Vice President of Agriculture

Summary of position:

The Vice President of Agriculture (VPA) is responsible for providing strategic and tactical leadership and oversight for Southern Minnesota Beet Sugar Cooperative's (SMBSC) agricultural activities serving as a valued member of the executive leadership team.The VPA helps SMBSC, and its entities reach their overall mission by (1) helping to determine the future direction and goals of the organization, (2) leading implementation efforts, and (3) ensuring the company's financial health and its ability to create long-term shareholder value.

Essential Functions:

Administrative Responsibilities

• Communicates the agricultural business plans to internal and external stakeholders by aligning departmental goals and guidelines with overall cooperative objectives and analyzing metrics to ensure agricultural operations support organizational objectives.
• Builds and maintains strong relationships with shareholders/growers to effectively articulate the rationale, role, impact and results of agricultural goals and guidelines.
• Works closely with the CEO and executive leadership team to review financial performance of the agriculture operations to maximize revenue and improve profit margins.
• Manages sugar beet production by directing and leading Ag staff to assist shareholders with all aspects of planting, nurturing, and harvesting the sugar beet crop.
• Manages the agronomic research, ag maintenance, and Agriculturalist teams.
• Collaborates with operations and finance teams to forecast how sugar beet quality, tonnage and storage conditions will impact factory operations.
• Reports and shares information with the Board of Directors (BOD) and executive leadership team, ensuring the timely and accurate preparation, analysis, and presentation of agricultural data.
• Ensures safety, environmental, quality, and personnel compliance are met at all receiving stations; visits sites regularly to monitor progress.
• Works with the company's vendors on capital projects and enhancements to ensure timeliness and completeness of the final product.
• Works closely with the CEO and BOD to develop and implement capital expenditures, financial, and operational strategies to drive desired results.

• Coaches, develops, monitors, and evaluates SMBSC's Agricultural Superintendent, Director of Research, Ag Maintenance Supervisor, Ag Strategy Manager, and Statistical & GIS Analyst
• Assists direct reports to coach, develop, and mentor their team members, which includes providing resources to increase individual knowledge, conducting regular reviews evaluating performance, working with employees to seek and take advantage of opportunities for improvement, and building employee development plans to assist employees in progressing in their careers.

• Offers leadership by strengthening internal communications with staff at all levels throughout the Company; creates and promotes a positive and supportive work environment.
• Provides subject matter expertise on agricultural topics to the Executive Team, SMBSC BOD, and other vested partners.
• Contributes to and oversees the formulation of the annual agriculture operating and capital budgets; recommends and maintains budgeting allocation for needs based on SMBSC's established financial guidelines and business planning process.
• Attends staff, leadership, and board meetings.
• Serves on leadership committees aimed at creating a healthy, safe culture that promotes SMBSC as an Employer of Choice
• Maintains memberships and affiliations with trade and/or professional organizations related to the company.

• Excellent understanding of agronomy and its application to overall operations
  
  • Ability to evaluate information to determine best practices using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether new techniques or findings apply to sugar beet production, harvest and/or storage.
  • Ability to keep up to date with new agronomic techniques and publications and applying the new knowledge to benefit SMBSC.
  • Ability to provide guidance and expert advice to executive management, staff members, shareholders and other groups based on technical, system-related, or process-related topics in agriculture.
  • Knowledge of business and management principles and best practices
  • Ability to create and implement strategic plans, focusing on risk, benefit, and opportunity analysis to ensure organizational competitiveness and satisfaction of established long-term objectives.
• Superior critical thinking skills
  
  • Ability to use logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative approaches or solutions to problems.
  • Ability to identify complex problems and review related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
  • Ability to analyze and evaluate various systems by determining how different inputs such as government regulation, economic and business factors and customer expectations will affect outcomes.
• Strong conflict management and resolution skills
  
  • Ability to handle complaints, settle disputes and resolve grievances and conflicts; negotiate with internal and external audiences.
  • Ability to maintain a high level of interpersonal skills to handle sensitive and confidential situations.
  • Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw conclusions.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
  
  • Ability to develop constructive and cooperative working relationships with internal and external audiences and maintain these relationships over time to advance the overall public image of SMBSC.
  • Ability to pay high attention to detail.
  • Ability to communicate with shareholders, employees, prospective employees, partners, and others to answer questions and distribute information.
• Commitment to safety
  
  • Ability to work in a responsible, safe manner by adhering to SMBSC's safety protocol.
  • Ability to provide guidance and expert advice to employees and other groups based on technical, systems-related, or process-related topics regarding safety.

• Ten or more years of experience at a senior agricultural level, with at least seven years of management and operational exposure
• Experience operating within a farmer-owned cooperative environment and with grower boards preferred.

• Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change any time with or without notice.