Ruminant Sales Manager - Maxfeed in Canterbury

South Island based role - Canterbury preferred. Maxum Foods is a leading supplier and manufacturer of dairy ingredients across Australia and New Zealand, supporting the food, health and animal nutrition sectors. Through our Maxfeed, incl SprayFo and TruMilk brands, we provide high‐quality calf milk replacers and ruminant nutrition solutions backed by strong technical knowledge, reliable supply, and long‐term customer partnerships.

The role involves taking ownership of Maxfeed's calf milk replacer and ruminant portfolio across New Zealand and Victoria (Aus), combining technical sales and advisory support with disciplined commercial execution. You will be a trusted point of contact for approximately 200 key customers, providing sound nutritional guidance while growing sustainable, profitable sales. This is not a transactional sales role – success comes from credibility, consistency, and long‐term relationships.

What success looks like:

• Strong adoption and performance of Maxfeed calf milk replacers on‐farm
• Profitable revenue growth across the ruminant and CMR portfolio
• High levels of customer trust, retention and repeat business
• Accurate forecasting, pricing discipline and effective CRM use

Key responsibilities:

• Technical sales & customer advisory: Act as a technical and commercial advisor to farmers, providing practical guidance on calf nutrition and ruminant feeding programmes. Support customers with product selection, feeding strategies and performance discussions. Build long‐term relationships through regular on‐farm engagement and follow‐up. Support the adoption of Maxfeed products by demonstrating value, performance and consistency.
• Account management & growth: Manage and grow a portfolio of key farming customers across territories such as New Zealand. Retain existing customers while identifying opportunities to expand product usage. Re‐engage customers who have reduced or stopped purchasing. Prospect and convert new customers aligned to Maxfeed brands value proposition.
• Commercial discipline: Deliver agreed volume and gross profit targets. Support pricing decisions aligned to commodity markets and competitor activity. Contribute to budgets, growth planning and customer contract management. Maintain accurate customer data, opportunities and activity records in CRM.
• Market & brand development: Promote Maxfeed brands technical value proposition and brand positioning. Monitor competitor products and emerging nutrition trends. Provide structured market feedback to support product development and strategy. Support technical, quality and operational engagement between Maxum and key customers.
• Supply chain & internal collaboration: Support Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) through demand forecasting and customer insights. Work closely with procurement, customer service and logistics to ensure reliable supply and service. Assist in minimising excess or obsolete stock. Ensure customers operate within agreed credit terms.

Expected activity: The travel expectation for this role is approximately 30%. All travel is pre‐planned by you and fly or drive. January – March: Upper North Island and Victoria – farm visits. April: South Island – farm visits. May: North Island – key events, conferences, farm visits. June – August: South Island – industry events, KAM and farm visits. September – December: South Island & Victoria - reduced travel activity.

About you: You are technically confident, commercially aware, and comfortable working independently in a field‐based role. You enjoy problem‐solving with customers and take pride in delivering sound, practical nutrition advice.

You will ideally have:

• 5+ years' experience in ruminant nutrition, technical sales, or agricultural advisory roles
• Strong working knowledge of calf nutrition and farming systems
• Experience building trusted relationships with farmers
• Solid commercial awareness and ability to balance technical advice with business outcomes
• Strong communication, organisation and time‐management skills
• A proactive, resilient approach and comfort working in a fast‐paced environment
• A tertiary qualification in Animal Nutrition, Agricultural Science, Agribusiness or similar is highly regarded.

Why join Maxum Foods? Well‐established, respected international brands with strong technical backing. Opportunity to genuinely influence on‐farm performance. Autonomy and trust in how you manage your territory. Supportive, values‐driven organisation focused on long‐term relationships.

To enquire in strict confidence about this position, or to request the briefing information, please phone Deb Francis from AgRecruit on 021 2245 000, or forward your CV with covering letter via this portal by Thursday 2 April.