Field Expert

Role purpose

• Responsible for demand creation activities (training & demonstration) of the Syngenta products in the region.
• To coordinate, manage, sell and promote Syngenta products to all assigned existing Small Scale oriented customer portfolios in the target area.

Accountabilities

• Sales target attainment, through demand creation of  the Syngenta products
• Identification and management of Syngenta demonstrations/trial plots in the assigned areas
• Train and develop target farmers/agro dealers on Syngenta Vegetable Seed

Duties include

• Execute technical, sales and marketing activities including merchandising
• Demand creation for the Syngenta products to farmers and all assigned agro dealers
• Selecting sites for installation of demo plots/trials
• Organizing and attending of field days and agriculture shows in the designated areas
• Manage customer complaints emanating from use of Syngenta products
• Manage and ensure growth of assigned agro dealers
• Create demand with agents and connect agents to agro dealers for product fulfilment
• Share demand plan with the Regional Manager and Operations team on a weekly basis
• Manage lead farmer network and advice farmers to improve production
• Take orders from agro dealers/rural agents and organise and coordinate delivery of products
• Ensure all customers are handled and serviced within accepted Syngenta policy and standards
• Monitor and report competitor activities actions
• Build good relationship with local NGO representatives and officials
• Provide timely response and reports to Regional Manager

Critical success factors & key challenges

• Increased technical knowledge enable better serving the farmer needs in the target areas
• Productive working relationships with key customers and as such sales specific and general company goals achieved
• High quality demo plots/trials delivered in time in full

Syngenta Seeds is one of the world’s largest developers and producers of seed for farmers, commercial growers, retailers and small seed companies. Syngenta seeds improve the quality and yields of crops. High-quality seeds ensure better and more productive crops, which is why farmers invest in them. Advanced seeds help mitigate risks such as disease and drought and allow farmers to grow food using less land, less water and fewer inputs.

Syngenta Seeds brings farmers more vigorous, stronger, resistant plants, including innovative hybrid varieties and
biotech crops that can thrive even in challenging growing conditions.

Syngenta Seeds is headquartered in the United States.

Knowledge, experience & capabilities

Critical knowledge

• Good understanding of local agriculture industry, the ag business
• Business acumen
• Hold critical internal & external crop expertise across a range of agronomic conditions
• In-depth crop and product knowledge-labelled and actual use patterns – ability to advice
• Competitor product knowledge
• Basic computer skills especially MS packages

Critical experience/qualifications

• Degree/Diploma in any agriculture
• Minimum 3-5 years experience in relevant role
• In-field technical experience
• Experience in marketing & selling in the agriculture industry a plus
• Keen demonstrated strengths in unquestionable integrity and trustworthiness.
• Experience in working in multi national organizations with emphasis on communicating and decision making with demonstrated ability to work under pressure.

Critical technical, professional and personal capabilities

• Credible with regional  management and comfortable with expressing his/her views or putting alternate point of view in a constructive way
• Strong verbal and written communication skill is a plus
• Strong influencing skills

Critical leadership capabilities

• Manages Performance to ensure high standards
• Customer service mind-set
• Ability to communicate with diverse senior stakeholder groups

Additional information

• Required to spend about 30% of time in technical and another 70% in sales-demand creation activities
• Requires extensive  local traveling
• Doing the job alone remote from colleagues