Territory Manager, Western US

Field of Work: Marketing & Sales, Location: Kimberly, Champaign Legal Entity: KWS Cereals USA LLC. Contract Type: Regular Is Full Time: Job ID: 16995

KWS Cereals USA LLC is looking for a permanent full-time Territory Manager for Western United States with the start date in the first quarter of 2027!

The Territory Manager will be responsible for driving sales growth, strengthening existing dealer and distributor relationships, and expanding market opportunities for KWS hybrid rye throughout the assigned territory. This position will focus on developing and supporting a strong dealer network, identifying new business opportunities, and collaborating with internal teams to support long-term market growth and profitability.

Key responsibilities:

Manage Relationships with Seed Dealers and Distributors:

• Maintain and strengthen relationships with existing dealers and distributors to support sales growth and long-term partnerships.
• Handle dealer/distributor agreements.
• Collaborate closely & partner with the US Sales Manager to set mid and long-term sales goals.
• Assist with annual and midterm pricing in collaboration with the US Sales Manager.
• Coordinate with internal finance and customer service teams to support order management, invoicing, and account resolution.
• Develop and execute territory business plans focused on dealer growth, new account development, and market expansion.
• Provide ongoing dealer training, product knowledge, and sales support to strengthen dealer engagement and performance.
• Identify and recruit new dealers and strategic partners in underserved markets.

Promote KWS Hybrid Rye to Dealers & Farmers:

• Drive demand for KWS hybrid rye through dealer engagement, grower education, field demonstrations, training sessions, and industry events.
• Provide growing recommendations and support to dealers & farmers.
• Recommend the appropriate rotation for KWS hybrid rye.

Market Development & Business Expansion:

• Identify and develop new markets for KWS hybrid rye across forage, grain, livestock feeding, and other end-use opportunities.
• Build relationships with dairy operations, livestock nutritionists, feed consultants, and other industry influencers to support market demand.
• Monitor regional market conditions, competitive activity, and emerging opportunities to support strategic territory growth.
• Gather feedback from dealers, growers, and end users to identify opportunities for product improvement and enhanced customer support.

Sales Targets and Responsibilities:

• Meet annual sales targets.
• Develop and maintain accurate sales forecasts and territory growth plans.
• Maintain an active pipeline of dealer prospects, strategic partners, and new business opportunities.
• Collect and analyze market data to identify potential opportunities.
• Document dealer interactions, market intelligence, and business development activities in Salesforce.
• Record and process complaints in alignment with the Sales Manager and Production and Logistics Manager.

Support Agronomic Trials and Research:

• Assist the product manager in coordinating agronomic trials and research in the regions of interest.
• Understand plot work and analyze data.

Required Qualifications:

• Experience managing agricultural dealer, distributor, or channel partner relationships.
• Proven agricultural sales experience with demonstrated success in developing new markets and business opportunities.
• Technical understanding of the cultivation of small grains.
• Good teamwork, communication, negotiation, and presentation skills.
• Ability to work cross-functionally with the rest of the team to meet established goals.
• Ability to travel domestically as required.
• Ability to work outdoors.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, including Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.
• Bachelor's degree in Agriculture, Agribusiness, or related field, or equivalent relevant industry experience.
• Must possess and maintain a valid driver's license and meet company requirements for operating a company-provided vehicle.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience using CRM/Salesforce
• Experience using SAP
• 5+ years of agricultural sales or related industry experience.

We Offer:

• A salary between $75,000 to $85,000. This role is also eligible for an annual bonus. This reflects a reasonable estimate of the targeted base salary for this role. Based on factors such as geographic location and candidate qualifications, actual base pay is determined when an employment offer is made
• Health, dental, vision benefits
• Pension plan
• 401k with match
• Flexible paid-time-off (PTO)
• Professional training and development opportunities

WORKING ENVIRONMENT:

This is a remote, home office-based position. Candidates must reside within the assigned Western United States territory and be willing to travel approximately 50% of the time to support business needs.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The employee is frequently required to stand; walk; sit; use hands to finger, handle or feel; and reach with hands and arms. The employee is occasionally required to climb, balance, stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl. The employee must frequently lift and move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift and move objects up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.

About KWS

KWS is one of the world’s leading plant breeding companies and employs around 5,000 employees in more than 70 countries. With the tradition of family ownership, KWS has operated independently for more than 170 years. It focuses on plant breeding and the production and sale of seeds for sugarbeet, corn, cereals, vegetables, oilseed rape and sunflowers. KWS uses leading-edge plant breeding methods and invests a significant amount in research and development.

At KWS, diversity is not just a value; it is an essential part of our success. Breeding resilient crops requires diversity; likewise, our strength comes from the diversity of our teams. Whatever your background or identity is, we invite you to join us.

Further information: www.kws.com/careers/. Follow us on LinkedIn® at https://linkedin.com/company/kwsgroup/.

Our data privacy policy for candidates is available on https://www.kws.com/dataprotection. Please select the country where the job you applied for is posted in and, if applicable, the specific business unit.