Sr. Manager, Business Development
Benson Hill
About Confluence Genetics
Confluence Genetics develops soybean technologies and varieties that create value from farm-gate to feed, food and fuel end-markets by unlocking the natural genetic diversity of plants. The Company leverages their proprietary CropOS™ machine learning platform with proprietary germplasm data and speed breeding technologies in our Crop Accelerator facility to drastically accelerate and simplify the product development process. This platform allows for cost-effective and more efficient ways to analyze and make improvements in plant genetics. Confluence Genetics brings a unique and holistic approach to our product and platform development, as we span a broader workflow involving trait and seed development, genome editing, and breeding all the way to creating better ingredients and varieties that tap a strong customer demand. More information can be found online at https://confluence.ag/.
Our Purpose and Core Values
Our Core Values are a set of common principles we share that are fundamental to our company's identity. Real. Inspired!
- Real. We show up with honesty, accountability, and purpose. We lead with integrity and speak with candor, knowing that trust and transparency drive performance. We challenge each other respectfully and stay grounded in what matters—our shared mission and one another.
- Inspired! We’re driven by possibility and energized by progress. With open minds and a bold spirit, we embrace change, take smart risks, and push boundaries. We stay curious, creative, and connected—to each other, our partners, and the future we’re building together.
Department Overview
Business Development establishes business development priorities, aligned with major market drivers, company mission, core competencies and capabilities of the organization. Is responsible for the implementation of end-market partnership strategy and market development for products. which include aligning a set of partners within the food, feed and fuel supply chains and / or leveraging existing business units to develop and sell soybean varieties or soybean products to identified supply chain partners. Finally, the team defines, in collaboration with R&D and commercial strategy.
Position Summary
As Sr. Manager, Business Development, you will serve as a Strategic Commercial Consultant and Value Architect. This is a solutions-oriented role dedicated to highlighting the untapped profitability of higher-performing ingredients. You will empower partners to capture greater margins by integrating superior soybeans or their by-products into their operations.
Leveraging your knowledge in animal nutrition and commodity flows, you will act as a technical bridge between production and procurement. You will navigate complex negotiations by engineering "win-win" frameworks where every stakeholder—from processor to end-user—finds a path to increased profitability. You are the advocate leading the transition toward more efficient supply chains powered by better soybeans.
You Will:
- Market Expansion & Orchestration
- Develop and implement strategic plans to increase the adoption of soybean products in global animal feed rations (poultry, swine, dairy, and aquaculture) and food applications.
- Value Proposition Messaging
- Translate technical nutritional and compositional data into compelling commercial ROI for nutritionists, procurement managers, and food scientists.
- Complex Negotiation & Deal Architecture
- Drive the opening of new markets and manage complex, long-term sales cycles through to execution.
- Maintain deal momentum by utilizing creative, outside-the-box thinking to navigate negotiations, leveraging tactical levers like supply chain solutions and pilot programs to resolve bottlenecks and secure high-stakes agreements.
- Supply Chain Integration
- Work "beyond the farm" to optimize the flow of soy products through processors and exporters to ensure quality and performance meet market demands.
- Strategic Collaboration
- Partner with key stakeholders to influence long-term commercial strategies while navigating high-stakes relationships with large organizations.
- Align external partner companies with competing interests and interdependent profitability, creating "win-win" frameworks that protect individual margins while driving collective market growth.
- Technical Partnership
- Collaborate with R&D and nutritional experts (both internally and externally) to support trials or formulations that prove the economic benefit of high-quality soybean meal over alternative protein sources
- Perform other duties as assigned
You Have:
(Competencies and Qualifications)
Education
- Bachelor’s degree in Agribusiness, Agriculture Science, Food Sciences, or Economics
- An advanced degree in Business and/or Biological Sciences preferred
Experience
- 5+ years’ experience in agricultural commodity or feed ingredient industry
- Preferred experience at an integrator or feed mill with direct experience on the "buyer side" as procurement or commercial nutrition
Other
- Demonstrated understanding of the unique market drivers and nutritional requirements in poultry, swine, dairy, or aquaculture.
- Familiarity with how species-specific rations are formulated and what motivates an organization to adopt an ingredient change.
- A solid understanding of commodity logistics and supply chain synergies to complement existing expertise in margin optimization and risk management in the organization.
We have a Total Rewards Package at Confluence Genetics that consists of more than just your paycheck. Total Rewards at Confluence Genetics covers Pay (salary and bonus), Health (employer benefit contributions) and Wealth (investments). Some of the perks include:
- A Collaborative Environment
- A flexible PTO program with a focus on work/life balance
- Competitive medical, dental and vision benefits
- Retirement savings plan with a company match
- Education reimbursement
- PAID parental leave
- And more….