Technical Advisor

• To provide highly specialised in-field support and expert knowledge specific on Small Grains, but including Potatoes and Wine Grapes, to the Crop Advisors and Regional Managers in terms of AECI Plant Healths in-house products, as well as Third Party products, to enhance sales.
• Work closely with Advisory Manager to enhance the Sales Teams overall knowledge of crop programmes and in-house products through specialised training and ongoing mentorship.
• Provide advice on complex technical matters to further the knowledge of the Advisory Team, Regional Managers and Crop Advisors on in-house and Third Party product and services across all product portfolios.
• Provide expert assistance to all Crop Advisors based in their specific regions, particularly in terms of complex complaints and claim management processes where additional support and technical knowledge is required.
• Ensure that current crop programmes and services within the Advisory Dept adhere to local regulations and labels and make recommendations to Advisory Manager for improvement where appropriate.

Required outputs: functional

• Assume responsibility for the development of spray programs incorporating in-house products for the clients which integrate agrochemical and nutritional products and adhere to MRL guidelines and label recommendations.
• Use crop programmes and technical support services to drive sales strategies in the region.
• Monitor the correct implementation of recommendations.
• Carry out regular crop inspections during season to find solutions for problems found and make recommendations for corrective action to be taken
• Perform relevant in-house product trials on specific crops to build knowledge and confidence in products.
• Apply functional expertise to organise training workshops for Crop Advisors on in-house products per crop integrating the full in-house range with Third Party products as required.
• Engage effectively with customers.
• Provide technical support to Crop Advisors through training and on-field analysis across all product classes.
• Work closely with Advisory Manager to compile a sales strategy for the respective Advisory team for the specific crops.
• Interact with key influencers in industry to promote in-house products and grow existing client base and act on leads for new products or programmes based on specifics of a crop or region.
• Execute the company NuWay strategy to grow in-house nutritional products and differentiate AECI Plant Health in the market place.
• Responsible for meeting sales budget targets as set by the company and broken down into the regions.
• Communicate product strategies with Portfolio Specialists and Regional Managers
• Work with Crop Associations and Exporters to offer AECI Plant Health solutions for better management of residues and to create awareness of AECI Plant Health products and services.
• Meet budget targets as set by the company
• Communicate product strategies with Portfolio Managers
• Work closely with Advisory Manager and Regional Manager in the area to determine the strategy and sales budget of in-house and 3rd Party products.
• Responsible for the technical support and training of Crop Advisors on in-house products to enable them to include these into regional budgets and forecasts
• Gather data from customer to steer in-house product recommendations and sales.
• Ensure implementation of recommendations is carried out by the clients.

• Minimum educational requirement Grade 12 with post matric tertiary qualification of a B.Agric/B.Scs. Agric degree.
• Must possess AVCASA or BASOS accreditation and be prepared to work towards acquiring both accreditations within a reasonable period of time.
• Minimum of 5 years post graduate experience in the agricultural industry

in agrochemicals and/or agriculture and/or nutrition.

• Must possess good customer relationship skills.
• Must possess technical knowledge and experience in Small Grains, Potatoes and Wine Grapes.
• Computer literate MS Office (Word/Excel/PowerPoint/Outlook)
• Knowledge of .NET would be advantageous.
• A sound working knowledge of Safety, Health and Environmental practices is essential.
• Must be in possession of a valid drivers license, have own reliable transport and be medically fit to drive.
• Must be able to travel to support all allocated Crop Advisors and service cross-border clients if required.
• Ability to work independently.
• Must possess good communication (verbal and written), planning, organisation, presentation, technical, people and presentation skills.
• Must be safety orientated
• Possess the ability to solve problems systematically
• Fluency in both English and Afrikaans is a prerequisite

Information :

• Company : AECI
• Position : Technical Advisor
• Location : Swartland, Western Cape
• Country : ZA