Sourcing Lead - Crop Protection

Company Overview

Farmers Business Network, Inc. (FBN®) is a pioneering digital marketplace and farmer-to-farmer network dedicated to empowering family farmers globally while promoting sustainable agriculture. With over 117,000 members, FBN’s Farmers First® promise unites growers and ranchers in their quest to maximize profitability and increase food production. FBN leverages data, AI and direct-to-farm delivery to simplify the agricultural supply chain, boosting convenience and transparency, reducing farm input costs, enhancing access to financing and services, and providing personalized farm insights.

Its Gradable® joint-venture helps thousands of farmers adopt and earn rewards for regenerative practices while simplifying the access of regenerative products for the world’s leading food companies and grain buyers.

FBN Marketplace is expanding its third-party supplier ecosystem, where external partners compete to serve farmer demand through a scalable platform. Reporting to VP of Category Management, the CP Sourcing Lead is the single-threaded owner for third-party supply of Crop Protection products within FBN Marketplace. This role consolidates supplier sourcing, supply coordination, negotiation, and performance management for non-manufactured products. In a lean operating model, this role functions as the primary third-party supply capability, partnering closely with Marketplace, Category Management, Demand Planning, Finance, and Logistics to ensure the right products are selected, funded, and available to meet farmer needs.

This is a senior individual contributor role with broad accountability for outcomes, not people management.

• Serve as the single-threaded owner for third-party supply execution across FBN Marketplace for Crop Protection products
• Consolidate supplier sourcing, commitments, and execution in a lean operating environment
• Act as the central point of accountability for third-party product availability, timing, and readiness
• Resolve third-party supply issues end-to-end without reliance on a dedicated supply team
• Achieve savings targets by deploying appropriate negotiation strategies, such as bids, sharing price intelligence, and securing multiple supply options.

• Own end-to-end relationships with third-party CP suppliers across all non-manufactured products
• Lead supplier identification, evaluation, onboarding, and ongoing management
• Negotiate commercial terms including pricing, payment terms, rebates, and service levels
• Maintain clear supplier expectations aligned to Marketplace demand and operational constraints

• Partner with Category Management to determine:
• Which products are sourced vs. internally manufactured (GCS)
• Which suppliers participate in each category
• Support assortment rationalization to reduce complexity and improve execution
• Ensure suppliers are operationally ready for new product launches, promotions, and seasonal demand

• Work with Category Management on preferred model, ie, Vendor Stock on Demand or Direct Purchase
• Work closely with Demand Planning to align forecasts, buy quantities, and replenishment strategies
• Translate demand signals into supplier commitments and purchase plans
• Identify and mitigate supply risks including lead times, shortages, substitutions, and supplier constraints
• Adjust buy plans dynamically based on in-season demand and supplier performance

• Partner with the Demand, Supply Chain and Logistics teams to execute inbound, storage, and drop-ship strategies
• Ensure third-party products are positioned appropriately to meet customer delivery expectations
• Coordinate timing, quantities, and fulfillment methods with logistics and demand partners
• Act as the primary escalation point for third-party supply execution issues

• Partner with Finance to manage cash requirements and working capital for third-party purchases
• Track replacement COGS on a weekly basis
• Balance product availability with disciplined cash management
• Track margin performance…