R+D Businesses Development Lead

Land O'Lakes•River Falls, WI

About The Position

R+D Businesses Development Lead Position is located in River Falls. WI. It's closer to the Twin Cities metro area than you think! Only 17 miles over the MN/WI border. Job Summary Lead a team to develop product charters/business cases with a system testing mind set to identify and assist in directing projects and market support across all crop protection areas, seed and technology application. Lead charter development for HIF and work collaboratively with all P&L and Business Development leads (PNP, Adjuvants, seed care, biologicals etc.) to identify, develop and drive innovative charters and opportunities across platforms including crop protection, seed and application and digital technologies where possible. Be the primary technical point of contact across RD business development lines with procurement and industry RD partners to identify testing, insight, market support and technology initiatives with P&L and commercial teams. Manage relationships from a technical agronomic perspective with key suppliers, manufacturers and industry partners. Supply national market support on product knowledge, positioning, and competitive landscape awareness.

Requirements

M.S. in weed science, agronomy or closely aligned field - required
10 or more years of experience working in agricultural – preferably in research/development and commercial experience - required
People leadership - required
Knowledge of technical marketing in the areas of adjuvants, pesticides, and application technology - required
5 or more year serving as an industry expert working with industry, university and government groups on issues related to crop protection products, adjuvants, and application technology - required
Extensive knowledge of managing and developing technical, sales and marketing support materials - required
Experience with logistics, strategy, policy, organization management - required

Nice To Haves

Ph.D. - preferred

Responsibilities

Business Development Responsible for identifying and developing business cases for current and emerging crop production, seed, and technologies system testing that support retailer needs to enable growth. With focus on HIF.
Strategic leader responsible for monitoring and evaluating emerging trends, competitive activities, and agricultural technologies to identify opportunities for growth and advancement.
Responsible to know internal broad business strategies, agronomic trends, and retail customer needs and gaps nationally.
Work collaboratively with all RD Business Development leaders (PNP, Adjuvants, seed care, biologicals etc.) to identify, develop and drive innovative charters and opportunities across business platforms including crop protection, seed, insight and application/ digital technologies where possible.
Be the primary technical point of contact across RD business development lines with P&L leads, Industry and government affairs, procurement and industry RD partners to identify testing, insight, and technology initiatives and initiate those efforts and trainings nationally.
Project Charter Leadership & Business Support Ensure idealization of project charters with core stakeholders that align with business strategies with a systems mindset.
Responsible for the idealization, development, alignment, and initiation of charters into the RD pipeline workstream.
Oversee project charters through the pipeline with core stakeholders and ensure critical project resources are prioritized and KPIs are established and successfully obtained.
Technical liaison among Winfield United business directors, brand marketing, product development, Agronomy Services, product registration, crop protection industry and other groups to co-develop and provide technical supporting insights.
Internal and External Collaboration and Relationship Leadership RD technical leader to collaborate with internal cross -functional stakeholders, including marketing, sales, production, procurement, IT, agronomy, regulatory affairs, industry and government affairs to support product launches, market adoption and retail insights ever changing market and policy dynamics.
Establish and maintain relationships with key stakeholders including academics, research organizations, and industry partners to identify business, testing and insight opportunities and initiatives.
Represent the WU at industry conferences, symposiums, public forums showcasing our WU agronomic leadership in the areas of crop protection, seed and insights.
Technical lead and strategic partner to develop trusted relationships with external partners and build systems based technical RD testing approaches that support crop protection, seed, technology and insights.
Direct and Indirect People Leadership and Knowledge Transfer Lead and inspire a diverse team of innovative leaders that can turn data into insights to build greater product knowledge, positioning, and technical confidence.
Foster a culture of collaboration, continuous learning, personal development, and business acumen with a growth mind set.
Monitor short- and longer-term progress and assist your team in resources and prioritization.
Manage a budget, identify initiatives to improve processes and deliver projects on time.
Work with the RD leadership, P&L and commercial teams, to develop initiatives and strategies that deliver technical insights that support the growth for brands and pipelines.