R&D Business Development and Partnerships Manager

Company Overview 

Proudly Farmers First℠!

What do you get when you cross the best of Silicon Valley innovation and technology with the value driven mission of Family Farmers around the world?

Farmers Business Network, Inc. (FBN℠)!

FBN℠ was created by farmers for farmers and is on a mission to power the prosperity of Family Farmers around the world by leveling the playing field through insights, commerce and community. Our goal is to enable them to make smart business decisions that maximize their farms profit potential for generations to come, helping to ensure the fundamental economic viability and sustainability of family farms and rural communities.

We are a dynamic, and innovative AgTech company that offers competitive compensation and benefits and is backed by top investors including Google Ventures, Kleiner Perkins, DBL Partners, T Rowe Price and Temasek.

Role and Responsibilities

FBN R&D thrives on partnerships. FBN partners with innovative technology developers - spanning crop inputs (such as biologicals), sensors, equipment, robotics, germplasm and traits - to test new innovations at scale in the real world, and to accelerate the commercialization and adoption of new technologies with our farmer members. The FBN Direct commerce platform also thrives on access to innovative products, which often come from R&D partnerships. 

We are looking for an exceptional leader to drive our rapidly-growing on-farm R&D program, and help define and drive the company’s expansion within the agriculture industry as a leading platform for innovative product distribution. This person will be a key driver of innovation bridging the gap between FBN’s R&D and commercial efforts, and will be expected to bring distinguished viewpoints and execution to our organization. 

In this role, you’ll:

• Influence the strategy for FBN’s on-farm R&D program, in which FBN runs large-scale field trials of new innovations on our farmer member’s farms.
• Proactively scope out new technologies and innovators in the agricultural space, and forge strong relationships with these players.
• Ideate creative strategies for how FBN can partner with innovative agtech startups, in addition to execution of the on-farm R&D program - and work with the FBN Direct commercial team to explore ways to bring these partnerships to market.
• Develop partnerships and collaborations with key universities, venture capitalists, and startup accelerators to reinforce FBN’s position as a key partner for innovative agtech startups.
• Develop a strategy for recruiting innovators to FBN’s on-farm R&D program, and execute on that strategy.
• Manage communications and relationships with the companies enrolled in FBN’s on-farm R&D program.
• Collaborate with the seed R&D team to forge partnerships with germplasm and trait developers to expand the breadth of germplasm and technology we incorporate into our seed R&D efforts.
• Collaborate closely with the product development teams to ensure R&D efforts align closely with commercial objectives.

What We’re Looking for

• 5 years of experience working at a leading agricultural company focused on business development and/or establishing R&D partnerships.
• Experience in enterprise sales/account management is a plus.
• Educational background in a scientific discipline.
• Strong understanding of, and passion for, emerging technologies and trends shaping the future of the agricultural industry.
• Experience scouting and evaluating new agricultural technologies.
• Dynamic, energetic communication skills.
• A people person who’s great at building strong relationships.
• A track record of building and maintaining strategic relationships with collaborators.
• Strong empathy for farmers.