Agriculture Specialist - Scotiabank, Calgary

Position summary

This role contributes to the overall success of the Agricultural segment of the Business Banking department in Canada, ensuring specific individual goals, plans, and initiatives are executed in support of the team's business strategies and objectives while following governing regulations, internal policies, and procedures. The Agriculture Specialist is responsible for focused profitable sales of both credit and non-credit products to agriculture customers and prospects in business banking, including the self-development of an extensive network of referral sources through effective community involvement strategies within an assigned territory. You will develop and expand profitable high-value client borrowing relationships in the $1MM to $3MM range.

What you'll do

As part of your day-to-day activities in this business banking and sales career, you will drive agriculture market initiatives and customer acquisition through the following responsibilities:

• Proactively hunt, acquire, and develop relationships with prospects, high value small business customers, and centers of influence, including targets for new customer acquisition.
• Develop and maintain relationships with Retail Banking, Commercial Banking, Agriculture Account Managers, and Wealth Partners in order to provide a coordinated market approach to Agriculture Services in the assigned territory.
• Acquire new Agriculture customer relationships through involvement in industry events and relationships with local farmers, Agriculture businesses, centers of influence, and Scotiabank partners and associations with a footprint in the local market.
• Maintain and grow a portfolio allocated in discussion with your Agriculture Market Lead to provide a base within your assigned territory and support market development activities, including servicing and annual reviews for assigned clients.
• Focus on the needs of businesses in the agriculture sector, aligning sales, products, risk policy, and market strategies to deliver solutions specific for individual needs in accounts, operating services, credit, lending, and deposits.
• Be the champion for a customer-focused culture to deepen client relationships and leverage broader Bank relationships.
• Grow the Business Banking agriculture portfolio through new rural business acquisition at an acceptable level of risk.
• Plan and complete relationship-building activities that create sales and revenue opportunities for new business.
• Provide specialized Agriculture expertise and business and finance advice which increases the small business owner's ability to succeed in their business.
• Proactively promote Scotiabank’s image within the agricultural community through participation and leadership in community business groups and market events.
• Effectively authorize, renew, or decline customer requests within standard Bank policies and authorized limits.
• Prepare and ensure all documentation is properly prepared and accounts adhere to the conditions of authorization.
• Understand how the Bank’s risk appetite and risk culture should be considered in day-to-day activities and decisions.

Skills and experience

To qualify for this opportunity within our banking network, candidates should meet the following background and capability requirements:

• Experience in the field of Canadian Agriculture (educational or working).
• Post-secondary education at the University or College level in Accounting, Finance, Business, or Economics, or equivalent work experience.
• Strong knowledge of business financial statements, especially the Agriculture segment.
• Working knowledge of competitor offerings and alternate sources of financing.
• Working knowledge of economic conditions and political events affecting small business, especially the Agriculture segment.
• Proven success in sales, marketing, and business development.
• The ability to build and maintain key relationships, along with the ability to influence and persuade others.
• Tactical planning, implementation, and organization skills with a high degree of flexibility to adapt to a wide variety of tasks and functions.
• The ability to become a trusted advisor to clients by identifying underlying customer challenges and proposing holistic solutions that add value.