Grower Specialist - Central

Sun Gro Horticulture is one of the most prominent North American horticultural companies, employing over 800 staff and serving customers worldwide. Since its humble beginnings in 1929, it has become the leading supplier of soilless growing mixes to North America’s top 100 greenhouse and nursery growers, shipping over 70,000 truckloads of product annually. Sun Gro products are made to exacting standards and conform to high product quality and performance criteria.

Sun Gro Horticulture recognizes that its success is due to the strength of its employees. The primary goal of Sun Gro® is to promote individual employees’ sense of accomplishment and contribution so that employees enjoy their association with Sun Gro Horticulture. The Company invests in its employees so that they are the most knowledgeable in the industry, and undertakes great efforts to nurture loyalty to, and teamwork at, Sun Gro.

Role: Grower Specialist

Location Covered - Central (WV, OH, MI, IN, IL, WI, MN, IA). Remote position requiring 50% travel

Job Summary: Reporting to the Grower Services Manager, the successful candidate will support growers through claim investigation, root cause determination, corrective action, and resolution while partnering with Sales, Quality, Operations, and R&D to deliver differentiated growing solutions and innovation. This role provides technical expertise, customer education, sales support, competitive product evaluation, and quality support to manufacturing facilities while ensuring customer satisfaction and product performance.

Benefits
• Health Insurance (includes teledoc, virtual health, FSA, HCSA & other benefits)
• Dental Insurance
• Vision Insurance
• Life Insurance
• Health Spending Account
• Employee Support and Mental Wellness
• Short term disability
• 401k Match
• Paid vacation
• Floating days
• Employee Assistance Program
• Employee Engagement Events
• Awards and Recognition
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Service Awards
• Employee Perks & Discounts

Job Responsibilities
• Provide sales support through travel with sales teams and technical product training
• Develop and deliver product knowledge training for sales, distributors, and growers
• Review and investigate GC&I claims, determine root cause, and implement corrective actions
• Partner with Quality and Sales to resolve escalated quality issues impacting customer satisfaction
• Assist Quality team with developing and maintaining product specifications and formulations
• Support evaluation and qualification of current and new raw materials
• Validate vendor and manufacturing capability to meet specifications
• Collaborate with Sales and R&D on innovation and new product development
• Participate in competitive product evaluation and testing with Sales, Operations, and R&D
• Support regional raw material sourcing initiatives to reduce cost while maintaining quality
• Provide educational training to internal and external customers
• Deliver technical and quality support to manufacturing facilities
• General housekeeping duties
• Additional duties as assigned by Supervisory staff

Qualifications
• Bachelor’s degree in Horticultural Science or related field (MS or PhD preferred)
• Minimum five years of experience in the horticulture industry, with emphasis on greenhouse and nursery production and mix production site experience
• Strong knowledge of horticulture, greenhouse production, growing media, and plant growth
• Understanding of statistics and experimental design
• Strong public speaking and presentation skills
• Strong interpersonal, negotiation, sales, and analytical skills
• Strong fact-based decision-making skills
• Ability to establish plans and execute effectively
• Demonstrated change leadership and adaptability
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, Word, PowerPoint, digital photography, Internet, and email
• Flexible and adaptable with strong organizational skills
• Fluent in verbal and written English
• Ability to follow direction and specific instructions
• Good communication skills
• Ability to safely perform heavy lifting up to 50 pounds on a routine basis
• Comfortable with standing for extended periods of time
• Must be able to work at heights and in confined spaces
• Must be able to walk and/or stand 90% of the shift