About Syngenta

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. 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.

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 Scientist- Plant Breeding, Lettuce for the Seeds Development/ Vegetables team based in Salinas, California.    

Role purpose

• development of lettuce varieties for targeted markets
• lead nursery, trialing and other breeding program activities
• implementing strategies that aid in the development of commercially successful varieties as well as ensure that all activities act to drive genetic gain and the long-term success of the breeding program
• implement breeding strategies, marker breeding techniques, and population and variety performance prediction methods to optimize the program

Accountabilities

• Maintain and develop a product development portfolio in line with market segment requests and business planning, addressing short-, medium-, and long-term market segment needs 
• Perform all tasks in a manner compliant with and in support of all safety and stewardship related company policies and practices, including completing all required training courses. 
• Communicate effectively and regularly with peers and supervisors regarding status of projects and work activities, raise awareness of issues that could affect meeting project objectives and business goals. 
• Develop awareness of market needs for commercial products throughout all primary market areas and be able to translate those into breeding targets. Interactions with BTS and product Development Specialist colleagues to anticipate product performance gaps and contribute to a research plan to address these gaps. Continuous learning to understand changing market needs.
• Interaction with Sales/Commercial team to understand the nature of any product performance anomalies. Provide information to these groups to assist them with their decision-making processes. 
• Develop expertise in crop biology, germplasm and critical trait priorities. 
• Contribute to crop strategy and product profiles development in relation with market segment teams. 
• Develop and deploy new breeding technologies and methods. Implement data driven decision in every part of the breeding program. 
• Use analytic and data science tools, and predictive models for product selection and genomic selection. 
• Provide meaningful input on variety advancement decisions. Work with market segment teams to ensure appropriate selection criteria and target product profiles are being applied. 
• Responsible for a quantitative assessment of pipeline performance in alignment with market needs: Generate reports/tables/charts to highlight to other functions and management how product performance is measured over time or in comparison to check varieties in a current growing season. Determine rates of genetic gain for different product pipelines in Market segments through mining of phenotypic data. 
• Collaborate with Trait Development Leads and Genetic scientists to identify and develop marker-trait associations, innovative traits, germplasm management: Participate actively in discovery projects. 
• Collect field notes on agronomic traits on breeding materials including pathology traits. 

Requirements

Knowledge, experience & capabilities

• PhD. / MS degree and demonstrated competency in Plant Breeding, Plant Physiology, Plant Science or related areas; preferably with 2-5 yrs+ relevant postdoctoral or industry Plant Breeding experience.

• Knowledge and experience in conventional plant breeding techniques, germplasm management, diversity analysis, experimental design, quantitative genetics, and statistical analysis including prediction theory.
• Good understanding of the fundamentals of genome wide (GW) and marker assisted breeding approaches. Explore ways to implement these approaches to improve efficiency of breeding program. 
• Ability to work in a team-oriented atmosphere with strong communication skills. Ability to generate reports for other scientists to use in decision making. 
• Results oriented and driven to deliver commercially successful varieties to meet market targets.
• Relentless focus on improving genetic gain. Implementation of new analysis approaches or field designs to assist with this improvement. 
• Integrate a team with different expertise areas to drive data driven decisions. 
• Inclusive working approach within a team of culturally diverse colleagues. 
• Ability to support marketing teams on best growing practices and market positioning based on phenotyping, environmental data analysis, and modelling.
• The incumbent will lead the disruption of the conventional breeding processes through innovation. Creativity, fast learner and ability to influence are critical personality capabilities for this role

Additional information

• Regional and international travel required.
• Operates in a team setting, working independently on a section of the breeding project for which they have authority but coordinating activities with other team members.
• Ability to work under adverse environmental conditions
• Employee may, as part of his/her role and maybe through multifunctional teams, participate in the creation and design of innovative solutions. In this context, Employee may contribute to inventions, designs, other work product, including know-how, copyrights, software, innovations, solutions, and other intellectual assets.

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
• Generous Vacation Policy plus 9 Paid Holidays
• Maternity and Paternity Leave, Education Assistance, Wellness Programs, Corporate Discounts among others
• Salary Range: $91,200- 114,000
• A culture that promotes work/life balance, celebrates diversity, and offers numerous family-oriented events throughout the year

WL4A

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.

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