National Agronomy Manager at Omnia (Pty) LTD

Purpose of the Role

• To lead agronomic, technical, and marketing strategy that drives profitable growth of the fertilizer and biostimulant portfolios within South Africa. This role integrates science-based agronomy, market insights, and customer needs to position the company as a leader in sustainable crop productivity solutions in the local market.
• A critical component of this role is to champion and embed Omnia's Nutriology® model, ensuring that advanced soil chemistry, plant physiology, and data-driven insights are consistently translated into practical, high-impact solutions for customers. The Agronomy Manager plays a pivotal role in creating differentiated value through science, enabling the business to move beyond product supply towards integrated crop nutrition programmes that deliver measurable agronomic and commercial outcomes.
• This role is essential in driving innovation-led growth, ensuring that new technologies and product offerings are supported by robust agronomic validation, clear positioning, and effective field execution. By linking research, development, and market application, the Agronomy Manager ensures that Omnia maintains a sustainable competitive advantage grounded in technical excellence.
• In addition, the role is key to building internal capability and external credibility, equipping the commercial and technical teams with the knowledge, tools, and confidence to engage customers at a higher level. Through this, the Agronomy Manager supports improved decision-making, strengthens customer partnerships, and enables the business to capture value in increasingly competitive and sophisticated agricultural markets.
• Ultimately, this position underpins Omnia's ability to drive growth, enhance profitability, and reinforce its leadership in science-led, sustainable agriculture solutions.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

• Develop and execute the agronomic and marketing strategy.
• Align portfolio positioning with local market requirements, customer needs, and regulatory environments.

Agronomic Strategy & Technical Excellence

• Translate agronomic insights into differentiated product positioning and value propositions relevant to South African cropping systems.
• Oversee technical programs demonstrating product performance under local conditions.
• Lead development of technical agronomy training, tools, and support for regional teams.
• Build partnerships with research institutions, universities, and key opinion leaders in South Africa.

Marketing Leadership

• Lead marketing strategy and campaign development for the portfolio.
• Guide pricing, segmentation, and go-to-market strategies based on market and customer analysis.
• Support regional marketing teams with frameworks and positioning.

Commercial Field Strategy & Support

• Provide strategic direction for field execution models to ensure consistent and impactful customer engagement.
• Translate agronomic insights into commercial sales tools and farmer-focused messaging.
• Enable sales teams with playbooks and value-selling frameworks.
• Align strategy with execution across distributors, retailers, and large-scale farming operations.
• Support key customer engagements and strategic accounts through high-level technical-commercial input.
• Incorporate customer and channel feedback into market strategies.

Portfolio & Innovation Management

• Shape innovation pipelines in collaboration with R&D based on agronomic needs and market gaps in South Africa.

Technology & Innovation

• Oversee deployment of digital platforms and data-driven decision tools.
• Drive precision agriculture strategy tailored to local farming practices.
• Enhance farmer value through data and agronomic insights.
• Oversee the strategic deployment and optimisation of digital agronomy solutions, ensuring alignment with commercial objectives and farmer needs.
• Drive the development of integrated, end-to-end solutions that link field-level insights with portfolio offerings.
• Enhance product positioning and strengthen customer engagement through digital integration.
• Deliver measurable on-farm impact by connecting technology, agronomy, and commercial outcomes.

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Partner with business units, R&D, and regulatory teams within South Africa.
• Represent the organization at industry conferences and forums locally.
• Mentor and develop agronomic and marketing talent.

Competencies

• Strategic Agri-Marketing Leadership.
• Technical and Agronomic Credibility.
• Business Acumen (South Africa Market).
• Innovation and Portfolio Management.
• Sustainable Agriculture and Regenerative Systems.
• Influential Communication & Thought Leadership.
• Change Leadership and Team Development.

Key Performance Areas

• Agronomic and technical excellence.
• Market & portfolio performance.
• Strategic alignment and execution.
• Customer and channel engagement.
• Innovation and pipeline contribution.
• Team and capability development.

Requirements

Education

• Postgraduate qualification in Agronomy, Soil Science, or a related discipline is essential.
• MSc or PhD in Soil Science, Agronomy, or Crop Science preferred, with a strong grounding in soil fertility, plant nutrition, and crop physiology.

Experience

• 8–10 years of relevant experience in agronomy, crop nutrition, or related technical-commercial roles within agriculture.
• Demonstrated experience in developing and executing agronomic strategies that drive commercial growth and customer value.
• Strong track record in translating scientific principles into practical, field-ready solutions, particularly within fertilizer and/or biostimulant portfolios.
• Experience in driving innovation and product positioning based on sound agronomic research and field validation.
• Proven ability to engage with growers, agronomists, and commercial teams, influencing adoption and building long-term partnerships.
• Experience in horticultural and/or high-value cropping systems will be highly advantageous.
• Exposure to or experience in integrated crop nutrition approaches.