About the job

Reporting to the Portfolio Director, the General Manager (GM) oversees daily operations and organization performance of AVS.

With both a strategic and operational focus, the GM, through an innovative and diverse team, will understand, direct, execute, and communicate the value of AVS. Using exceptional communication, problem-solving and decision-making skills, you efficiently execute while leading and engaging a team of internal resources, external partners, and a variety of stakeholders. You exhibit strong resiliency while navigating through the unknown, charting and executing a path forward. You are an expert at facilitating conversations and collaborating with people from various backgrounds to find creative and innovative solutions.

Primary accountabilities include:

  • Execute the strategic, business, and operational plans by working with the Portfolio Director, management leads, teams, Board, and other stakeholders
  • Lead and develop staff including creating a safe and respectful work environment which supports continuous learning and innovation
  • Negotiate agreements and further relevant partnerships with strategic partners and stakeholders
  • Develop and manage positive relationships with suppliers and customers
  • Provide executive direction to the AVS administrative responsibilities and functions, including the development of policies, programs, financial controls, standards, and regulatory functions; evaluate the policies, programs, and structure of the AVS
  • Provide executive oversight of the financial and budgetary functions
  • Establish systems and metrics to report AVS’s progress towards short- and long-term goals; communicate results to stakeholders, and partners, to facilitate assessment/improvement of the organization’s performance
  • Identify, assess, and mitigate risks to the strategic and operational plans, including risks to the physical, financial, and human resources, and to the credibility and reputation of AVS

This is an exciting opportunity to establish yourself as a hands-on thought leader, to chart a path forward that enables AVS to continue to grow and serve its customers. Join an organization that translates data into decisions that drive real change.

The individual

As a member of the Arkansas Valley Seed Management Team, the General Manager is responsible for managing the day-to-day operations to ensure health and safety, sales, production, financial performance, and human resources objectives are met. As such, you bring the following:

Education:

Undergraduate degree in a relevant field supplemented by lived experience

Experience:

  • 8+ years of progressively influential and collaborative leadership experience managing established and developing teams
  • Experience with the development and execution of long and short-term strategic priorities, with an ability to monitor and assess the strategy, its components and assumptions, pivoting as required
  • Proven operational accountability for day-to-day management decisions and implementation of work plans
  • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills; communicates effectively with a wide range of audiences and presents financial information in an audience-appropriate manner
  • Demonstrated ability to act with high standards and integrity at all times
  • A high sense of urgency to move projects forward and make operational improvements; action and goal oriented
  • Adaptable and understands a complex and constantly changing business environment; able to keep pace with a company going through significant growth and change
  • Solid analytical and quantitative abilities, problem solving and decision-making skills
  • Familiarity with and perhaps lived experience within the seed or agriculture industry
  • Demonstrated project management
  • Experience including working with a Board: a practical understanding of the principles of Board governance and effective practices of executive Board support

Competencies:

  • Flexible, informed, and quick to assess and provide direction around challenges and opportunities
  • Action-oriented; deals with situations and issues proactively, seizing opportunities that arise
  • Highly accountable and results-oriented while creating a common purpose and direction
  • Innovative and continuously embraces a ‘what’s possible’ mode of thinking; challenges the status quo and encourages responsible risk-taking
  • Consensus builder: influence, negotiate and creatively manage issues to resolution
  • Effectively prioritizes tasks and projects while transparently communicating priorities
  • Data savvy, assessing the impact of decisions, and modifying course of action as needed; informs decision-making with sound understanding of context, data, and evidence
  • Strong integrator to facilitate cross-functional effectiveness

Location:

AVS’s head office is in Denver, Colorado; we also have a site in Rocky Ford, Colorado (travel will be required as such). Given the hands-on nature of the GM opportunity, we encourage applications from individuals comfortable working on-site (Denver).

Inclusion:

AVS is an Equal Opportunity employer committed to diversity in the workplace. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, gender identity, or any other factor protected by applicable federal, state or local laws.

Compensation and benefits:

The position provides a competitive package that aligns with the skills and competencies of the individual, and includes extended health coverage, flexible work/life policies, vacation, sick and personal leave, and retirement benefits.