Technical Specialist - Crop Protection

SUMMARY:

An established manufacturer of agrochemicals is seeking the above to drive sales strategies and provide advice on complex technical matters and specialised in-field support with the aim to develop the knowledge of the Advisory Team, Regional Sales Managers and Crop Advisors’ on in-house products and services across all product portfolios within the Eastern Mpumalanga & Mpumalanga Highveld regions.

POSITION INFO:

Minimum requirements for the role:

• Must have a B.Agric/B.Sc Agric degree
• Must have an AVCASA or BASOS accreditation or be prepared to work towards acquiring both accreditations within a reasonable period of time
• Minimum of 5 years post-graduate experience in the agricultural industry in agrochemicals and/or agriculture, and/or nutrition is essential
• Must be able to travel to support all allocated Crop Advisors and service cross-border clients

The successful candidate will be responsible for:

• Providing farmers with efficient technical support services that will ensure growth in their farming Developing spray programs incorporating in-house products and adhering to Maximum Residue Levels guidelines and label recommendations.
• Using crop programmes and technical support services to drive sales strategies in the region.
• Carrying out crop inspections and monitoring the correct implementation of recommendations, liaising with the Advisory Manager in terms of corrective action.
• Performing in-house product trials on specific crops in collaboration with the Portfolio Managers to build knowledge and confidence in products.
• Training Crop Advisors to engage effectively with customers through the Turbo toolbox selling methodology.
• Providing technical support to Crop Advisors through training and on-field analysis across all product classes.
• Investigating customer complaints and following the correct claim procedure to log a claims where required.
• Completing investigation reports, following up on progress and finding solutions to prevent/manage the claim within a reasonable period of time.
• Including Technical Advisors and Portfolio Managers to assist in investigating the complaint.
• Ensuring implementation of the solution to prevent the claim escalating and keep Management updated on progress.
• Work closely with the Advisory Manager to compile a sales strategy for the Advisory Team.
• Acting on leads for new products or new programmes based on the specifics of a crop or region.
• Meeting sales budget targets as set by the Company.
• Communicating product strategies with Portfolio Managers and Regional Managers.
• Working with Crop Associations and Exporters to offer Plant Health solutions for better management of residues.
• Working closely with the Advisory Manager, Advisory Specialist and Regional Manager in the area to determine the strategy and sales budget of in-house products.
• Setting up budget per product and Crop Advisor and communicating progress and results on a monthly basis to Management.
• Gathering data from the customer to steer in-house product recommendations and sales.
• Ensuring the implementation of recommendations is carried out by the Crop Advisors.

Salary package, including benefits, are highly negotiable depending on experience gained 

NB! This job is now closed. You can apply for other jobs by uploading your CV.