Americas Operations Leader- Vegetables Seed Development

At Syngenta, we believe every employee has a role to play in safely feeding the world and taking care of our planet. To support that challenge, the America’s Seed development team is currently seeking an Americas Operations Leader for Vegetables Seed Development, located in Woodland, CA

Role Purpose

• Station management and effectively lead the Vegetables Seeds Operations (including Nursery, Seeds Production and processing, Lab, Glasshouse, TI activities) organization to deliver on the Vegetable Seeds growth agenda.
• Develop staff and incorporate leading capabilities and technologies in daily operations to bring the highest quality products to market in an efficient and sustainable manner.
• Management of regional activities related to Seeds R&D Operations. This includes functional responsibility for infrastructure and capital improvements, Seeds Trialing and Operations and functional planning.
• Oversee operational efficiency initiatives required for cost and structural re-view/improvements in seeds trialing activities across the region.
• Infrastructure maintenance, capital improvements, seeds processing, field operations and quality operations occurring at the site level in the country.
• Ensure the proper support of all crops and the operational delivery on stations
• Ensures sharing of best practices and conformity to harmonized Syngenta processes, including HSE, Stewardship, Quality Codes of Practice, and compliance with local regulations.

People leadership: # of direct reports 6-8 with overall responsibility for up to ~50 employees (depending on Crop / Region) (indirectly)
Geographic Scope: Region Americas stations:  Woodland – Salinas – Naples - Culiacan

Accountabilities

• Member of the Americas Vegetable SDLT
• In conjunction with the Regional / Local business, contribute to the global and regional SD strategy by the appropriate regional SD input. Ensure alignment and execution against the strategy occurs within the Seeds Trialing and Operations functions.
• Ensure the appropriate capabilities are in place in the region to deliver the agreed strategies and portfolio.
• Ensure appropriate people recruitment, development and retention processes including talent management to grow capability in a sustainable manner
• Ensure that the regional / territorial operating model is coherent and effective by state-of-the-art ways of working.
• Drive quality and efficiency in Seeds Trialing and Operations. Develop and continuously update unit costs for each operational task.
• Develop regional budget submissions with Finance to establish appropriate budgets to deliver the portfolio.
• Support strategy for infrastructure master plan in full alignment with global technology strategies.
• To create and secure a compliant work environment enabling employee engagement having a Great Place to Work

Syngenta is a global leader in agriculture; rooted in science and dedicated to bringing plant potential to life. Each of our 30,000 employees in more than 90 countries work together to solve one of humanity’s most pressing challenges: growing more food with fewer resources. A diverse workforce and an inclusive workplace environment are enablers of our ambition to be the most collaborative and trusted team in agriculture. Our employees reflect the diversity of our customers, the markets where we operate and the communities which we serve. Join us and help shape the future of agriculture.

• MS in Agronomy, Biology or Plant Science
• Good understanding of agriculture, crop management and plant breeding principles
• Thorough understanding of R&D processes and sufficient knowledge to identify the critical issues and engage effectively with people.
• Knowledge of functions supporting R&D, the critical interfaces, and those systems relevant for portfolio/project management and finance
• Sound understanding of commercial and business concepts.
• Strong leadership skills with a history of getting things done without having direct reporting lines.
• Significant experience of complex technical portfolio/project management, ideally in cross-business situations (Crop Protection, Seeds, Biotech).
• Experience in operating independently in a complex matrix environment.
• Well-developed network across  R&D organizations.
• Experience of partnering with regional or global business teams to develop R&D strategy
• Can effectively work in a complex matrix organization.
• Strategic thinking skills
• People skills that will build bridges.
• The ability to influence, build consensus and gain support.
• A high level of commercial acumen to allow effective interaction with downstream business partners.
• Personal resilience and tenacity
• Strong analytical and process skills
• Clear decision-making in the face of conflicting priorities and ambiguity
• Strong influencing skills to lead and mobilize action without direct reporting lines.
• Good communication skills and ability to operate across cultures and geographies, and across businesses where there are few established processes to get things done.
• Negotiation skills to effectively progress M&As or internal re-organizations.
• Always seeks for more efficient ways of doing things.
• Works well in multi-cultural environments.
• Business Improvement mindset
• Efficient communication across the regional organization.
• Winning the support and commitment of staff from across the regional organization to work together to drive operational efficiency and operational excellence at the same time.
• Develop a culture of innovation and agility to deliver the agreed work slate within budget and timelines.
• Optimizing infrastructure footprint according to business strategy
• Foster data driven decision in operations.
• Develop effective working relationship with regional and Global Business Partners (including R&D, P&S, Commercial, etc.)  counterparts in order to understand and support the business strategy and future needs, stimulate and challenge their thinking with opportunities from R&D.
• Support the regional development of new tools from a user perspective, supporting effectively and simultaneously the technical and human change.
• Willingness to undertake frequent travel within own region.

Preferred Requirements

• PhD (or equivalent expertise) in relevant science with a track-record of delivery of complex multidisciplinary projects.

• Full Benefit Package (Medical, Dental & Vision) that starts the same day you do
• 401k plan with company match, Profit Sharing & Retirement Savings Contribution
• Generous Paid Vacation, 9 Paid Holidays, Maternity and Paternity Leave, Education Assistance, Wellness Programs, Corporate Discounts among others
• Salary Range: $121,000-$173,000
• A culture that promotes work/life balance, celebrates diversity, and offers numerous family-oriented events throughout the year

WL5A

Syngenta is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate in recruitment, hiring, training, promotion or any other employment practices for reasons of race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, sexual orientation, marital or veteran status, disability, or any other legally protected status.
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) (http://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/posters/fmla.htm)
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's (EEOC)(http://webapps.dol.gov/elaws/firststep/poster_direct.htm)
Employee Polygraph Protection Act (EPPA)(http://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/posters/eppa.htm)

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