Crop Scientist

CROP SCIENTIST – SOUTHERN PROVINCE

Location: Mazabuka, Zambia

Area of Responsibility: South of Kafue, Mazabuka, Monze, Kaloma, Chama and Livingstone

Reporting to: Agronomy & Commercial Sales Manager – Zambia Cluster

Employment Type: Permanent

About the Role

A leading agricultural organisation is seeking a Crop Scientist to provide agronomic support and sales services to corporate and commercial agricultural producers in the Southern region of Zambia.

The role will be responsible for professionally and sustainably driving agronomic support, technical advice and sales of premium and differentiated agricultural products, while contributing to the overall commercial performance of the business.

Key Responsibilities

Agronomic Expertise & Technical Support

Provide technical agronomic support to commercial agricultural producers.

Develop, sell, implement and monitor plant nutrition product solutions.

Provide practical crop production and plant nutrition advice.

Support digital farming solutions and related initiatives.

Sales & Commercial Development

Develop and manage sales opportunities within the commercial farming sector.

Conduct market intelligence and identify new business opportunities.

Prepare sales plans, forecasts and seasonal budgets.

Manage customer orders and coordinate logistics.

Support credit applications, debtor management and resolution of account queries.

Drive value-based selling and negotiate effectively with customers.

Stakeholder & Relationship Management

Build and maintain strong relationships with corporate and commercial agricultural producers.

Work collaboratively with internal and external stakeholders.

Provide high-quality customer service and account management.

Support sustainable, long-term customer relationships within the commercial farming sector.

Administration & Compliance

Ensure adherence to company policies, values and contractual requirements.

Maintain accurate sales administration and customer records.

Work within applicable corporate governance and ethical standards.

Functional Knowledge & Competencies

Strong understanding and practical experience in crop production, plant nutrition and agronomic principles.

Proven understanding of selling, marketing and negotiating within the commercial farming sector.

Working knowledge of corporate and commercial customer service and relationship management.

Strong sales administration and organisational skills.

Commercial acumen with the ability to identify and develop sales opportunities.

Strong analytical, problem-solving and decision-making ability.

Excellent interpersonal, communication and negotiation skills.

Ability to work independently within a diverse and geographically dispersed team.

Ability to identify problems, gather relevant information, evaluate options and develop sustainable solutions.

Strong collaboration skills with internal and external stakeholders.

Self-driven and commercially motivated, with a strong commitment to ethical business practices.

Qualifications & Experience

BSc Agriculture degree or related qualification, with fertilisation/plant nutrition certification.

Membership of the Agricultural Institute of Zambia (AIZ).

Proven experience in agronomic support and plant nutrition sales to commercial agricultural producers.

3–4 years’ experience in an agronomy and sales role within the commercial farming sector.

Experience in seasonal planning, forecasting and budgeting.

Sugar cane farming experience would be highly advantageous.

Computer literacy in Excel, Word, Outlook and PowerPoint or equivalent packages.

Fluent written and spoken English.

Key Focus

The successful candidate will combine strong agronomic expertise with commercial sales capability, developing trusted relationships with commercial farmers while providing practical crop nutrition and production solutions across the Southern region.