About Syngenta

As global demand for food and fuel continues to rise, we are dedicated to our purpose: Bringing plant potential to life. Syngenta is one of the world’s leading companies with more than 28,000 employees in over 90 countries. We work in a collaborative and inspiring culture where personal contribution is rewarded and growth and development are at the heart of our culture.

Through our world-class science, global reach and commitment to working with our customers, we help to increase crop productivity, protect the environment and improve health and quality of life. For more information about us please visit www.syngenta.com

Role purpose

This role is accountable for driving the effective design and implementation of Syngenta’s top grower engagement strategy. The Strategic Business Partner will serve as the primary relationship manager and trusted advisor to the top grower customer segment. The role will be responsible for developing relationships with both existing and new growers, delivering an unrivalled customer experience, and establishing self as a thought leader in the top grower community. In addition, the role will need to manage the sales process for these top growers and partner with these accounts to maximize Syngenta’s benefit to their operations and profitability.

Accountabilities

Commercial Seeds Business Accountabilities

• Pro-actively builds trust-based relationships with top growers

• Develops commercial strategy for responsible geography taking into account individual grower strategies and competitive environment.
• Leads top grower relationship development and serves as the single point of contact for Syngenta
• Pro-actively visits growers to understand the state of operations and their specific needs
• Provides early farm insights through analytics to help grower
• Develops engagement plan with various partners and stakeholders (e.g., Syngenta CP, external retail channels, local dealers)
• Possessing and continuously developing deep knowledge of the grower’s business strategy and requirements
• Maintains confidentiality at the highest levels.
• Manages pilot and digital trials with potential customers

• Ensures an outstanding top grower customer experience

• Connects the grower to the best of Syngenta to solve relevant pain points and day-to-day challenges
• Develops individualized touchpoint plans to ensure a personalized experience for each grower
• Manages complex negotiations with top grower customers, with a focus on strengthening the relationship and “win-win” outcomes.
• Provides feedback to the organization on product performance, program effectiveness, and competitive activity allowing Syngenta to create a better grower experience.
• Facilitates a seamless end-to-end purchase experience.
• Effectively leverages Salesforce.com to track and monitor large grower relationships and derive key insights.
• Lead the coordination of the support team to deliver on business needs analysis
• Coordinate customer activities to provide support & strengthen relationship

• Influences the broader top grower segment by establishing self as a thought leader in the space

• Advises growers on their farm operations by helping them to identify best products, services, and solutions which maximize their yield and profitability.
• Possesses in-depth knowledge of grower’s operation that allows you to identify value unforeseen to the grower.
• Creates and maintains a strong network of farmers, academics, digital start-ups, agronomists, and more to align to the farm.
• Facilitates connections between other top growers to drive peer-to-peer collaboration.
• Develops content for business and industry communications highlighting various initiatives, learnings, and improvement opportunities.

Dimensions

• Geographic Scope: USA

 

Knowledge, experience & capabilities

Critical knowledge

• Bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Economics, Business, Agronomy, or Agricultural Science. Minimum 7+ years in production agriculture (Seed sales, Agronomy, Grain Origination, Crop Protection, Digital Ag)

Critical experience

• Demonstrated history of selling, servicing and negotiating with 5,000+ acre growers
• Demonstrated knowledge of grower P&L, and day-to-day farm operations
• Demonstrated book of business, and history of selling
• Demonstrated expertise in agronomy with deep knowledge of both seed products and digital tools

Preferred experience

• Experience managing medium to large scale business operations
• Must have contacts at major accounts of 5,000+ acres and be able to effectively manage the sales process for million dollar accounts.

Key skills

• Ability to establish and foster personal and strategic relationships with large growers, spanning more broadly than Syngenta product knowledge
• Ability to understand key issues/pain point with large growers and to develop specific action plans
• Ability to effectively influence both internal and external stakeholders
• Ability to communicate effectively with C-Suite like growers and complex internal stakeholders
• Strong problem-solving and service orientation
• Analytical approach to problem solving and a track record of driving results through continuous improvement

Critical leadership capabilities

• Trusted
• Customer-Focused
• Results-Oriented
• Strategic Planning
• Liberates Potential
• Creates Edge
• Decisive

Critical success factors & key challenges

• Develop a relationship based selling approach to facilitate needed business practice and behavioral changes
• Clearly communicate needs and expectations throughout the organization
• The ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously
• The ability to manage group discussion and interaction
• The ability to work effectively across functional lines
• The ability to interact at multiple levels, from student to SYT Leadership

Additional information

Physical Demands of the Essential Functions:

• Ability to work days, evenings and weekends as needed.
• Ability to travel by car and occasionally plane
• The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential job functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential job functions

Working Conditions While Performing Essential Functions:

• Approximately 20% of work performed at work location office environment
• Approximately 80% of work performed in vehicle, at meetings, and in field locations with co-workers, customers, and other associates.
• While performing the essential job functions the employee is occasionally exposed to moving parts, mechanical parts, fumes or airborne particles, toxic or caustic chemicals, outside weather conditions, extreme cold, extreme heat, risk of electrical shock and vibrations. The noise level is usually moderate.

Travel

• This position requires the ability to travel up to 60% of the time.
• Valid driver’s license required.
• All applicants must be eligible to work in the US.
• Two years in current position is preferred. Candidates who have been in their current position a minimum of one year will be considered if they have approval of their current business leader and the hiring manager.

Innovations
Employee may, as part of his/her role and maybe through multifunctional teams, participate in the creation and design of innovative solutions. In this context, Employee may contribute to inventions, designs, other work product, including know-how, copyrights, software, innovations, solutions, and other intellectual assets.

Application