Technical Services Manager, Turf & Ornamental (T&O) Job Description
Reports To: Director of Product Development & Regulatory Direct Reports: None
Location: Remote (Southern U.S. and Central and Eastern time zone is preferred)
ABOUT CSI Control Solutions Inc.
Control Solutions Inc. is a mid-sized, US-based specialty chemical manufacturer with a long-standing tradition of providing effective and economical solutions to our customers in the Pest Control, Turf & Ornamental, Consumer Products and Professional Animal Health Care markets. CSI is one of the fastest growing companies in the industry, and we are a subsidiary of ADAMA within the Consumer & Professional (C&P) Business Units, the 5th largest Agricultural Chemical company in the world! This thriving partnership enables us to not only offer the largest selection of products, but also to introduce innovative, differentiated products with combination chemistry and our exclusive access to the broadest array of active ingredients in the industry!
Job Summary
The Technical Services Manager for Turf & Ornamental (T&O) plays a pivotal role in supporting product development, marketing initiatives, and sales operations. The position involves extensive collaboration with internal teams, customers, and industry partners to enhance product performance, market penetration, and brand awareness. The role requires domestic travel (50-60%) to support sales efforts, attend industry events, and engage with key stakeholders. This travel also includes attending internal CSI meetings held throughout the year including monthly New Product Development Meetings at CSI's headquarters in Pasadena, TX.
Duties and Responsibilities
Field Sales Support/Technical Services
• Address product inquiries, complaints, and troubleshoot requests from Territory Managers and other internal team members • Provide on-site technical support for key customers, including field diagnostics, product recommendations, and program development • Assist Territory Managers with large or strategic customer meetings by delivering technical expertise and reinforcing value propositions • Monitor regional pest trends, report emerging issues to Product Development team and relevant Territory Managers, and provide timely product recommendations • Collect and update current training presentations to create a consistent message across all territories • Create new training assets and deploy to field Territory Managers • New product training - Internal • New product training - External • Product efficacy trial data - charts, graphs, content for articles, literature, and sales sheets • Continuing education trainings on turf topics as requested by Territory Managers • Product educational materials, product sales sheets, blogs, videos, and other items as needed • Serve as liaison between Territory Managers and marketing to determine relevant and timely technical materials to be developed • Attend, speak at, and participate in industry meetings • Support T&O Business Director, Key National Account Managers, or Marketing Director with key accounts where technical support is needed or requested • Identify new market opportunities within the existing product portfolio to assist Territory Managers in market expansion • Train new Territory Managers on key products to maintain consistent technical messaging • Product Development Support • Ideation for new project/product ideas and concepts for turf care products • Facilitate thought and development of new concepts for new turf products • Serve as the primary field liaison to gather needs from customers/market and intel from field sales reps to aide in new product concepts • Identify external companies with promising technologies and facilitate introductions with the product development team to evaluate commercialization opportunities • Interface with University researchers and industry cooperators to identify new collaboration opportunities and increase brand awareness • Support the development of regulatory compliant study protocols for registration and efficacy support • Contribute field insights to develop comparison efficacy trials for marketing data & sales support • Use efficacy trial data to inform product development decisions • Identify, facilitate, and lead on-site demonstration trials of in-development and commercialized products with industry professionals, including golf course superintendents, lawn care operators, and nursery and greenhouse growers • Document trial results with detailed notes, photos, and summaries and communicate findings to product development, marketing, and sales • Collect cooperator testimonials and field observations to strengthen marketing and sales efforts • Create charts and graphs using trial efficacy data that can be communicated across a variety of audiences including internal and external teams, distributors, and end-users • Present trial efficacy data to internal stakeholders at monthly R&D update meetings and annual trial review meetings • Attend research focused industry meetings • Support the management of yearly research and development budgets • Input new project protocols/contracts into the company budget and project tracking system • Maintain a summary of all assigned field trial budgets, cooperators, goals of each trial and outcomes for each budget year • Collaborate on new projects for each active ingredient with team - mid year for coming year • Assign approved budget to each project based on protocol for coming year • Review budget requests for approval and initiate field work • Manage available budget throughout year • Maintain budgetary deadlines for receiving final reports and submitting check requests for cooperators • Submit check requests (with form, protocol, invoice) to PD Director for approvals • Input required documentation (protocol, contract payment, final report) into company project tracking system for accounting chargebacks • Input final reports and data summaries in internal tracking and repository files
Marketing Responsibilities
• Serve as a subject matter expert on turf and ornamental issues, providing technical guidance for marketing activities • Present educational seminars at key marketing events • Develop content for new turf-related literature pieces • Develop written content/material for website, social media, videos, online blogs, magazine articles, and other items as requested • Refresh existing literature pieces/items - content only, with marketing team • Maintain a library of insect, disease, and weed photos that can be used for various marketing purposes • Develop and maintain "Technical Resource Binders" (TRB) to assist product development, Marketing & Sales Teams to support commercial launches, TRB contents include: • Provide in-person training on new product introductions and technical topics as needed • Additional duties as assigned
Qualifications:
• Advanced degree in turfgrass science, horticulture, agronomy, weed science, or related science (M.S. minimum, Ph.D. preferred) • Experience with warm-season turfgrass is preferred • Knowledge of herbicides and how they are used in managed turfgrass systems is preferred • Minimum 5 years' experience working with (training, selling, providing technical support) herbicides, fungicides and insecticides as they relate to and are used in the professional turf care marketplace (golf, residential lawn and landscape) • An entrepreneurial mind interested in creating new and innovative products/solutions for the professional and consumer turf markets • Ability to travel 50-60% • Strong oral and written communication skills • Strong interpersonal skills • Strong presentation skills • Ability to interface independently with internal stakeholders, distributors, and end-users • Strong organizational, time management, prioritization, and decision-making skills • Ability to manage and prioritize multiple projects independently
Essential Element of Control Solutions, Inc. (CSI) Culture:
Control Solutions, Inc. (CSI) is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. We consider applicants, and make all employment decisions, without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, national origin, age, disability, marital or veteran status, or any other legally protected status. We are committed to recruiting and retaining the best talent in our industry.