zoom).
Proficient in CRM software (Salesforce).
Must have current and valid state driver’s license.
Ability to travel up to 50% (daily, extended hours and some overnight stays) to customers within an assigned sales area.

Nice To Haves

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.

Responsibilities

Serve as the technical specialist for seed, CPP and foliar nutrition products in leveraging the Advanced Acre strategy to differentiate our system.
Enable the creation of new markets by combining products, data insights and services to drive revenue growth and capture new markets.
Coach the Advanced Acre solutions strategy to assigned retail sellers and designated growers in conjunction with internal sales team as determined from Account Plans.
Partner 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.
Provide Innovation/Insight trials direction and execution to identified owners and internal staff.
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.
Actively engage in enhancing skill sets through the Center of Excellence (COE), internal training meetings, etc.
Collaborate 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.