Director, Agricultural Field Sales

Why you should join us:

At Sound Agriculture, we believe our food system can nourish consumers while benefiting farming communities and the planet. Through a deeper understanding of plant and microbial biology, we are leveraging the natural power of plants to make agriculture more agile and resilient. Our work focuses on developing nutrient efficiency products and modernizing plant breeding to improve the way we farm and the food we eat.

Sound is a Series D startup funded by leading investors in food and agriculture including Leaps by Bayer, Syngenta Group Ventures, S2G Ventures, BMO Impact Investment Fund, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Fall Line Capital, Cavallo Ventures, FootPrint Coalition and Northpond Ventures.

What you'll do:

We are hiring a Director, Field Sales to lead an existing team of Regional Sales Managers selling our flagship nutrient efficiency product line, SOURCE. The Director, Field Sales is a critical addition to the company's commercial leadership team owning all revenue targets within their assigned region. This role works closely with Sales Leadership, Marketing, Product and Agronomy to drive revenue, product performance, and retention for the company.

This role assumes immediate leadership of an existing team located in ND, SD, IA, MN, and WI (Northern Midwest). The Director, Field Sales reports to the Vice President, Sales and is based remotely within the region (ND, SD, IA, MN, and WI). This role requires 40%+ travel within the Northern Midwest area and in support of our Western region.

Compensation Target

$201,000 to $235,000 on-target earnings

(one hundred forty-one thousand to one hundred sixty thousand dollars base salary, plus sixty thousand dollars variable commission target). Commission targets are uncapped and measured by sales against quota, with accelerators that increase commission to 125% above target. Commission earnings are paid annually.

Sound reserves the ability to adjust the compensation range based on the final candidate's experience, skillset, and geography. In addition to on target earnings, we offer above average equity grants for the industry as we believe that every employee should have a stake in the company's growth. If you're above this compensation target, we encourage you to reach out and discuss the entire package and opportunity before deciding not to pursue this position.

Responsibilities

Sales Team Leadership and Development (40%)

• Build and develop a best-in-class sales team by recruiting, training, and mentoring high-performing sales professionals, fostering a culture of continuous learning and development.
• Manage employee performance by creating clear expectations and coaching individuals on gaps in skills and/or abilities required for success.
• Conduct annual performance reviews and quarterly check-ins with sales team members to assess progress towards individual development goals, both professional and personal, providing constructive feedback and guidance for ongoing growth and success.
• Perform weekly/bi-weekly 1-on-1s with the members of your team to provide them with support, offer guidance on forecasting, building and managing sales plans, pipeline management, dealer activation, and general coaching.
• Conducting regular coaching sessions focused on refining pitch delivery. Perform ride-alongs to visit accounts and customers, offering real-time feedback and guidance to enhance sales performance and ensure alignment with company objectives.
  
  

Sales Strategy and Execution (40%)

• Meet or exceed your team's sales goals for Sound's nutrient efficiency business—today two products under the SOURCE brand family and one licensed product from an external partner, but growing as we launch additional products and partnerships.
• Provide hands-on support to sales team members by assisting in deal strategy and tactics, and actively participating in closing deals.
• Build and manage relationships with key dealers to promote products and services that are in alignment with our mission and sales strategy.
• Ensure dealer and customer retention, growth, and increased use of SOURCE on the farm.
• Assist commercial leadership in setting the vision, direction, and focus for SOURCE's route-to-market strategy.
• Build and manage best-in-class lead generation practices to identify dealer prospects to join our growing Dealer network.
• Understand and represent the needs of our dealers by providing feedback to the commercial team on marketing effectiveness, as well as suggested improvements to our sales strategy.
  
  

Cross-functional collaboration (20%)

• Collaborate with Marketing to create content and launch digital and field campaigns to drive awareness for SOURCE across leading corn and soybean growing regions in the US.
• Collaborate with Technical Agronomy and Product Management to share feedback from the field, pilot new products, and refine the positioning of our portfolio to ensure that it aligns with our guidance for how to use SOURCE in the field to maximize customer ROI.
• Collaborate with Sustainability to align on local sustainability programs and opportunities that could create additional value for our customers and dealers.
  
  

Targeted Skills & Experience

• Considerable experience in sales management including multiple cycles recruiting, hiring, training, and mentoring high-performing sales professionals. Must have demonstrated success building a team including, goal setting, assessing sales capability, development of others, and sales coaching experience. Managing both high performers and those needing development is essential.
• Demonstrated success achieving sales and revenue targets in the crop inputs space. Ideally having an established network and ample experience within agriculture reseller networks, especially seed and crop protection sellers, agronomic consultants and ag retail across the sales territories that they would be responsible for.
• Demonstrated knowledge of sales methodology, tools, and techniques. A willingness to co-sell with members of the team and lead by example.
• Experience introducing and selling product lines in new markets, and collaborating with supporting functions for enhanced sales effectiveness.
• Knowledge or training in a specialized, technical, or professional discipline such as Agronomy, Plant Science, Marketing, Agri-business, Business Administration, or related field.
• Experience partnering with cross-functional teams, such as Marketing, Product, Agronomy, and Operations, to build and execute objectives that are of significant strategic importance to the company and to enhance sales effectiveness and optimize efficiency using digital tools and data-driven decisions.
• Strong working knowledge of Google Workspace, Salesforce, Slack, Zoom, or similar tools.
• Comfort working in a fast-paced, dynamic environment with adaptability to change and ambiguity in the agricultural industry.
  
  

Non-negotiables:

• Proven leadership skills in motivating sales teams and achieving revenue growth.
• Strong relationship-building abilities with agricultural dealers and stakeholders.
• Expertise in sales strategy development and execution, leading to measurable results.
• Effective collaboration and communication skills with cross-functional teams.
• Analytical and data-driven decision-making capabilities for continuous improvement.
• Adaptability, resilience, and ethical conduct in dynamic and challenging environments.
  
  

This role demonstrates our core values:

• Boldness: Challenging their team to deliver results above and beyond expected goals by setting ambitious targets and encouraging innovative approaches to sales strategies. For example, they may inspire their team to explore new market segments or launch creative promotional campaigns to drive revenue growth beyond traditional avenues.
• Ownership: They take accountability for individual and collective sales performance by assuming responsibility for the team's outcomes. They actively mentor and support team members to achieve their targets while fostering a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.
• Creativity: They demonstrate creativity by experimenting with different sales tactics and management techniques to motivate the team and cultivate the highest level of performance possible. This could involve introducing gamification elements into sales processes, implementing innovative training programs, or exploring partnership opportunities.
• Tenacity: In the face of challenges, they exhibit tenacity by maintaining a resilient and determined approach to achieving sales goals. They inspire your team to persevere through obstacles, adapt to market dynamics, and consistently strive for excellence in customer satisfaction and sales performance.
  
  

What we offer:

• Opportunity to work in a disruptive startup with a talented, experienced, and growing team of dedicated individuals
• Competitive total rewards package, including equity
• Performance bonus structure or uncapped commission plan for sales positions
• Comprehensive health care plans that include Medical, Dental and Vision coverage
• Flex Spending Account (Healthcare, Dependent Care & Commuter Benefit)
• 401(k) with company match
• Generous flexible paid time off
• Paid parental leave
• Mental health and wellbeing benefits
• In-person and virtual events and engagement activities (we actually like hanging out with each other!) (e.g. First Fridays, Meditation, Potlucks, Cultural Events, Running and Climbing groups, Photo Contests, weekly Team lunch, etc.)
  
  

Sound Agriculture does not accept unsolicited resumes from individual recruiters or third party recruiting agencies responding to job postings. We will not respond to unsolicited requests to submit candidates.

Equal Employment Opportunity

We seek a diverse pool of applicants and consider all qualified candidates regardless of race, ancestry, color, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, citizenship, disability, Veteran status, marital status, or any other protected status.

Sound participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the United States. If E-Verify cannot confirm that you are authorized to work, Sound is required to give you written instructions and an opportunity to contact the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or Social Security Administration (SSA) so you can begin to resolve the issue before Sound takes any action, including terminating your employment.