Scott Spal
St. Louis,MO
Summary
Accomplished Sr. Product Manager with expertise in product strategy and digital product development at Bayer Crop Science. Spearheaded a $40M revenue-generating product, leveraging agile methodologies and customer relationship management to enhance user experience. Proven leader with a strong focus on innovation and collaboration, driving success across diverse teams and projects.
Overview
16
16
years of professional experience
Work History
Sr. Product Manager
Bayer Crop Science
St. Louis, MO
01.2024 - Current
- Define strategy of global SaaS for 3 world regions for the creation of new digital products.
- Partnered with Engineering to build digital tools to improve farmer customers decision making process and thus overall average yield performance.
- Balanced the constraints of resources and needs of the business to deliver a product that brings value to our customers.
- Owned the product market fit of an individual digital product that generated 40M in revenue.
- Built feedback loops with users, agronomy and sales to understand how product is being used in the marketplace and identify the limitations to its scaling to over 1.6 M acres.
- Established a clear plan for measuring product success and tracked metrics once software launched.
- Curated relationships with all members of the customer facing personnel to ensure feedback flowed directly into versioning of our software.
- Product discovery, market research, customer interviews.
- Management of product strategy, scope and creation of product roadmap.
- Strategic partner in multiple projects to collaborate on vision of product interaction across digital ecosystem.
Digital Model Testing - Team Manager
Climate LLC
St. Louis, MO
01.2021 - 01.2024
- Tested prototype software for digital functionality and model accuracy, from ideation to execution.
- Managed a team of project managers for prioritization of efforts, aligning critical user dates while considering constraints of development.
- Built relationships with customers to test digital products, the underlying models that powered them, and how users interact with information, prototypes to realize outcomes.
- Managed the collaboration between project managers and data scientists that collaborated with sales, agronomy, product, science and engineering to deliver testing and customer feedback of new digital products.
- Development of testing strategy for data science powered agronomic models.
- Management of project scope and cost.
- Leadership of project managers and teams through influence across company divisions.
- Strategic partner in multiple projects defining company goals and objectives.
Product Characterization Manager
Bayer Crop Science
St. Louis, MO
01.2018 - 01.2021
- Managed NA testing strategy for 400 corn hybrid response to density and nitrogen.
- Designed testing strategy to generate large data sets required for model creation and marketing needs.
- Deep partnership with statisticians and data scientist to create the data needed to story of projects.
- Hands-on experience partnering with Agronomists and their customers to align our tests with their field-based workflows throughout the season.
- Strategy and organization of product characterization and management of $2M budget.
- Management of project scope and cost; 2M.
- Leadership through influence across company divisions.
- Protocol development team lead for corn agronomic systems and sustainability initiatives across Bayer.
Research Scientist
Monsanto
St. Louis, MO
01.2012 - 01.2018
- Assay development and optimization for nematode control environment testing including the creation of custom growth chamber automation and software.
- Managed a team of four technicians for the day-to-day operations including mentoring and career development.
- Coordinate and analyze field samples for presence and identification of nematodes.
- Development of custom material for the support of commercial launch of seed treatments.
- Project management and development of assay for identification of bio-control bacteria.
Research Assistant
Spherion / Contract Employee, Monsanto
St. Louis, MO
01.2010 - 01.2012
- Administered testing of nematicides for the Global Bio-evaluations team.
- Developed and maintain various nematode cultures for use in experiments.
- Supported studies in drought tolerance using gas exchange measurements.
- Culturing fungal pathogens and developing techniques and parameters required for use in experiments.
- Development and testing of qPCR technique for the quantification of nematode infestation.
Recovery Team Leader and Shift Supervisor
United States Army
01.2005
- Coordinated the safe recovery and maintenance of vehicles while on mission throughout Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.
- Trained and managed staff of 20 mechanics and personnel; logging mission miles in excess of 1 million.
- National Defense Service Medal – 2004
- Armed Forces Reserve Medal – 2003
- Army Service Ribbon – 2000
- Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal
Education
Master of Science - Biology – Plant Ecophysiologist
West Virginia University
Morgantown, WV12.2012
Bachelor of Arts - Biology
University of Kansas
Lawrence, KS12.2006
Skills
- Product strategy
- Market research
- Agile methodologies
- Data analysis
- Digital product development
- Customer relationship management
Publications Presentations
- Evidence of recovery of Juniperus virginiana from sulfur pollution after the Clean Air Act., Richard B. Thomas, Scott E. Spal, Kenneth R. Smith, and Jesse B. Nippert., PNAS, 2013, 110, 38, 15319-15324, 10.1073/pnas.1308115110
- Patterns of Tamarix water use during a record drought., Nippert, JB., Butler, JJ., Kluitenber, GK., Whittemore, DO., Arnold, D., Spal, SE. and JK., Ward., Oecologia, 10.1007/s00442-009-1455-1, 2009
- Hydraulic Conductance and Photosynthetic Capacity of a Chronosequence of Juniperus virginiana on a Shale Barren in West Virginia, US., Spal, SE. and RB, Thomas., Ecological Society of America. Poster presentation., 2009
Activities
- Above and Beyond Award, 2016, Development of MON 102100 as a Seed Treatment Nematicide
- West Virginia University, Teaching assistant, Teaching assistant of the year, 2009
- United States Army, Recovery Team Leader and Shift Supervisor, Coordinated the safe recovery and maintenance of vehicles while on mission throughout Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom., 2005, National Defense Service Medal, 2004, Armed Forces Reserve Medal, 2003, Army Service Ribbon, 2000, Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal
- Eagle Scout Award, 1996
Timeline
Sr. Product Manager
Bayer Crop Science
01.2024 - Current
Digital Model Testing - Team Manager
Climate LLC
01.2021 - 01.2024
Product Characterization Manager
Bayer Crop Science
01.2018 - 01.2021
Research Scientist
Monsanto
01.2012 - 01.2018
Research Assistant
Spherion / Contract Employee, Monsanto
01.2010 - 01.2012
Recovery Team Leader and Shift Supervisor
United States Army
01.2005
Master of Science - Biology – Plant Ecophysiologist
West Virginia University
Bachelor of Arts - Biology
University of Kansas