Business Development Manager Bio Stimulants

J. Rettenmaier USA LP is seeking a Business Development Manager for Bio Stimulants to expand regional sales and grow Biologicals revenue across the United States. This onsite role in Schoolcraft, MI focuses on building B2B customer relationships, strengthening distribution, and coordinating technical trials and support.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and implement a regional sales plan to increase Biologicals revenue in the US market.
• Identify, qualify, and close new B2B customers, including distributors, ag retailers, co-ops, and large growers.
• Manage and grow relationships with early adopters and initial customers to drive repeat purchases and multi-product adoption.
• Establish account-level sales plans, pricing, and commercial terms in coordination with leadership.
• Build and maintain an active sales pipeline with disciplined forecasting and reporting.
• Expand distribution coverage through strategic partnerships with agricultural distributors and retail networks.
• Support channel partner onboarding, training, and product launch activities.
• Design territory strategy by crop segment, geography, and seasonal demand cycles.
• Track competitive activity, pricing, and product positioning, and provide structured market feedback to leadership.
• Partner with France-based technical sales support to deliver product recommendations, trial protocols, and technical credibility.
• Coordinate field demonstrations and customer trials to validate performance and accelerate adoption.
• Support customer success through product training, application guidance, and follow-up performance reviews.
• Escalate technical questions, field issues, and product improvement opportunities through internal channels.
• Coordinate with US-based internal teams (logistics, customer service, accounting, purchasing, warehousing) to support smooth order flow and customer satisfaction.
• Ensure CRM usage, reporting cadence, and accurate documentation of customer interactions.
• Support marketing initiatives including trade shows, field days, distributor meetings, and customer presentations.

Minimum Qualifications

• At least 5 years of B2B sales experience in agriculture or a closely related field (such as crop inputs, specialty fertilizers, biologicals, seed, crop protection, irrigation, or ag equipment with an agronomic interface).
• Bachelor’s degree (4-year) required; preferred disciplines include Agronomy, Crop Science, Biology, Agriculture Business, Chemistry, or a related field.
• Demonstrated success in B2B selling and managing relationships across multiple stakeholders.
• Strong consultative selling skills, including translating technical concepts into practical commercial language.
• High proficiency in market development, sales planning, and pipeline management.
• Valid driver’s license and willingness to travel extensively (typically 40–60% depending on customer demands and season).

Technologies

• CRM

Benefits

• Exemplary health, vision and Rx benefits
• Premium free dental
• Generous 401k plan
• Competitive pay
• Many more employee perks

What Success Looks Like (First 12 Months)

• Establish strong distributor coverage in priority regions.
• Convert trials and first orders into repeat business.
• Build a qualified project pipeline aligned with existing product offerings.
• Develop customer proof points and case studies in targeted crops.
• Create a predictable forecasting and reporting cadence.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience selling bio stimulants, biologicals, plant nutrition, specialty fertilizers, or related sustainable ag technologies.
• Experience with on-farm trials, demonstration plots, and agronomic performance validation.
• Knowledge of US crop markets and seasonal selling cycles.
• Familiarity with distributor margin structures and trade terms.
• Experience with US regulatory requirements for biologicals and fertilizers is a plus.

Core Competencies

• Results-driven business development mindset
• Strong territory planning and account prioritization
• Customer credibility with growers, dealers, and agronomists
• Structured communication and internal coordination
• Comfort operating in a “build mode” environment for a new business unit
• Ability to work cross-culturally with European technical teams