Position Title: Director – US Swine Business
Department / Group: Sales / ANH
Position Reports To: Vice President of Domestic Sales
FLSA Classification: Exempt
Approx. # of People Supervised: 10-15
Purpose of Position:
The Director of US Swine Business leads and directs the company’s sales efforts to maintain and expand relationships with assigned swine accounts. As a highly visible role and member of the overall sales leadership team, they develop the broader traditional territory account strategy. The position is responsible for leading a team of field territory and strategic account managers for achieving sales targets and account objectives to retain and grow revenue streams for United Animal Health.
The position will drive the use of our entire range of products and deploy our account planning process to further our culture of solution selling. This will be accomplished through skillful leadership, effective resource allocation and creative thinking to meet the customers’ needs and expectations.
The role plays an integral part in leading the alignment, development and execution of swine sales strategies and tactics to enable and ensure that our US swine business achieves our business unit bottom-line goals. Position reports directly to the Vice President (VP) – Domestic Sales.
United Animal Health Core Competencies:
Responsibility & Initiative: Director – US Swine Business hold himself or herself and fellow employees to a high standard of performance, personal accountability and professionalism. They take initiative to do what is needed and work to achieve positive company results in a timely, trusting, and effective manner.
Interpersonally Adaptable: Director – US Swine Business can respectfully adapt to others internally or externally. They communicate effectively within a variety of work situations. They engage with a variety of people and appreciate differing opinions and perspectives.
Customer Centric: Director – US Swine Business focus on discovering and understanding the needs of our internal/external customers and proactively provide appropriate solutions to build enduring relationships.
Passion: Director – US Swine Business consistently demonstrate dedication, passion and energy. They persevere in a positive manner in challenging situations. They demonstrate resilience and drive. They approach their work with a sense of personal pride.
Core Job Responsibilities/Duties:
Sales Leadership Skills:
- Coordinates with VP-Domestic Sales in the development of business plans, outlining short and long-term strategic priorities, SSOs / objectives, and ensures incentives are aligned accordingly.
- Assist VP-Domestic Sales in effective planning to optimize deployment of current and future strategies to meet the United Animal Health strategic and digital strategy plans.
- Relentlessly reviews the list of strategic relationships, refine customer segmentation, and align resources accordingly.
- Set budgets and ensure effective P&L management through continuous monitoring of expenditures and related productivity.
- Drive negotiation of external partnership agreements aside with the Territory Manager as needed.
- Motivate and lead a high performing, remote-based Territory Team; attract, recruit and retain competitive talent as required.
Sales Operations Support:
- Offer sales incentive support to ensure incentive are designed to maximize focus on the critical few and deliver clarity in achievement against related goals and objectives for the swine sales group.
- Provide oversight and help build sales targets for the territory sales team.
- Analyze and review market opportunities and new product development activities that translate into additional sales and revenue generating opportunities.
- Responsible for annual forecasts for sales revenues and operational expenses for territory field selling activities.
- Lead for field sales input, planning, and coordination with Marketing to assure that all demand generation (product, service & customer incentive) programs are designed for maximum execution of the swine sector growth strategies.
- Formalize, build and execute a ‘smart’ CRM system that enables data to drive selling priorities within specific accounts.
- Create and enable training programs for strategic initiatives to improve territory sales force effectiveness (e.g., Account Management, Business Planning, CRM).
Marketing Liaison:
- Coordinate strategic and tactical communications to the field Territory Team.
- Provide sales insights and share feedback for all United Animal Health brand/product initiatives.
- Lead collaboration with Marketing to create critical new tools to support selling process. Ensures execution & consistency of marketing tools use across the territory team.
- Partner with appropriate learning and development resources/vendors to build/execute and maximize sales training across all territory sales team members to support solution selling and territory account management framework.
- Co-coordinate and facilitate targeted aspects of our National Sales Meeting.
Link between Sales, United Animal Health Supply Chain Operations, Customer Service, Product Management, Research, IT and People Ops by assisting in the following areas:
- Represent the business priorities of external partners for internal corporate planning and business development within Logistics / Distribution, Customer Service, Marketing, Research, Product Management, Legal and Finance.
- Liaison between sales and customer service team to create a more fluid, easy process to coordinate territory account contract execution for middle market and traditional swine customers.
- Advocates for new products and services offered by United Animal Health and its subsidiary companies; assists territory managers in mastering new product knowledge and services through partnering with Product Management team.
- Implement technology solutions that support the achievement of Swine Sales Group profit and sales goals.
- Performance coaching for improved performance – assures territory team members receive coaching to meet the expected competencies to deliver the strategic plans of the Swine Sales Group.
- Career path and professional developmental planning process to build a career path that attracts, motivates, retains and promotes talent that is aligned to the strategic plans of United Animal Health.
- Ensures a consistent onboarding plan is executed to ensure all new hires can achieve effective performance in a new position in the time frame established for the role.
Additional Job Responsibilities / Duties:
- Other duties and responsibilities, as assigned
- Assist in the development of a sales plan/strategy and implementation of that plan.
Typical Work Environment:
- The ideal candidate for this role will be based within the heart of the western swine belt, with a strong preference for individuals residing in Iowa or Minnesota.
- Over 25% of your time will be dedicated to traveling, collaborating closely with territory managers, and conducting on-site visits to customer facilities.
- Majority of work is conducted in a safe environment such as a vehicle, farm, swine facility, or home office.
Minimum Job Qualification Requirements:
Education / Training:
- BS Degree in agriculture or other relevant major or equivalent professional experience.
- Business management course work or equivalent professional experience.
Relevant Job Experience:
- 12+ years direct sales experience, preferably agriculture
- 3+ years experience in agriculture-related production environment
- 3+ years experience in business management and sales planning
Specialized Job / Technical Knowledge:
- Knowledge of swine economics, sales & marketing principles
- General knowledge of swine nutrition
- Manage account forecasts/projections, sales budgets, and operates within targeted goals
- Leverages data analysis tools to accomplish market share objectives; meets /exceeds all sales targets
- Microsoft and Solid Computer Usage skills (Excel, Word, & Power Point)
Non-Technical Skills and Abilities:
- Champion of United Animal Health Culture
- Leadership and coaching of direct reports
- Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to adapt to various personalities.
- Professional verbal and written communications skills
- Ability to lead, motivate, and contribute to a team atmosphere
- Effective problem solving and individual/team coaching skills
- Excellent time management and organizational skills
- Confident presentation and selling skills
Physical Requirements:
- Ability to lift up to 50 lbs. occasionally
- Ability to do occasional overnight travel via air or driving
Safety Requirements:
- Follow all company safety procedures and safety regulations
Additional Preferred Qualifications:
- Master’s Degree in agriculture or other relevant major or equivalent professional experience