Job Title:Cultivar & Seed Specialist
Department:Varietal Solutions - Supply Chain
Reports To:Senior Manager, Cultivar Development
Location:Flexible within key growing regions (ND, MT, ID, WA; alternative Midwest/West locations will be considered). Proximity to a major airport required
Work Model:Field-based / Remote
FLSA Status:Salaried - Exempt
Travel Expectation:Approximately 30-40% with seasonal variation
ABOUT THE ROLEBay State Milling is hiring a Cultivar & Seed Specialist to support the continued growth of our Varietal Solutions business. This role manages licensed seed and supports agronomy, field operations, forecasting, and relationships with breeding and production partners. The position provides the on-the-ground presence, technical perspective, and cross-functional coordination needed to maintain seed purity, strengthen operational reliability, and scale a growing cultivar portfolio.
This opportunity is well suited to an individual with experience in breeding, agronomy, agricultural inputs, farming, or agricultural markets. The ideal candidate is curious and eager to learn, willing to challenge existing thinking constructively, and able to build trusted relationships with growers, breeders, universities, and internal teams. Success requires a strong communicator who brings positive energy, genuine care for others, and passion for Bay State Milling's mission.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIESSeed Management and Forecasting- Maintain seed purity and accurate seed inventories across licensed intellectual property portfolios, including HealthSense®, SowNaked®, oats, and future varietal programs.
- Forecast seed demand and align production requirements across regions, growers, and partners.
- Support inventory planning, yield monitoring, production data accuracy, and reliable seed and data workflows.
Agronomy and Field Operations- Conduct regular field scouting, participate in field days, and evaluate trial and production plots.
- Monitor crop performance, agronomic inputs, production risks, and environmental conditions.
- Provide timely field reports and practical agronomic insights to internal teams and external partners.
- Help connect field performance with ingredient processing, product quality, and commercial objectives.
Partner and Relationship Management- Serve as a key point of contact for breeders, universities, growers, seedsmen, elevators, agricultural technology providers, and other seed partners.
- Build trusted, durable relationships with partners in key growing regions and maintain consistent communication on pipeline expectations, risks, and operational changes.
- Bring relevant grower and industry perspectives into business planning and constructively challenge assumptions when field or market information suggests a different approach.
Cross-Functional Collaboration- Partner with Corporate R&D, Corporate Quality Assurance, business unit supply chain teams, mill operations, and other Bay State Milling teams.
- Coordinate with the Seed and Grain Inventory Specialist and Supply Chain Merchandiser as the business develops more complex seed supply chain capabilities.
- Communicate clearly across technical and nontechnical audiences and contribute positive energy to a collaborative, mission-driven team.
Compliance, Planning, and Reporting- Support seed compliance, certifications, registrations, and partner agreement requirements across regions.
- Provide routine updates to leadership on seed performance, partner relationships, emerging risks, and business activities.
- Contribute to operational capacity, cross-training, and redundancy that strengthen business continuity and reduce single-point-of-failure risk.
- Other duties and projects as assigned.
WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FORRequired Qualifications and Capabilities- Relevant experience (5+ years) in one or more of the following areas: plant breeding, agronomy, agricultural inputs, farming or crop production, seed operations, or agricultural markets.
- Working knowledge of field practices, crop inputs, trials, and production agriculture; a formal agronomist designation is not required.
- Experience building relationships with growers, breeders, universities, agricultural businesses, or other industry partners.
- Curiosity and a strong desire to learn about cultivars, seed systems, technology, and the broader food and agriculture value chain.
- Courage to ask thoughtful questions, surface risks, and constructively challenge established thinking.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to build trust internally and externally.
- Ability to organize details, manage changing priorities, and work effectively across evolving systems and multistate operations.
- Ability to travel approximately 30-40% and work flexibly during seasonal field and harvest periods.
Preferred Qualifications and Experience- Experience with licensed seed programs, cultivar development, breeding partnerships, or seed production systems.
- Existing relationships with growers or agricultural businesses in key production regions, including elevators, seed partners, or technology providers.
- Familiarity with seed compliance, certification, and registration processes.
- Knowledge of commercial seed pricing, agricultural markets, or negotiation frameworks.
- Comfort using technology and data to support inventory, forecasting, field reporting, and decision-making.
CAREER GROWTHThis role is designed for a professional who wants to broaden their experience across seed, agronomy, supply chain, partner management, and commercial agriculture. As Bay State Milling's acreage, cultivar portfolio, and Varietal Solutions capabilities grow, the role offers the opportunity to take on broader regional ownership, deeper technical or market specialization, and increased responsibility for strategic partner and seed program management.
PHYSICAL DEMANDSThe physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; and talk or hear. The employee is frequently required to stand and walk in agricultural field environments, including uneven terrain and variable weather conditions. The employee may occasionally be required to climb or balance and lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities include close vision, distance vision, and the ability to adjust focus.
