TERRITORY: Southwest, USA (California, Arizona, Nevada)

POSITION IN THE ORGANIZATION: Reports to the Vitalis Regional Business Manager NA

PURPOSE OF THE POSITION: Realizing sales, product development and promotion of Vitalis organic seeds in the territory.

TARGET START DATE: March 2016

Summary of responsibilities:

1. Assess key organic and herb growers and the organic and herb market size by crop in territory.
2. Develop key organic grower approach and markets in territory through strategic account management, sales, trial planning and market linkages in collaboration with Direct and Dealer Sales Team.
3. Support new crop and variety development specifically for the organic and herb market through trial planning and Product Advancement Team (PAT) participation.
4. Review organic sales forecasts and keep informed about Vitalis portfolio advancement status and inventory.
5. Contribute to Vitalis promotion through regional tradeshows and conferences, by developing technical marketing material and staying informed about organic regulatory requirements.
6. Responsible for a sales and expense budget.

Brief description of responsibilities and duties:

1. Assess key organic growers and organic market size by crop in territory.
   • Identify key organic vegetable and herb growers in territory and assess market size per crop.
   • Develop a system for determining key organic growers where Vitalis could have the greatest influence with our variety portfolio.
   • Work with Vitalis Business Manager and the WC Sales Managers to determine approach per customer.
   • Keep up-to-date the contact files of organic and herb growers in territory with production area data and per crop/variety seed usage.
   • Undertake visits to and maintain contact with existing and potential organic and herb growers to estimate the market size and with the aim to promote and sell Vitalis varieties.
   • Identify size of organic market per crop, per region based on a build of collating key organic grower data, and report updated findings within six and 12 months after start of position, and annually thereafter.
2. Develop key organic grower approach and markets in territory through strategic account management, trial planning, sales and market linkages.
   • Execute sales strategy, initiate contact with existing and potential customers, identify their needs and facilitate sales of appropriate organic varieties to meet those needs.
   • Manage select key organic accounts in territory through product development and sales.
   • Determine buying influences, budgets, and purchasing criteria for key organic accounts.
   • Work with our dealer network in the assigned territory to trial, promote and sell pre-commercial and commercial organic and herb varieties.
3. Support new crop and variety development specifically for the organic market through trial planning and Product Advancement Team (PAT) participation.
   • Works closely with the CA Organic Product Specialist and WC Sales Team to develop trial plans and subjective data collection of those trials, coordinate samples and to attain a complete understanding on the adaptation of varieties in the territory.
   • Responsible for pre-commercial and promotional trials of critical Vitalis products with the key growers of the targeted crops in the assigned area.
   • Follow organic market developments in the field and through professional publications, know competing varieties and provide feedback on these observations to relevant Sales and PAT Teams.
   • Keep abreast of developments in the Enza product range and communicate possible applications to the Vitalis portfolio.
   • Facilitate variety development by contributing to Product Advancement Team (PAT) decisions on varietal advancement for the Vitalis portfolio.
   • Collaborate with team in coordinating grower and market visits for breeders to help them gain key insights on the regional organic market.
4. Review organic sales forecasts and keep informed about Vitalis portfolio advancement status and inventory.
   • Support the building of a 3 year forecast for pre-commercial and commercial organic varieties
   • Continually update the forecast according to sales of varieties during the year.
   • Be informed of the Vitalis variety status and inventory position.
5. Contribute to Vitalis promotion through regional tradeshows and conferences, by developing technical marketing material and staying informed about organic regulatory requirements.
   • Attend strategic organic and agricultural tradeshows representing Vitalis in territory.
   • Maintain relations with representatives of organic farms, certification bodies, grower associations, and the organic movement at large.
   • Contribute to the development of promotional literature by writing technical variety descriptions specifically for organic cultivation.
   • Support Vitalis catalogue and website development through writing variety descriptions, photography of new varieties and field shots and other marketing initiatives as needed.
6. Responsible for a sales and expense budget.
   • Participates in developing a yearly expense and sales budget for the territory.
   • Other duties as assigned.

Job Profile:

Education / Knowledge

Bachelor’s/Masters degree in (organic) agriculture, (horticulture, soil science, pathology) and a minimum of three-five years of organic agriculture industry experience in (production, product development, grower relations) with a sales orientation.
Bilingual (English/Spanish) preferred.

Skills Required

Thorough knowledge of organic vegetable and herb cultivation techniques.
Knowledge of organic market and certification processes.
A proven customer relationship builder with excellent interpersonal skills.
Professional, assertive and clear communicative skills (verbal and written; active listener).
Excellent sales skills (gains trust, establishes a business objective, identifies customer needs, explores solutions, develops action plans, and overcomes objections through negotiation).
Analytical by nature with the ability to compile and analyze data.
Proficient in Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook).

Traits Desired

Self motivator and goal oriented. Values the principles of organic agriculture. Shows personal initiative, is flexible and pragmatic, and able to portray and promote a positive image of the company’s vision, mission and values. Must maintain high confidentiality.

Independence

Performs the position/activities independently under the supervision of the Vitalis Regional Business Manager.

Contacts

Maintains a network of both internal and external contacts.
Participates in relevant Product & Sales Meetings and crop excursions.

Working conditions

Regional travel throughout territory in car and plane; limited travel to the EU.
Works under varying climate conditions and is exposed to outside working conditions.
Car travel requiring valid driver’s license and clean driving record.
Some desk work using a computer screen.

Applications

Applicants may submit resume and cover letter to: https://workforcenow.adp.com/jobs/apply/posting.html?client=enzausa&jobId=135296&lang=en_US&source=CC4