Position Summary                       
This new position will report to the Commercial Head and will work closely with internal stakeholders (R&D, Business Development, Finance) and external stakeholders (commercial partners, seed producers, leafy green processors, etc.) to lead the identification, negotiation and execution of operating partnerships to support the commercialization of our leafy green business. The role will be part of Pairwise’s dynamic future and helps drive the company’s go-to-market strategy and execution. The Lead will leverage quantitative and qualitative analysis to create long-term business opportunities and strategies and help execute on Pairwise’s commercial deployment plans inclusive of manufacturing, growing, procurement and value-capture tactics to achieve revenue/ profit goals. 

As we expand our footprint across the food, agriculture and biotechnology landscape, we are seeking an individual to leverage food processing, agricultural and commercial understanding to deliver operational expertise, mitigate risks and enhance capabilities resulting in increased company value.  This role requires a combination of tactical and strategic skills to develop relationships with existing and future partners and utilize strong management and relationship building competencies to set an operational vision and strategy to drive revenue growth and margin within the category. 

This candidate will also be comfortable understanding existing internal capabilities and how to best leverage externally. They should be motivated to provide feedback in the product development and commercialization processes, working with many internal stakeholders and be excited to do this in a fast-paced startup environment where ownership and action is encouraged.

 Essential Functions

• Seek out best-in-class strategic manufacturing partners - both seed producers, as well as leafy green growers/ processors, packaging manufacturers and other 3^rd parties to ensure product delivery to market.  
• Develop process to manage materials and inventories inclusive of IT systems and internal/ external flows to forecast. 
• Lead and maintain a professional relationship with external business partners and internal technical organization. 
• Establish and maintain contract manufacturing relationships.
• Act as the key point of contact for the supplier on contract adherence, production qualifications, supply issues and KPIs. 
• Partner with internal and external quality control teams to conduct root cause analysis of issues and implement corrective actions.
• Develop and implement cost savings projects with vendors; establish measurements techniques to identify savings and manage the process of realizing these savings per agreement(s). 
• Partner with stakeholders to ensure that contract manufacturers comply with contract provisions and meet all worker safety, food safety, environmental and regulatory requirements. 
• Work with vendors and the internal Quality Assurance team to analyze manufacturability of new products, recommend changes that will facilitate efficient manufacturing and lower costs.
• Develop processes to ensure that products can be commercially reproduced. 
• Meet with seed producers, processors and co-packers to discuss ways to manage capacity consistent with our sales forecasts.
• Prospect redundant and overflow capacity and provide recommendations to plan for unexpected sales growth or an unforeseen constraint to supply. 
• Build operational and execution-oriented plans to deliver on key priorities, including: revenue goals, growing/ processing strategies, market development approaches, product/sales tactics, margin attainment and commercial reporting. 
• Participate in the development, implementation, and achievement of annual operating plan. 
• Support cross functional teams (internal/external) in the development and financial modeling of category capital projects.

 

Competencies

• Influence Management
• Strategic Agility
• Analytical Thinking
• Resourceful Problem Solving
• Results Driven
• Spanish Language Proficient

Required Education and Experience

•  Bachelor’s degree in science discipline; MBA preferred.
•  Demonstrated excellence in communication and stakeholder management.
•  Experience working with leafy green producers, processors and other direct partners.
• Track record of producing business-driving growth programs from concept to execution.
• 10+ years in technical industry working in a combination of scientific and business roles.
  

 

Preferred Education and Experience

• Versatile team player that is comfortable under pressure and able to solve problems.
• Solid analytical skills and ability to translate data into fact-based decision making to support strategic planning and program implementation.
• Effective in data gathering, able to work in an unstructured environment, strong communication skills and able to build partnerships internally and externally.
• Public speaking skills and ability to articulate complex concepts to cross-function audience.
• Demonstrated ability to engage and influence C-level executives.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail with the ability to set clear priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Learning agility with capability to learn and work in-depth in a technical field, specifically biotechnology and agronomics.
• High emotional intelligence and conflict resolution; able to effectively maintain relationships via flexibility, collaboration and negotiation.
• Ability to build strong working relationships with clients and colleagues across departments, geographic locations, and time zones.
  

 

Position Type/Expected Hours of Work

·       This is a full-time position working approximately 40 hours per week.

·       Supervisory Responsibility - None.

 

Travel

This position is expected to travel for professional development and business meetings not likely to exceed 50% of the time.  Domestic travel by plane or automobile most likely with the focus-area being seed production and leafy green processing facilities in and around the Central Valley of California.

 

Work Environment       
This position is in a professional office environment. This position routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, scanners and phones.

 

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 frequently required to sit and use hands to finger, handle or feel, and techniques that require fine motor skills and repetitive motions.  The employee is occasionally required to stand and walk.   The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 10 pounds.  The employee is regularly required to talk or hear.  Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.

EEO Statement
 We're an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status

 

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