Veg Americas Portfolio & Project Lead

About Us

Through leading innovations, we help farmers around the world meet the challenge of feeding a growing population and taking care of our planet. We are currently seeking a Regional Portfolio and Project Lead for our Woodland, California Global Vegetables Headquarters. 

Role purpose  

The Regional Project and Portfolio (PP) Lead is a versatile and highly skilled strategic partner, providing valuable insight to support investment decisions and value creation in the assigned region. The Regional PP Lead promotes clarity, transparency, and alignment across all projects and all crops in the assigned region.
As the Regional PP Lead, you will coordinate your work with the Veg Seeds Development Regional Leadership Team to ensure strong and effective functional planning is happening in alignment with the global Vegetables & Flowers operating framework, strategy and projects. You will also work closely with the Global Vegetables Portfolio Head & Team to drive processes, timelines and data standards locally, in alignment with global Vegetables standards.
A critical component of this role is to bring transparency of resources and activities to support Regional Leadership fact-based decision making, using global tools and data standards. This role will help to drive efficiency in operations by ensuring optimal resource allocation across projects and initiatives in the portfolio. You will partner with business and functional units to support and drive project and portfolio management for regional breeding programs and strategic initiatives. You will ensure alignment and prioritization in accordance with the Regional /Global business strategy and growth plans. 

Accountabilities 

• Conduct portfolio and scenario analyses required to enable data driven decision making by regional and global leadership teams. Align management of projects and initiatives in region with global portfolio management practices and reporting requirements
• Drive the annual operations planning process in assigned region in line with the global process and timelines to translate strategy into operational planning
• Implement strong project management capabilities in the region, ensuring the projects are delivered according to schedule and budget with an appropriate level of risk
• Track progress against budget and productivity targets using standardized metrics and other indicators that provide project and portfolio transparency to ensure alignment of the regional portfolio with global functional capabilities, capacity and business needs.
• Drive effective collaboration between global and regional stakeholders while seeking continuous improvement opportunities
• Ensure standardization in ways of working throughout assigned region in line with global Vegetables & Flowers standards
• Structure the Regional Management & Business Review (MBR) and Regional Leadership Team meeting to ensure efficient and effective team outputs
• Support standardized ways of working within Region (e.g Data visualization support) 
• Provide oversight of ongoing projects and strategic initiatives in the region, facilitate regular reporting of progress and outcomes, prepare scenario and sensitivity analyses, and make recommendations for presentation to Regional and Global leadership

Global Interaction:
Role reports to: Regional Vegetables SD Head Americas 
Collaborates with Global Vegetable Portfolio Team, Vegetables &Flowers R&D functional partners, business partners, and management team

Impact To Business: 
Role reports to: Regional Vegetables SD Head Americas
Drives efficiency in Region through supporting appropriate project selection, prioritization. Ensures alignment to global data standards and processes. Supports project management in the regional breeding pipelines and selected strategic initiatives.

Critical skills, success factors & key challenges 

• Experience in working with multiple data sources / lakes and providing visualization solutions
• Analytical and agile mindset to function in and respond to a rapidly changing business environment
• Manage and influence stakeholders across regional and hierarchical boundaries
• Ability to deal effectively with organizational complexity and ambiguity
• Willingness to challenge status quo and take calculated risks to drive positive change
• Location to be close to Regional Head (Woodland, CA)

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree required 
• Demonstrated experience of managing by influence
• Proven ability to successfully deliver critical business and R&D objectives, initiatives, and projects
• Project and portfolio management competence to prioritize and deliver objectives in a complex, cross-functional, multi-site, and highly technical environment
• Significant stakeholder management experience is a must
• Proven ability to lead with purpose, clarity, and impact in a complex global matrix organization

Preferred Qualifications: 

• Master’s degree or higher
• Financial / analytical background an advantage
• 10+ years of project management experience 
• Cross-cultural/international work experience preferred
• Working knowledge of R&D workflows and operations is a plus

Critical Leadership capabilities
Steps beyond comfort zone: manages risk and is able to work with uncertainty; supports teams and individuals to work at their creative edge
Manages performance to ensure high standards: senses and adapts to changing environments to achieve excellence in delivery

Additional information – 
Some travel may be required
Hybrid working model supported
Team culture important as role is part of a Global Portfolio & Project team as well as part of Regional LT
 

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
• Syngenta offers paid vacation plus 9 Company Holidays per calendar year.
• 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)

#LI-MD1

#LI-Hybrid
 

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. No matter what your position, you will have a vital role in safely feeding the world and taking care of our planet. Join us and help shape the future of agriculture.