Strategic Marketing Director

The Strategic Marketing Director for Plant Nutrition / Specialty Products will use extensive knowledge of the Plant Nutrition / Agriculture industry to lead the strategic development and execution of marketing activities for the Balchem Plant Nutrition business.

This strategy will align with Balchem’s Specialty Products segment overall strategy. The successful candidate will quickly gain a comprehensive understanding of the businesses, product lines, customers and build effective marketing campaigns to drive the business and brands forward.

The information below covers the role requirements, expected candidate experience, and accompanying qualifications.

The individual will lead all marketing activities and will work in partnership with sales, Supply Chain, R&D, and innovation.

The individual will serve as the internal expert in market trends and use their considerable industry knowledge to identify new growth segments for the business.

This position requires a deep understanding of marketing, strategy development, value proposition development, new premium ingredient launches along with strong people skills.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS :

• Successfully develop and execute the business strategy for the Plant Nutrition Business Unit and Specialty Product Business segment achieving financial targets, new business development and strategic marketing initiatives.
• Develop a deep understanding of the market, emerging trends, competitive landscape and Balchem’s relative positioning.
• Develop an annual marketing strategy in conjunction with the Sales organization.
• Develop and build-out the Plant Nutrition marketing organization and enhance its capabilities.
• Conduct an ongoing market research program to identify, quantify and recommend high-value complementary / adjacent market segments.
• Develop strong relationships with strategic customers and gain customer feedback on current as well as future products in development.
• Lead the marketing project funnel and develop a pipeline of projects to grow the business and improve the competitive positioning.
• Develop new business opportunities by thoroughly researching and understanding the customer's business model, expectations, and marketplace.
• Define KPIs to drive marketing strategies and establish leading indicators to measure business progression beyond the financial metrics.
• Communicate complex information in an easily understood and thoughtful manner both within the company and externally.
• Develop marketing campaigns and leverage analytics to gain market insights and measure performance with the goal of optimizing customer engagement strategy.
• Lead in developing new branding, advertising campaigns and creative development of concepts for taking new products and services to market.
• Lead in concept & content development, layout, design / graphics and development of marketing materials, presentations, website graphics, e-blasts and other marketing communications to reflect the services and products of the company to customers.
• Lead the advertising and promotional activity for initiatives related to trade events, new product development, and demos.

REQUIREMENTS :

• Minimum of 5-7 years of commercial experience in Agriculture / Plant Nutrition industry.
• Strong understanding of B2B and B2C marketing tools and messaging.
• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college / university preferably in business or a technical discipline. MBA is highly desirable.
• Ability to deal with ambiguity, navigate uncertain situations and drive for clarity.
• Decisive planning and execution skills in a demanding environment.
• Cheerful outlook towards the values of the company and safety at the workplace.
• Strong analytical skills, experience with metrics, KPIs, CRM, Power BI, and web analytics.

Balchem is committed to a workplace culture that values and promotes diversity, inclusion, equal employment opportunities, and a work environment free of harassment and hostility.

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