Position Summary
Reporting to the Vice President of Performance Solutions, the Agricultural Sales Development Manager will drive Vantage’s growth strategy for specialty inert chemical ingredients, adjuvants and performance solutions across the agriculture markets. This role will focus on strategic account development, new business generation, and execution of long-term commercial plans to expand Vantage’s presence in crop protection.
The role is based in Mexico but with some customers from LATAM and requires frequent travel to customers, distributors, trade events, and Vantage sites. This role will not have direct reports but will have high cross-functional visibility and impact.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Independently and jointly engage prospective and existing agricultural customers to drive customer-needs-based conversations, uncover technical and commercial opportunities, and steer development of new projects.
Create, manage, and deliver annual sales and gross margin targets across assigned agricultural segments (e.g., crop protection, adjuvants, bio-based formulations, seed coatings, foliar nutrition, macro/micro solutions).
Identify, qualify, and develop new leads for agricultural markets including adjuvants, surfactants, emulsifiers, dispersants, polymer additives, and other specialty agricultural applications.
Manage key accounts with strong relationship-building, long-term planning, and proactive opportunity creation.
Develop comprehensive account plans aligned with the Business Unit’s annual and long-term strategy.
Bring the voice of the customer to internal stakeholders (R&D, Product Management, Supply Chain, Project Management) to influence pipeline prioritization and solution development.
Coordinate and own relationships across Vantage teams in Sales, Marketing, Technical Service, and Product Management to drive shared objectives.
Develop market research, market sizing, segmentation analysis, customer value requirements, and competitive benchmarking to guide Vantage’s agricultural growth strategy.
Utilize CRM to create call reports, track opportunities, maintain accurate customer information, manage funnel activity, and prioritize accounts within a disciplined sales process.
Prepare sales forecasts, pipeline reviews, quarterly business updates, and competitive intelligence analysis including pricing trends.
Provide actionable feedback on product performance, customer needs, new product opportunities, and competitive movement.
Support and refine the distributor network as applicable, including training, performance evaluation, and recommending adjustments to coverage models.
Resolve customer issues, support supply chain coordination, and ensure a Customer First experience.
Represent Vantage at industry conferences, agricultural trade shows, association meetings, and technical forums.
Establish Vantage’s presence and relationships with key agricultural opinion leaders, associations, research institutions, and ecosystem partners.
Education & Experience
Education:
Bachelor’s degree in chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Agronomy, Agricultural Engineering, Biotechnology, Business, or related scientific discipline is preferred.
Experience:
7-10 years of experience in sales, business development, or technical commercial roles within agriculture, agrochemicals, crop protection, adjuvants, surfactants, or specialty chemicals.
Strong experience with non-ionics, esters, polysorbates, alkoxylates, EO/PO derivatives, or other chemistries used in agricultural formulations.
Demonstrated ability to generate new business, penetrate new markets, and convert opportunities to long-term growth.
Proven experience managing multiple accounts and delivering results through strategic account planning.
Experience in contract/pricing negotiation, presentations to customers and leadership, and KPI-driven management.
Proficiency with CRM systems and Microsoft Office (Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook).
Knowledge, Skills, & Talents
Strong understanding of specialty chemicals, adjuvants, surfactants, emulsions, and agricultural formulation technologies.
Proven track record of driving sales growth through new market development, pipeline creation, and expansion of share-of-wallet.
Strong technical-commercial acumen with the ability to understand formulation challenges and communicate value-added solutions.
Energetic self-starter with a results-driven mindset and the ability to work independently in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
Excellent communication (written, verbal), presentation, and negotiation skills.
Highly competent in CRM usage for planning, tracking, and analyzing sales activity.
Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to build trust, influence decisions, and collaborate cross-functionally.
Sound analytical and strategic thinking skills to evaluate trends, data, and competitive landscapes.
Demonstrates the highest level of personal and professional ethics and serves as a strong ambassador for Vantage.
Working Conditions
Willing and able to travel 30% - 50% of the time. Travel is a mix of day and overnight trips.
Equal Employment Opportunity
Vantage is an equal opportunity employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status or any other protected category.
About Vantage
Vantage provides natural solutions to our customers’ technical performance and marketing needs through a unique combination of chemistry, application expertise and service. Underpinned by our broad portfolio of formulations, ingredients and actives that are built on a backbone of sustainable oils, fats and their derivatives, Vantage targets selected markets and applications including personal care, food, surface treatment, agriculture, pharma, and consumer and industrial performance. Vantage is headquartered in Deerfield, IL., operates in 11 countries worldwide and employs more than 1,000 talented professionals focused on delivering exceptional customer experiences with every interaction.
We are a dynamic people-centered organization where you’ll be part of a collaborative global team. Embracing our cultural diversity, we learn from each other to constantly improve, adapt and iterate. We value the voices and talents of our colleagues, empowering them to drive their unique ideas to completion. We’re convinced that exceptionally motivated employees produce outstanding results, and we celebrate them by fostering a culture of recognition, development, learning, excellence and shared achievement. Most importantly, we know you’re going to like it here. For more information visit: vantagegrp.com or LinkedIn/vantage.
