Seed Portfolio Manager

Seed Portfolio Manager

The ideal candidate will be located in the mid-west - with a strong preference to Iowa or Illinois.

The Seed Portfolio Manager leads the seed portfolio strategy and drives business results across assigned row crops (e.g., Corn/Soybeans/Cotton). This role owns product and portfolio decisions end-to-end-identifying market opportunities, shaping the product roadmap, guiding product life cycle choices, and partnering cross-functionally to deliver profitable growth. The Seed Product Manager is the expert resource for the seed marketing team, with primary focus on the CROPLAN/Armor portfolio and a working knowledge of how partnered seed brands complement proprietary offers. Core responsibilities include portfolio strategy, market and competitive analysis, forecasting and production planning input, positioning and messaging, and technical expertise that supports commercial success.

This role leads through influence and partners cross-functionally across Product Development, Strategic Marketing, Sales Agronomy, Supply/Operations, and Finance to drive portfolio decisions and business outcomes.

Responsibilities:

50% Product Development and Portfolio Management

• Own the portfolio strategy and multi-year product roadmap, aligned to customer needs, market trends, and business objectives.
• Partner with Strategic Marketing to translate strategy into forecasting, product advancement priorities, production planning inputs, and life cycle management across the CROPLAN and Armor portfolios.
• Drive product selection and advancement decisions using trial data (e.g., Answer Plots), competitive intelligence, and voice-of-customer insights; recommend launch, sustain, and phase-out actions.
• Develop product positioning and value propositions, including recommended segmentation, pricing inputs, and placement guidance to maximize margin and market share.
• Partner with Sales Agronomists and commercial teams on needs assessments by geography-understanding potential genetic releases, in-field performance, and supplier capabilities.
• Support partner brand offers and identifies whitespace opportunities to drive a complementary portfolio strategy.

20% Marketing Input and Support

• Drive go-to-market planning for proprietary seed brands (CROPLAN and Armor), including launch readiness, channel alignment, and clear technical and commercial messaging.
• Provide business input to annual operating plans (AOP) and in-season execution, including demand shaping recommendations, mix management, and margin improvement opportunities.
• Manage the implementation and final review of technical sales information and product claims in partnership with Strategic Marketing and Regulatory/Stewardship as applicable.
• Develop and maintain sales enablement assets from a national and regional perspective (e.g., technical bulletins, training modules, podcasts/videos) to improve seller confidence and customer outcomes.
• Monitor portfolio performance (share, volume, margin, inventory health) and recommend corrective actions based on results and market conditions.

15% Research Protocols and Data Management

• Collaborate with Strategic Marketing and Product Development on Answer Plot testing protocols to ensure trials answer key commercial and agronomic questions.
• Synthesize internal trial results, customer feedback, and competitive intelligence into clear recommendations for portfolio actions and messaging.
• Support data governance and decision tools (dashboards, scorecards, and portfolio reviews) that improve forecast accuracy, product advancement decisions, and inventory outcomes.
• Lead external collaboration with agronomic experts and technical teams from other companies, universities, and government agencies where applicable.

15% Training and Communication

• Train Seed Sales Agronomists to ensure they are the local experts, aligned with Market Development Agronomists, Sales Development Managers, and retail sellers.
• Create and deliver training for national and regional CROPLAN/Armor events, including launch updates, positioning, and selling tools.

Job Scope:

Ability to travel up to 40%, including evenings and some weekends; may require working long hours during peak seasons.

Located in the geography assigned is required (Iowa, Illinois)

• Annual seed growth delivered versus plan (volume and/or revenue as defined by annual budget).
• Portfolio renewal: targeted percent of new products in the portfolio annually (based on crop/portfolio maturity and pipeline).
• SKU and placement discipline: number of SKUs within geography or crop type as set by Strategic Marketing, with clear rationale and performance tracking.
• Forecast accuracy and supply alignment: improved demand planning outcomes that reduce misses and stabilize service levels.
• Inventory health: age of inventory, usability, and write-down avoidance through proactive portfolio and production recommendations.
• Profitability: contribution margin improvement initiatives identified and executed in partnership with commercial leaders (as applicable).

Required Qualifications:

• Advanced degree or bachelor's degree in agriculture with business-related field with minimum of 5 years of industry experience; or an equivalent of 10 years of successful work experience in agronomy and product lifecycle management.

• Strong analytical skills and deep understanding of product lifecycle management include introducing new products and making strategic portfolio decisions.

• Strong business acumen and analytical skills to interpret market trends and a solid grasp of marketing strategies.

• Solid experience using Microsoft products (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint); virtual collaboration tools (Teams, Zoom); and CRM software (Salesforce)

• Ability to travel up to 40%, including evenings and some weekends

• Must have current and valid state driver's license.

• Establishing strong product positioning based on market conditions and developing effective pricing strategies.

• Improving business quality by reducing sales returns and optimizing inventory, ensuring products meet quality standards.

• Experience in coordinating complex projects and managing product launches.

• Advanced understanding of seed crop growth and development and physiology for core crops relevant to geography as well as environmental & agronomic factors that influence crop productivity.

• Knowledge of seed production and seed quality parameters is highly preferred.

Salary range: $107,680 - $161,520 (in most cases, candidates offered employment can expect to be hired at a pay rate near the middle of our salary ranges)

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.