Global Research Manager Seed Production

Are you an experienced Global Research Manager looking to take the next step in your career? Are you passionate about coaching, motivating and developing high performance teams in seed research and innovation? Enza Zaden is a leading global company specializing in the development and production of high-quality vegetable varieties. As part of our expansion plans, we are looking for a Global Research Manager Seed Production to join our dynamic and ambitious team. 

In this role, you’ll be responsible for developing and executing research plans and strategies to optimize the yield, quality and health of incoming seeds from seed productions. To ensure that the research portfolio is balanced to meet Enza Zaden’s strategic needs, you will collaborate with the global breeding, seed production and quality control teams. Strong external networks enable you to stay at the frontier of technological developments.    

The team you will be leading conducts research, generates knowledge and insights and develops technologies and protocols. Focus areas include general plant biology, reproductive biology, seed production protocols, determination of optimal harvest time, seed producibility, plant pathology, plant disease epidemiology and integrated disease and pest management. Generating and combining high quality datasets enables data-driven insights and solutions for healthy, high-quality seeds and optimal seed production. 

The Enza Zaden culture is one that encourages professional competencies. We have a flat organisational structure with short communication lines. Ideas are valued, and great ideas stand to win an Innovation Award. We work in multi-disciplinary project teams and like to learn from each other. 

Your power 

To be successful in this role, you will need a strong background in seed research and innovation, as well as experience of leading and developing high performing teams. You should also have excellent communication skills and be able to work effectively with internal stakeholders and external parties. 

In addition, the geographical scope of this role is global and you will be working at a strategical/tactical level. In short, you are or have: 

• A Masters degree or PhD in a relevant scientific field and additional business training 

• At least 12 years of relevant experience of which minimum 5 years in (people) management position and 3 years in (seed production) research (or during PHD)  

• High collaborative working skills and leading processes with teams of different managerial levels  

• Excellent communication and presentation skills in English and preferably in Dutch 

• Ability to analyze and work with complex problems and large sets of data and consolidate and summarize  

• No problem with occasional international travel  

Being Part Of The Enza Zaden Family Means  

Enza Zaden is an independent family business with more than 2500 colleagues. Sounds special? It is! As a biotech breeding company innovation is key and our focus on innovation and development has made us big. This also applies to our people! We are growing fast and there is plenty of room for you to grow with us but we always stay focused on personal contact.  

 
How do we convince you to join us? We offer: 

• A purposeful position for the real research fanatic that want to make real impact. You will contribute to our vision of granting people anywhere in the world access to healthy, varied vegetables. 

• A challenging and motivated data-driven organization, where every stakeholder recognizes the great importance of research. 

• Room for new initiatives and ideas. Our opportunistic and pragmatic culture provides always open doors for your ideas! 

• Pleasant colleagues, fun activities and an ambitious and informal culture. 

• A market conform salary depending on your experience. 

• 26 vacation days with the possibility to buy additional ones; 

• A laptop and phone; 

• Flexible working, where you are partly in the office to work with colleagues or can do focus work at home. 

Interested? 

If you are looking for an exciting opportunity to lead and develop a talented team while delivering top-quality seed products, then we want to hear from you! Apply now to join our team at Enza Zaden. 

Our Power 

Enza Zaden is a vegetable breeding company that develops vegetable varieties. And produces and sells its seeds all over the world. To explain to you properly (and as briefly as possible) what we do, we have created an animation

The goal of our work? Giving everyone worldwide access to healthy and varied vegetables. With more than 2.500 passionate colleagues around the world, we work together every day on tomorrow's vegetables.

Would you like to know more about Enza Zaden as an employer? Then take a look at the Careers & Learning page or view our page on LinkedIn.