R&D Scientist 1

Role Background

This role serves to support the Crop Protection Field Development (CPFD) mission of collaborating and partnering with Product Biology and Product Marketing to deliver the biological results on the US development program.

Role purpose

Be part of a collaborative agricultural science research team at the Eastern Region Innovation Center and an active participant in the Crop Protection Field Development Eastern Region.

Accountabilities

• Be part of a collaborative research team implementing early-development research trials, focusing on insect control research.
• Conduct and coordinate quality efficacy trials, contributing to the biological profiling and label development of new and registered product concepts.
• Contribute to or lead project planning and defining experimental objectives; ensuring trial implementation; generating or acquiring data and information.
• Summarize trial data and provide development recommendations, identify development opportunities for product label expansion, new uses and new solutions.
• Coordinate trials with university, extension cooperators and contract research organization, to assure appropriate representation and recommendation of Syngenta products and solutions.
• Provide technical support and training; coordinate demonstration trials for internal and customer training/education.
• Provide technical data and information in support of special local, state and regional labeling actions.

Critical success factors & key challenges

• Generate critical data to support business objectives.
• Timely and complete reporting of information.
• Ability to work collaboratively with other on-site Syngenta scientists.
• Strong organizational skills to complete large field programs.
• Successful interaction with peers and technical management.
• Conduct quality in-house field trials.
• Proactive and Innovative. 
• Required to work beyond normal work day hours.  Travel is required (25%).
• Develop an effective network of contacts inside and outside of Syngenta. 
• Understanding new procedures, working to optimize the efficiency of CPFD and other departments within Syngenta.

Knowledge, experience & capabilities

Critical knowledge

• Analytical, organizational, and people skills.
• Knowledge of statistical analyses.
• Oral and written communication, and presentation skills, flexibility in shifting among projects.
• Critical thinking, skilled with the use of PC hardware and software applications, particularly spreadsheet development and word processing.

Critical experience

• Ph.D. (or M.S. with equivalent years of experience) in one of the agricultural sciences such as weed science, entomology, or plant pathology/nematology, with training and experience in applied sciences.  Entomology training and experience preferred.
• Experience conducting biological field trials to evaluate the efficacy and crop response of insect, disease, weed control and plant growth regulator products and related experimental techniques. Must have basic farming skills, and hands-on experience with agricultural planting, tillage, and spraying equipment.

Critical technical, professional and personal capabilities

• Skilled in interacting and communicating with internal and external customers and peers.
• Self-motivated, and have excellent time management skills.
• Customer-Focused – we focus our actions on our customers’ needs; we develop and sustain strong customer relationships.
• Innovative – we generate innovative solutions; we challenge the status quo and push boundaries; we try different and novel ways to deal with work problems and opportunities.
• Decisive – we draw conclusions and choose a timely course of action based on relevant facts, constraints and probable consequences.
• Communicative – we clearly convey information and ideas; we encourage open and continuous communication; we are keen to listen and learn.
• Trusted – we develop and maintain an environment of openness, trust and integrity; we gain the confidence our stakeholders.
• Team-Oriented – we actively participate as members of a team to move the team toward completion of goals; we collaborate effectively across organizational boundaries.
• Results-Oriented – we deliver on our commitments; we set inspirational goals and work tenaciously to reach or exceed them.

Critical leadership capabilities

• Collaborates across boundaries
• Focuses on stakeholders and customers
• Manages for performance

Additional information

• All applicants must be eligible to work in the US.

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)

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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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• As a world market leader in crop protection, we help farmers to counter these threats and ensure enough safe, nutritious, affordable food for all – while minimizing the use of land and other agricultural inputs. Syngenta Crop Protection keeps plants safe from planting to harvesting.  From the moment a seed is planted through to harvest, crops need to be protected from weeds, insects and diseases as well as droughts and floods, heat and cold. Syngenta Crop Protection is headquartered in Switzerland.