Northern Indiana Regional Pool Manager

Location – This is an outside role, which means that you will work at a distance in the La Grange, Indiana area. Expected travel is up to 25% which includes trips to our offices in Wisconsin 4 times/year.

Remote

Employee Type – Salaried

Bonus Eligibility – No

Safety Sensitive – Yes

If a company is going to make a difference in today’s world, it’s going to have to think differently. At Organic Valley, our philosophy and decisions are based on the health and welfare of people, animals and the earth. We’re a mission-driven cooperative, owned by family farmers, and we’ve been leaders in organic agriculture from the very beginning. Once pioneers of organic agriculture, we’re now an established leader. Organic is all we do. We are driven by our mission to promote regional farm diversity and economic stability by the means of organic agricultural methods and the sale of certified organic products.

Summary Of Role

The Regional Pool Manager team is a national team of 22 that collectively manages over 1,400 dairies spanning 25 states.

The Regional Pool Manager holds the critical role of advancing the Cooperative’s mission and strategic direction through augmenting the member-owner experience, providing superior customer service, and managing risks by ensuring compliance with all dairy pool’s policies and standards. Furthermore, this position is responsible for finding and securing the future milk supply to foster growth and profitability of the co-op and its member-owners. This is a safety sensitive role.

Essential Duties And Responsibilities

• Foster member-owner engagement, communication, and loyalty by conducting annual farm visits for each member-owner within assigned region. This position entails the supervision of [Insert number] dairies.
• Safeguard the business and integrity of the brand by ensuring member-owner compliance with CROPP Cooperative’s policies and standards encompassing areas such as animal care, farm conditions, pasture management, milk quality, and organic standards.
• Tactfully and respectively provide guidance and coaching to member-owners on enhancing farm management practices that contribute to the overall success and viability of their farm.
• Promote continuous education and foster a community of knowledge sharing among farmers within the region through the strategic planning, hosting, and presenting of topics identified by the regional pool manager at in-region farmer and member-owner meetings.
• Plan, execute and facilitate high stakes, farmer meetings with CROPP Cooperative executives, Board of Directors, and farmer leaders when necessary to promote collaboration, cooperation and understanding.
• Act as a pivotal conduit for stewarding the business’s messages, updates and strategy to the region while maintaining open lines of communication from the region to the business, encompassing member-owner insights, feedback and information from industry partners and competition. This significantly contributes to well informed decision-making by staff in leadership and the Board of Directors.
• Manage risk by ensuring member-owner paperwork compliance and adherence to legal obligations.
• Perform comprehensive on-farm audits, including animal care, pasture, feed integrity, and farm conditions.
• Inform member-owners in advance of their IMS survey and advise on actions to take for compliance.
• Lead cross-departmental collaboration with CROPP Cooperative’s milk quality staff and industry partners to promote and enhance on-farm milk quality excellence within assigned region.
• Point of contact for member-owner within region served for on-farm quality troubleshooting and support.
• Tactfully and respectively provide guidance and coaching to member-owners on quality practices that contribute to the overall success and viability of their farm.
• Oversee and analyze milk supply production levels within region and proactively advise the member-owner on corrective measures if necessary. This strategic approach aims to safeguard the member-owner from potential pay price deducts and enables the business to gain a more accurate understanding of the actual supply volume for improved demand and forecasting accuracy.
• Effectively communicate field intelligence to the business that could impact milk supply such as climate changes, crop yield reports, feed quality, feed sourcing and competitor pressures.
• Conduct thorough evaluations of prospective farmers and provide recommendations to the Milk Management Team, contributing to a well-informed decision-making process that aligns with the Cooperative’s milk supply needs.
• Participate at field days, workshop, conferences and similar events within the region, actively pursuing partnership opportunities.
• Maintain a prominent, professional presence that exemplifies the Cooperative’s values and image. Cultivate and strengthen relationships in the dairy industry encompassing both the organic and conventional agriculture sectors.
  
  

Additional Duties And Responsibilities

• Create quarterly work goals in support of the business’s strategic plan.
• Seek out and participate in continuing education that supports professional development and skill building.
• Complete 25% of your work plan each business quarter.
• Complete monthly expense reports.
• Maintain strict confidentiality in relation to business matters as well as interpersonal matters among member-owners.
• Foster member-owner leadership development by identifying and evaluating the talent in addition to recommending a path to advance their leadership skills.
• Contribute when requested with feedback and recommendations on the Cooperative’s dairy pool policies and standards.
• Other duties as assigned by supervisor.
  
  

Knowledge, Skills, And Abilities

• 5 - 7 years of experience within agriculture or related industry required.
• Bachelor of Science degree in Dairy Science, Agriculture, or commensurate experience is required.
• Experience in developing, managing, and maintaining a large volume of farmers/customer base.
• Practical dairy & livestock experience strongly preferred.
• Knowledge of organic production systems and organic certification standards.
• Knowledge of milking equipment function and design.
• Experience with on-farm milk quality trouble shooting.
• Ability to work in teams and independently.
• Navigates comfortably in a complex environment and succeeds in building and maintaining effective relationships.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, collaboration and facilitation skills required.
• Demonstrates flexibility, open-mindedness and adaptability in a rapidly changing environment.
• Must be a self-starter, with initiative to work under limited supervision.
• Seeks and welcomes feedback and responds to coaching.
• Demonstrate strong presentation and interpersonal skills.
• Excellent time management skills and the ability to prioritize project/requests appropriately.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite with the ability to learn new software related to position.
• Ability to travel with overnight stays throughout the year.
• Ability to work after business hours and on weekends as needed.
  
  

Base salary range: $73,424.00 - $97,104.80 per year

This salary range is exclusive of fringe benefits. The compensation package may also include incentive compensation opportunities in the form of discretionary bonuses. If you are hired at CROPP, your final base salary compensation will be determined based on factors such as geographic location, skills, education, and/or experience. Additionally, we believe in the importance of pay equity and consider the internal equity of our current team members as a part of any final offer. Please keep in mind that entry-level candidates to this role should expect to be at the lower end of the salary range and hiring at the maximum of the salary range is not typical.

Benefits

We believe when our people are strong, our mission is strong. Therefore, we offer a comprehensive and holistic Total Rewards package meant to strengthen employees’ and their family's total wellbeing. Here are some of the great benefits offered:

• Comprehensive Health Insurance - Choice of plans for you and your family, including some that can be paired with an HSA (which CROPP contributes to on your behalf)
• Supplemental insurances: we offer accidental insurance, critical illness insurance, and hospital indemnity insurance.
• Time Off – 136 hours in the 1st year of employment prorated by start date. Plus 9 paid holidays, plus one floating holiday to use at will.
• 6 Weeks Paid Parental Leave – For all gendered partners in childbirth or adoption.
• Company provided vehicle.
• Vision & Dental Insurance – Free annual eye exam, discounts on glasses/contacts, flexible dental network, adult ortho.
• 401k – We match 100% up to the first 3% of an employee’s contribution, and then 50% for 3.1%-5.0% of employee contributions.
• Free services at five local Neighborhood Family Clinics.
• Tuition Reimbursement – Up to $1,500 per year to support continuing higher education.
• Life Insurance - $50,000 policy funded by CROPP for each employee. Supplemental voluntary coverage available for employees, spouses, and children.
• Short-Term & Long-Term Disability/AD&D Insurance - $50,000 of life insurance coverage of $50,000 of AD&D coverage funded by CROPP for each employee.
• Employee Assistance Program - Free and Confidential for employees, spouses, and dependents.
• Free biometric screenings (cholesterol, glucose, blood pressure) and health coaching.
• Financial advisors and seminars
• Annual $360 Lifestyle Spending Account
• Flexible Scheduling