Sr Manager, Sales & Marketing
About The Position
Advanta is a global seed business focused on providing farmers with innovation and new technologies to address food insecurity and climate change. As part of UPL Group, Advanta aims to deliver high-quality seeds and crop protection solutions. Operating in over 80 countries, Advanta holds leadership positions in tropical and sub-tropical geographies for various crops. With over 60 years of experience, Advanta provides seeds technology that ensures crop performance and farmer prosperity. The Sr Manager of Sales & Marketing is a critical leadership role responsible for defining and executing the commercial sales strategy for the company’s sorghum and sunflower portfolio. This position is a key member of the Senior Leadership Team, responsible for business growth, and leading sales, marketing, and operations planning. The role owns portfolio P&L, revenue growth, market expansion, brand leadership, and customer engagement, ensuring alignment across sales, marketing, product development, and supply. It combines strategic leadership with hands-on commercial execution in the specialized agricultural seed market.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture, Agronomy, Business, Marketing, or related field.
- 8-10+ years of progressive commercial experience in the seed or agricultural inputs industry.
- Demonstrated leadership experience in sales, marketing, or general management roles.
- Strong experience with sorghum, sunflower, or comparable row‑crop seed markets.
- Proven success managing dealer/distributor networks and key accounts.
- Experience leading multi‑region or cross‑border commercial teams.
- Strategic commercial sales leadership with strong execution focus.
- Deep understanding of crop production systems and grower decision making.
- Excellent leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
- Strong negotiation and pricing strategy capabilities.
- Data driven mindset; experience with CRM, forecasting, and analytics tools.
- Ability to balance long term portfolio strategy with short term market realities.
Nice To Haves
- MBA or advanced degree preferred.
- P&L ownership and strategic planning experience strongly preferred.
Responsibilities
- Define and implement the overall sales and marketing strategy for sorghum and sunflower seed portfolios.
- Drive profitable growth through market share expansion, pricing discipline, and portfolio optimization.
- Translate company vision into clear commercial objectives, annual operating plans, and KPIs.
- Provide strategic input to the leadership team and support long-term business planning.
- Own revenue forecasts, commercial budgets, and return on investment decisions.
- Lead, structure, and develop the US sales team.
- Design and manage distributor, dealer, and key account strategies.
- Oversee territory planning, incentives, performance metrics, and sales capability development.
- Lead negotiations for strategic accounts, large growers, and commercial partnerships.
- Ensure accurate demand forecasting and alignment with production and supply planning.
- Establish strong product positioning and value propositions for sorghum and sunflower seed offerings.
- Lead product launches, lifecycle management, and portfolio prioritization.
- Oversee marketing communications, branding, and demand creation initiatives.
- Support field marketing activities including trials, demonstrations, field days, and grower meetings.
- Ensure consistent, agronomically credible messaging across all markets and channels.
- Monitor market trends, grower needs, competitor activity, and regional production dynamics.
- Collaborate closely with R&D, breeding, and agronomy teams to shape the product pipeline.
- Provide commercial input into hybrid advancement, trait development, and market suitability.
- Support stewardship, product quality, and regulatory compliance in commercial operations.
- Partner with Supply Chain on production planning, inventory levels, and allocation decisions.
- Work with Finance and Product Management on pricing strategy, margin management, and performance tracking.
- Collaborate with HR on talent development, leadership succession, and organizational capability.
- Align with Quality and Operations teams to ensure compliant commercialization.
Benefits
- Competitive compensation package with performance incentives
- Vehicle, travel, and benefits
- Opportunity to shape the long term direction of a specialized seed business
- Leadership role with visibility, influence, and growth potential
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
