Business Development & Economic Analysis Manager

Business Development & Economic Analysis Manager

American Crystal Sugar Company is seeking a motivated, strategic, and forward-thinking leader to join our team. This high-impact role offers a unique opportunity to influence business strategy, drive innovation, and build the experience and leadership capabilities needed for future advancement into senior and executive leadership positions at our Corporate Office in Moorhead.

The purpose of this position manages the business development function to generate, screen, evaluate, propose, and execute new business ideas and related marketing strategies to increase the profitability of American Crystal. Typically, business ideas are closely related to American Crystal's core business of manufacturing sugar from sugarbeets and are focused on new value-added product innovations as well as key processing inputs. The development of these innovative business ideas results in increased ACS shareholder value.

Plans and conducts economic research and analysis on behalf of the Company, making tactical and strategic recommendations based on the results. Drives strategic cost management initiatives within the Company. Acquisition and joint venturing partnerships analysis are additional key accountabilities.

The principal accountabilities for the Business Development Analyst include, but are not limited to the following:

• Lead and promote a positive work culture through Company Values of Safety, Integrity, Quality, Teamwork, and Accountability.

The key areas of accountability include the following:

• Increase shareholder value with new value-added product innovations as well as key processing inputs and other innovative methods of expanding profit margins of our existing products, including cost savings and revenue enhancement opportunities. New opportunities are core to American Crystal or related to the core of our existing business of producing sugar from sugarbeets.
• Idea Generation, Screening and Evaluation Ideas are generated from a thorough understanding of the sugarbeet industry and the production of sugar, as well as networking ideas from within American Crystal, industry competitors, related industries, business contacts, university and the scientific communities. The incumbent will develop a more extensive evaluation for profit opportunity which can include consultation with industry experts, personnel within American Crystal, market data surveys and analyses or preliminary engineering studies.
• Proposal Generation Ideas meeting internal rate of return and profit opportunity thresholds during the evaluation phase, move forward as business proposals requiring approval of the Operating Committee. Proposals developed by the incumbent include budgets, timelines, financial analysis and other resources required through implementation, as well as the internal rate of return and shareholder value of the business ideas.
• Execution The incumbent manages the implementation process and brings the idea to commercial status, concluding with the hand-off to the process owner.
• Provide business development status reports and recommendations to the Vice President - Finance and Operating Committee. The CEO/President and Operating Committee approve initiatives for development and execution. The Board of Directors is kept informed and projects requiring capital investments will also require Board approval.
• Provide economic and financial analysis
• Conduct analysis on and generate alternative approaches to Farm Bill, Trade Agreements and other legislative provisions and recommend options to maximize the company's profitability. Farm Bill, Trade Agreements and other legislative provisions can impact American Crystal by $10 million or more annually; therefore, the analyses are critical in establishing the Company's strategy.
• Completes economic impact assessments of company and industry trends, developments and options and advises management on the implications. These assessments provide a foundation for the establishment of overall Company strategy.
• Manage various cost management initiatives to drive efficiency throughout the Company. Benchmarks and analyze costs inside and outside of the Company.
• Manage Company decisions and information regarding the USDA hundredweight sales allocation system to maximize growers' on-farm profits.
• Track industry developments and develops cost curve models to maintain accurate portrayal of the Company's competitive position and environment.
• Conduct financial analysis of potential business acquisitions which may range to $100 million.

Other duties as assigned.

The Business Development and Economic Analysis Manager has a high degree of latitude to direct projects, recommend company strategy and develop diversification opportunities with frequent project requests directly for the CEO.

To be successful in this position requires seasoned business and operations knowledge normally gained through the completion of an engineering, accounting, finance, or a business degree, with a preference for completion of an MBA program, as well as 10 or more years of experience in a related field. In depth knowledge of the sugarbeet industry and the processing of sugar or similar process manufacturing is also required. This position requires an entrepreneurial and creative individual with well-developed managerial, financial and communication skills as well as the business savvy required to lead such a function. The incumbent must also be able to interact well with people in a business and social setting, as close contact with top management of diverse companies and groups is routine.