Responsibilities
Variety Trialing Lead

• We’re looking for a Trialing Scientist who will lead commercial variety advancement and development as it aligns with the business trait and germplasm priorities.
• This position will collaborate closely with internal and external potato breeders to develop and select varieties.
• They will support development and implementation of performance and quality testing programs to capture environmental data, phenotype data and define experimental designs that support robust data-driven decisions, strengthen go to market messaging and inform breeding models.
• This position will collaborate across senior business leaders in commercial, supply chain, procurement, processing, R&D quality, and consumer insights to understand needs, develop strategies and work with breeding and crop technology teams to ensure a pipeline of business relevant solutions.
• In this role, the individual will also be responsible for supporting grower needs by providing variety specific growing information/practices to the local procurement/supply chain partners.

Accountabilities:

• Developing, coordinating, and delivering the South Africa variety testing plans to develop and select varieties that meet the business defined product profiles.
• Creating a phenotyping and yield trial program that supports commercial decisions, delivers data to the global breeder center, and facilitates go to market value propositions, delivering on sustainability and consumer targets.
• Developing collaborative relationships with internal partners including the breeding team, trait discovery team, and variety specific agronomy crop technology team.
• Supporting the development of product profiles with input from the processing, quality, sensory, business, supply chain, and procurement teams.
• Be center point for variety qualification approval committee in South Africa driving final alignment on varieties that advance to becoming part of the portfolio of options for growers to produce for PepsiCo.
• Develop and maintain external breeding partnerships to identify, test and validate the progression of new varieties through commercial approval in South Africa.
• Collaborate with R&D Ag Science sector trialing teams understand region specific variety performance to maintain current data on local varieties into the global Pepsico Variety Catalog.
• Identify and implement process improvements, that work to achieve more with less, or more expeditiously and generating optimum processes for variety testing, qualification and commercial approval for use.
• Align and track resources, people, and work objectives, that stretch goals to always achieve more, while creating value.
• Achieving successful outcomes and timelines, while consistently following guidelines, rules, standards, and compliance. Monitoring, tracking, and maintaining desired outcomes and objectives preparing for future challenges.

Qualifications

• A PhD (with >5 years experience or MSc +10y experience in an ag seed or chemical company) with plot trial experience preferably in potato, crop trait valuation, strategic needs assessment, trait/variety portfolio management, commercial agronomy and/or technology development of new variety solutions
• Previous experience executing/managing trials working to support development and implementation of performance and quality testing programs to capture environmental data, phenotype data and define experimental designs that support robust decisions, strengthen go to market messaging and inform breeding models.
• Experience in leadership and understanding of strategy, brand management, sales and market analysis.
• Have specialized knowledge of variety testing, statistical experimental design, field plot technique, statistical data analysis and interpretation, plus reporting is required.
• Possess excellent communication skills, verbal and written; ability to productively interact with people at all levels across the organization.
• Ability to travel ~20% of the time domestically