Head of Business Development, Agricultural Retail & Distribution

Our client, an Ontario-based biotech startup focusing on advancing sustainable agriculture and farming practices, is seeking an experienced Business Head, Agricultural Retail & Distribution to lead the growth of their retail, wholesale, distribution and e-commerce business across North America.

The successful candidate will take ownership of the registered product portfolio, including Rootmax, Tricho Pro, Super Microbes and Universal Microbes. You will expand the Company's presence across Amazon, direct-to-consumer platforms, the Partner Portal, physical retailers, distributors and commercial accounts.

This is an opportunity to build a scalable, multi-channel commercial business - taking the Company from a primarily online seller to a recognized biological-products brand available through garden centres, nurseries, agricultural retailers and distribution partners.

Employment Type: Permanent Full-Time

Location: London, Ontario 

What You'll Do  

Retail and Distribution Strategy

• Develop and execute the overall retail, wholesale and distribution strategy for the Company.
  
• Build a multi-channel commercial plan covering e-commerce, Amazon, direct retail, wholesale, distributors and commercial accounts.
  
• Identify priority markets, customer segments, product categories and geographic regions.
  
• Establish annual revenue, margin, account acquisition and distribution targets.
  
• Develop a clear market-entry strategy for garden centres, nurseries and agricultural retailers.
  

Offline Distribution Development

• Build a network of retailers, distributors, wholesalers and commercial resellers.
  
• Develop relationships with independent garden centres, nursery groups, hydroponic retailers, farm stores and horticultural suppliers.
  
• Negotiate commercial terms, pricing, margins, minimum order quantities and promotional programs.
  
• Create retailer onboarding, merchandising and sales-support programs.
  
• Develop regional and national distribution partnerships.
  
• Build a sales pipeline for case-quantity and pallet-quantity customers.
  
• Attend relevant trade shows, retailer meetings and industry events.
  
• Travel across Canada and the United States, and occasionally internationally, to meet with retailers, distributors and commercial partners, attend trade shows and support market development activities.
  

E-commerce and Digital Growth

• Lead the continued growth of the Company's Amazon and direct-to-consumer business.
  
• Improve product visibility, conversion rates, advertising performance and customer retention.
  
• Develop strategies for the company website, online marketplaces and digital sales campaigns.
  
• Coordinate search advertising, social media, email marketing, content marketing and marketplace promotions.
  
• Use customer and sales data to improve targeting, product positioning and marketing return on investment.
  
• Ensure consistency between online pricing, retail pricing and distributor pricing.
  

Partner Portal and B2B Customer Acquisition

• Lead the commercial development of the Company's US Partner Portal.
  
• Build campaigns to attract commercial growers, landscapers, retailers, resellers and agricultural businesses.
  
• Develop a structured process for business-account registration, qualification, onboarding and conversion.
  
• Create wholesale pricing tiers for case, pallet and recurring-volume customers.
  
• Establish account-development programs to increase repeat orders and customer lifetime value.
  
• Coordinate with the operations team to ensure accurate inventory, fulfilment and customer support.
  

Sales and CRM Leadership

• Implement and manage a structured CRM system for retail, wholesale and commercial accounts.
  
• Build sales funnels, account stages, follow-up processes and performance dashboards.
  
• Track leads, conversion rates, average order values, repeat purchases and account activity.
  
• Develop sales forecasts and monthly business reviews.
  
• Recruit, train and manage sales, customer service, digital marketing and channel-development personnel as the business grows.
  
• Establish clear targets, incentives and accountability across the commercial team.
  

Product and Market Development

• Develop channel-specific positioning for the Company's biological products.
  
• Work with the technical and regulatory teams to ensure product claims, labels and marketing materials remain compliant.
  
• Recommend pack sizes, bundles, pricing and promotional programs for different customer segments.
  
• Gather feedback from retailers, distributors and end users to guide product development.
  
• Identify opportunities for new products, private-label programs and channel partnerships.
  
• Develop educational materials that help retailers and customers understand microbial and biological products.
  

Commercial and Financial Management

• Take ownership of revenue growth, gross margins and commercial operating expenses for the division.
  
• Prepare annual business plans, budgets and forecasts.
  
• Evaluate channel profitability and customer acquisition costs.
  
• Develop pricing structures that protect margins while remaining attractive to retailers and distributors.
  
• Manage promotional spending, retailer incentives and digital marketing budgets.
  
• Provide regular reporting to the CEO and leadership team.
  

Requirements

• 10+ years of experience in retail, wholesale, distribution, e-commerce or commercial sales leadership.
  
• Demonstrated experience building or significantly expanding a retail or distribution network.
  
• Experience in lawn and garden, horticulture, agricultural inputs, fertilizers, biological products, plant nutrition, hydroponics, consumer packaged goods or specialty retail is required.
  
• Strong knowledge of digital marketing, online marketplaces, CRM systems and sales management.
  
• Experience working with physical retailers, distributors, wholesalers or reseller networks.
  
• A proven record of delivering revenue growth and developing new commercial channels.
  
• Experience managing Amazon or other major e-commerce marketplaces.
  
• Strong commercial negotiation, pricing and account-management skills.
  
• Experience developing and managing sales teams.
  
• Strong understanding of inventory, fulfilment, retail margins and channel economics.
  
• Ability to operate strategically while remaining directly involved in execution.
  
• Willingness and ability to travel regularly for business across Canada and the United States, with occasional international travel, as required.
  

What Success Looks Like

Success in this position will be measured through:

• Retail and wholesale revenue growth
  
• Number of active retailer and distributor accounts
  
• Number of Partner Portal business accounts
  
• Business-account conversion rate
  
• Case and pallet sales volume
  
• Amazon and e-commerce revenue growth
  
• Customer acquisition cost
  
• Repeat-order rate
  
• Average order value
  
• Gross margin by channel
  
• Geographic distribution coverage
  
• Number of physical points of sale carrying Company products
  
• Sales pipeline value and forecast accuracy
  

During the first 12 months, the Business Head will be expected to:

1. Complete a full review of the existing retail, Amazon and wholesale business.
   
2. Develop a North American retail and distribution growth plan.
   
3. Establish a prioritized list of retailers, distributors and commercial customer segments.
   
4. Build a structured CRM and account-development process.
   
5. Accelerate adoption of the Company's Partner Portal.
   
6. Secure initial regional retail and distribution partnerships.
   
7. Expand the number of physical locations carrying the Company's products.
   
8. Develop a repeatable commercial model for case and pallet sales.
   
9. Build a commercial team and supporting systems where required.
   
10. Establish clear monthly reporting on revenue, margins, pipeline and account growth.
    

Leadership Mandate

This role is not limited to managing existing online sales. The Business Head will be expected to build a new commercial growth engine for the Company.

The objective is to transform the company from a primarily online seller into a recognized multi-channel biological-products business with strong online sales, an active wholesale customer base and broad availability through garden centres, nurseries, retailers and commercial distribution partners.

Benefits

• Opportunity to work with cutting-edge biological solutions in a fast-growing sector.
  
• Be part of an innovative biotech startup with growth opportunities.
  
• Continuous training and development in microbial and biological inputs.
  

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