Job Description

Area Sales Manager

The Sales Manager leads, coaches, and manages a Purina Animal Nutrition Area Sales Team to achieve sales objectives and growth goals across commercial cattle and young animal markets, retail proprietary bagged business, and Fortiva additive businesses. This role is responsible for developing talent, strengthening retail and producer relationships, and driving profitable growth across a multi-state territory.

Territory includes Colorado, California, Arizona, Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, Idaho, with influence over key calf ranches in South Dakota, North Dakota, Nebraska, Nevada, and surrounding regions.

Interested candidates must reside within this territory and have access to a major airport.

Key Responsibilities

Sales Leadership

• Recruit, lead, coach, and develop Area Sales Team members to achieve sales, volume, and income targets.
• Meet or exceed area sales and budget expectations.
• Support and manage sales team execution in key accounts and priority markets.
• Drive retail seller growth, including the Farm Production Consultant program, to expand farm-gate engagement and customer acquisition.
• Ensure continuous development of team capabilities to meet evolving market demands.
• Provide ongoing coaching, performance feedback, and proactive management of performance issues.
• Lead talent development through development planning, performance calibration, and succession planning.
• Ensure Joint Business Plans (JBPs) are developed, shared, and executed with assigned customers.

Collaboration and Partnership

• Partner with Marketing, Income Optimization, Supply Chain, and Sales teams to align strategies with local market needs.
• Build and maintain strategic relationships with key customer leaders, including CEOs, GMs, Feed Managers, and location leaders.
• Actively contribute as a member of the Regional Leadership Team.

Business and Strategic Leadership

• Lead development and execution of annual and long-term area business plans.
• Execute integrated marketing strategies, including new distribution, mergers, and acquisitions of dealers or cooperatives.
• Champion performance scorecards and CRM tools (e.g., Salesforce) to track results and ensure accountability.
• Manage and sustain strong partner relationships at the area level.

Job Scope

• Accountable for achieving business unit revenue and sales targets.
• Develop and manage sales expense budgets.
• Direct reports: 7–10; Indirect reports: approximately 3.

Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture, Animal Science, Nutrition, Ag Business, Ag Education, or related field required.
• Advanced degrees (MBA, MS, PhD) preferred but not required.

Required Experience/Knowledge/Skills:

• Bachelor’s Degree in ag or related business field (Animal Science/Nutrition, Ag Business, Ag Education).  Not required, but ideal to have Graduate, MBA, or PhD degrees or equivalent experience.
• 7+ years successful sales experience, 5+ years of experience in the agriculture industry, experience successfully leading a sales team.  Ability to work independently and within cross-functional teams.
• Nutrition knowledge/experience (applicable species)
• Strong general management skills including ability to resolve issues quickly and effectively, analytical and strategic thinking
• Positive track record of volume growth in value-added products, to add profits to the company’s bottom line.
• Experience in sourcing, developing, leading, motivating, and building talent.
• Successful budget management, including Expenses and Sales Productivity.
• Communication skills: written and oral, including strategy presentations to staff at all levels.
• Creative thinker: possess the ability to develop and create new ideas, systems, and relationships for the success of the company.
• Planning skills: must have the ability to develop specific plans and goals to help in accomplishing tasks effectively and efficiently.

Compensation

• Base salary is dependent upon experience/tenure and generally ranges between: $123,920 - $185,880
• Target bonus is: 25%
• In most cases, candidates offered employment can expect to be hired at a pay rate near the middle of our salary ranges.

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About Land O'Lakes, Inc.

Join us and be part of a Fortune 250, farmer- and member-owned cooperative that is reimagining the business of food. We have been named a Top Workplace by Indeed and LinkedIn, and to the TIME 100 Most Influential Companies list.

Benefits for most full-time roles include medical, dental, vision, PTO, life & disability insurance, education assistance, a 401k and a variety of well-being resources. Most part-time employees are eligible for prorated PTO, holiday pay, employee development programs, prorated education assistance, and a 401(k).

Land O'Lakes, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE) M/F/Vets/Disabled. The company maintains a drug-free workforce, including post-employment substance abuse testing pursuant to a Drug and Alcohol Policy.

Neither Land O’Lakes, nor its search firms, will ever contact you and ask for confidential information over the phone or in email. If you receive a call or email like this, please do not provide the information being requested.

Land O'Lakes does not use Automated Decision-Making Technology, as defined by California law, to substantially replace human decision-making or make significant decisions about applications for employment or contracting opportunities.