Trialing and Product Placement Scientist

About Us
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 Market Segment Team within Seeds Development is currently seeking a Trialing and Product Placement Scientist, to be located in Nampa, Idaho. 
Role Purpose

• Be a high impact team member with Market Segment Leads (MSL), Germplasm Development Scientists (GDS), Product Development Specialists (PDS), and Regional Portfolio Managers. 
• Product Placement Scientist (PPS) are key technical contributors to variety promotion from R&D to Pre-commercial.
• Manage, and drive excellence in R&D trialing activities for vegetable crops, with a focus on Large Seed Vegetables for the US West, as prioritized by the Market Segment Team.   
• Build your knowledge of regional markets, customers, crops, and management needs, and create an industry best network of customer-focused collaborations. 
• Apply your knowledge of customer needs and product performance to be a strategic thought partner for Germplasm Development and Product Development teams.     
• Successful delivery of the role will result in high quality data and analysis on crop phenotypes, trial environments, and crop x environment interactions to optimize selection, placement, and success of new crop varieties, and ongoing optimization of trialing strategies and methods.
   

Accountabilities

• Manage on/off site trialing and deliver quality data to support product advancement decisions.
• Deliver advancement and product placement recommendations based on portfolio needs, variety performance, environmental data, and other technical data metrics at Market Segment levels.
• Work with the MSL and GDS in making a yearly plan for trials. 
• Organize external (off-station) trials with growers in their crops.
• Organize internal (on-station) trials with station managers as needed to support crop evaluations and pipeline.
• Prepare and negotiate contracts with growers for trials based on a standard Syngenta agreement.
• Select grower fields and/or greenhouses for trials in line with targeted customer segment and general trialing needs.
• Visit grower field at critical steps of a season to execute or manage sowing, planting, harvest, and evaluations.
• Collect trial evaluation data according to trial protocols and team needs.
• Provide data, analysis, recommendations on the performance and placement of materials from all trials.
• Use proprietary and commercial databases and systems to plan trials, collect, manage, analyze, and visualize data.
• Organize and lead Product Advancement Tours (PAT) with GDS, MSL, PDS, Portfolio Managers and Sales Representatives to present trials and new product candidates. 
• Enhance knowledge of performance and placement of Syngenta Vegetable Seeds products and new crop varieties.
• Build and maintain positive contacts and collaborations with seed dealers, growers, and processors to understand customer needs & practices. Apply this knowledge to improve trials, trialing plans, and selection of high performing germplasm.
• Establish On-Farm collaborations with key customers to enhance a customer centric culture, and to deliver solutions to our customers faster by exchanging data and information.
• Follow Biosafety, Health, Safety and Environment (HSE), compliance and ethics, and the quality system requirements according to Syngenta internal standards
• Contribute to achieving the company sustainability targets.

Requirements

• MSc in Horticulture, Agriculture, Plant Breeding and Plant Genetics, or a related field, plus 3 years of experience with relevant crop and field work. 
• Relevant knowledge about plant genetics and breeding.
• Knowledge of and experience in field trialing design and theory, principles of statistical analysis of phenotype and environment data.
• Proficient in English (verbally and in writing)
• Knowledge of agronomy and growing techniques
• Travel between 25- 50%
• Proficient in MS office Suite
• Analytical skills and mindset.
• Effective communication with internal and external stakeholders
• Summarizing experimental results, synthesizing analyzed data into product and market knowledge, and clearly communicate conclusions and recommendations. 
• Deep technical knowledge about vegetable crops.

Preferred Requirements

• Ph.D. in Horticulture, Agriculture, Plant Breeding and Plant Genetics, or a related field. 
• Experience in plant variety trialing, preferably in vegetable crops.
• Experience in capturing and analyzing environmental data as part of field trialing and product placement recommendations.
• Experience in agricultural technologies and applications for crop production.
• Experience in working with growers and related companies or functions in the vegetable production or value chain.
• Understanding the vegetable market and crop specifications. 
• Basic understanding of plant breeding principles.
• Basic understanding of modeling.
• Experience working in international environment.
• Experience in making public presentations. 
• Experience in statistical analysis software, e.g., SAS, JMP, R, Python.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS OF THE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:  
Capable of working in high or low temperature conditions in field or greenhouse.  Capable of lifting up to 50 pounds.  Capable of working long hours during time-critical periods of the growing season

WORKING CONDITIONS WHILE PERFORMING ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:
Field, greenhouse, laboratory, office.  Domestic and international travel required with occasional overnight stays. Stays at off-season production/nursery locations may extend to two to three weeks.  Potential allergens pollen, fungal spores, chemical pesticides in the field or greenhouse.

Seasonal travel to off station testing locations, project meetings.  Domestic and international travel required with seasonal overnight stays.
 

What We Offer:

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

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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About Syngenta
Syngenta is a global leader in agriculture; rooted in science and dedicated to bringing plant potential to life. Each of our 28,000 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.