Seedcare Technical Specialist

Role purpose

•Lead all technical-related operations to support and achieve the Seedcare 5-year ambition
•Design demand generation trials and research to support the RSA Seedcare Strategy, New Product Introductions (NPI’s) and sales support
•Create and strengthen relationships with internal and external stakeholders
•Shape the future of Seedcare P-A-S (Product, Application & Services) offers through innovation in collaboration with the Seedcare Institute and Seedcare Marketing Lead

Accountabilities

•Technical assistance, product and application training related to seed treatments to sales force and customers
•Arrange and facilitate preparation of demonstration tools and marketing materials (petri dishes & rhizotrons inoculated with pathogens, time-lapse videos showcasing benefits of Seedcare products
•Arrange report-back workshops to present and discuss demonstration trials (in-field or laboratory) to support commercial decisions
•Conduct seed safety, compatibility tests and efficacy studies of various seed treatment products, including biological solutions
•Coordinate with Crop Protection Development team and the Seedcare Institute to ensure availability of seed and seed treatment products to support new registrations trials
•Establish good relationships with all internal and external stakeholders, e.g. Distributors, agents, growers, Industry related organisations, etc.
•Keep abreast of market, industry and competitor activities in order to adapt to changing environments
•Identify and evaluate new business opportunities to increase Seedcare market share in a highly competitive environment

Knowledge, Skills & Experience

Critical Knowledge

•Tertiary education in Agriculture, i.e.  plant pathology, entomology, agronomy or equivalent. Post-graduate degree will be an advantage.
•Sound understanding of the seed industry, crop protection, Seedcare, and on the farm activities
•Well-rounded understanding of commercial and product development concepts 
•Deep knowledge and understanding of crop agronomics 
•Familiarity with relevant crop agronomy, seeds- (where applicable) and pest control practices.
•Thorough understanding of technical characteristics of seeds, crop protection and biological solutions
•Product development, product screening and/or agronomic research 

Critical Skills
•In depth understanding of the agriculture industry
•Ability to deliver outputs working across a complex range of interfaces
•Ability to maintain standards and technical integrity
•Engage and collaborating with stakeholders to support Syngenta sales.
•Identify opportunities, recognize threats and to be pro-active (problem identification and solving)
•Ability to work independently
•Self-starter with a high-level of self-drive
•Planning and organizing
•Strong networking and relationship-building skills 

Critical Experience

•Good understanding of the seed and seed treatment industry
•Experience in the application of crop agronomics and technologies and their contribution to the financial drivers of a grower's business Demonstrated capability in agronomy excellence and applying capabilities to support commercial operations.    

Critical success factors & key challenges

•Ability to “create” and “connect” in order to exploit opportunities
•Strong technical and commercial skills
•Understands customer needs
•Fostering a mindset change 
•Lead & manage change that positively engages and inspires
•Learning agility

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.