Cropping Development and Agronomy Manager - Yorkshire - JH259

Agronomy and cropping management at its most interesting?

This opportunity takes your agronomist passion, moves it away from selling the company list of products to farmers and allows you to work with farmers, helping them to produce good margins from 'break the mould' niche crops.

You will use your agronomy skills to provide technical support to farmers and their advisors on how to grow, manage and extract the best margins from, unique contracted, niche oil based crops. Involved throughout this cropping supply chain, you will encourage new growers to produce crops on contract as well as work with the buyers and end users of these high grade plant based oils.

This international company also operates in USA, Canada as well as the UK. You will be part of a large and supportive 'family'. Reporting to the Director, this home and York office based role has a good salary, bonus, pension and either a car or car allowance.

Role, functions & what you will be doing;

• Combine on-farm technical agronomy support with trials/R&D, crop yield improvements, grower contracting and prospecting, and oil sales support
• Working with farmers/managers and their agronomists, supporting all aspects of the supply chain from generating initial contact, sales support, contracting, field visits and crop walking, production plans, technical advice, R&D, grant applications, new product development, storage, handling and crushing programmes
• Oversee crop trials (replicated with third party providers, and in-field grower areas)
• Develop relationships with third party agronomists, trials providers, R&D funders, government organisations, agrochemical/crop protection businesses and fertiliser companies, giving presentations and talks where required
• Increase the area of crop through direct farmer contracting, as well as developing and managing the UK grower database
• Support the UK Agronomy function with field visits, agronomy recommendations and agronomist assistance to existing contracted growers
• Act as a point of contact for agronomists and advisors to any contracted growers
• Initiate and develop new customers after leads generated from phone, database and email marketing campaigns
• Close new grower contracts for all crops to meet targeted hectares required for the business
• Assist the UK director with commercial activities as appropriate
• Assist in crop marketing/presentations/shows/field events as necessary
• Support the Sales & Technical function in the UK & US by identifying likely oil buyers throughout the UK and EU. Developing contacts, carrying out introductory presentations and then handing over to the US sales and regulatory team to finalise commercial deals

You will be and will have;

• Minimum of 1 years' post graduate experience in commercial arable agriculture/agronomy/sales/business development
• BASIS and/or FACTS qualifications desirable (but not essential)
• A scientific/agricultural background is essential - a working knowledge of the UK arable sector is preferred
• Commercial and/or sales experience is also preferred (e.g. seed/fertiliser/plant protection/machinery)
• Experience with oilseed or niche/speciality/high value crops is highly desirable.
• Outgoing with good networking skills
• Strong team-worker but able to manage own time
• Willingness to travel regularly/stay overnight within UK/EU as needed at key times

For more information and an informal confidential discussion please call Jadine Huxtable on: Office 01885 485525 or e-mail your CV and covering letter to jadinehuxtable@delacyexecutive.co.uk

De Lacy Executive will upload your CV to our database and retain some data about you in order to process your application. More information about our processing activities can be found at www.delacyexecutive.co.uk/privacypolicy. Please be assured that all contact is treated in complete confidence and your details will not be passed to a third party without your prior permission.