Drive Agricultural Innovation: Field Production Lead Syngenta India

Field Production Lead - India

SE Production Operations, Syngenta Seeds

Location: Pune, India

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Job Description

ROLE PURPOSE: Driving Excellence in Vegetable Seed Production Across India

The Field Production Lead for India is a pivotal role within Syngenta Seeds' SE Production Operations. This position is crafted for a dynamic and experienced professional dedicated to spearheading the development, optimization, and leadership of vegetable seed production across an assigned region within India. The incumbent will be instrumental in forging robust grower networks, championing innovative production methodologies, and ensuring the delivery of high-quality, timely, and cost-effective vegetable seeds to meet Syngenta's ambitious business objectives. This role demands a strategic thinker with strong operational acumen, capable of influencing and collaborating across diverse internal and external stakeholders to foster sustainable growth and technological advancement in seed production.

• Leadership in SSV Vegetable Seed Production: Take charge of SSV (Syngenta's own varieties) vegetable seed production activities within the designated country/region, ensuring operational excellence and strategic alignment with global objectives.
• Grower Network Development & Maintenance: Cultivate and sustain a robust network of growers and vendors, essential for establishing and enhancing vegetable seed production capabilities, fostering long-term partnerships, and ensuring supply reliability.
• Continuous Production Network Improvement: Innovate and implement advanced production techniques and strategies with growers and vendors to continually elevate the efficiency, quality, and output of the seed production network, aligning with Syngenta’s evolving needs.
• Strategic Area & Grower Identification: Proactively identify and develop new production areas and cultivate relationships with new growers/vendors to secure and expand long-term production capacity and diversify the supply base.
• Contribution to Regional Production Strategy: Play a key role in shaping the regional vegetable production strategy, contributing insights and expertise to deliver sustainable, long-term business objectives.
• Cross-functional Collaboration: Work in close synergy with critical internal departments such as Global Supply and Production Solutions (GSPS), Pathologists, Direct Procurement, Plant Operations, Quality Control, Breeders, and Marketing & Sales (MoMs) to ensure seamless execution and integrated strategy.
• Country Leadership Team Membership: Be an integral part of the Country Vegetable Seeds Production Leadership Team, contributing to strategic decision-making and overall leadership.
• Standardization & Professionalization: Drive the advancement, professionalization, and standardization of operational procedures and best practices across all SSV crops.
• Production Model Implementation & Innovation: Successfully implement established production models and develop novel, collaborative working methodologies with global supply chain and procurement teams.
• Seed Production Planning & Delivery: Oversee the meticulous planning and dependable delivery of all assigned seed production targets.
• Male Flower & Pollen Supply Management: Organize and scale up the supply of male flowers and pollen, along with post-harvest operations, to fortify reliable supply chains and ensure intellectual property security for varieties in scope.
• Healthy Young Plant Supply: Orchestrate and execute the production and supply of healthy young plants for all India production orders, instituting robust intellectual property security systems.
• New Product Introduction (NPI) Production: Guarantee secure and reliable production of New Product Introduction (NPI) varieties, providing valuable technical data to product advancement and marketing teams.
• Team Recruitment, Training & Development: Recruit, train, and foster the professional growth of both full-time and non-full-time employees, empowering them to achieve set targets and develop their careers.
• Internal Control Compliance: Ensure rigorous adherence to internal control standards across all operational activities, upholding integrity and accountability.
• Budgeted Savings & Pipeline Management: Hold direct accountability for achieving budgeted savings targets and for developing a robust pipeline of future cost-saving initiatives.

ACCOUNTABILITIES: Core Responsibilities for Success

The Field Production Lead will be held accountable for a comprehensive set of responsibilities designed to ensure the operational efficiency, quality assurance, strategic development, and compliance of vegetable seed production. This includes developing and executing production strategies, engaging deeply with field operations, fostering strong communication channels, leveraging data for informed decisions, staying abreast of competitive developments, ensuring environmental safety, promoting personal and professional growth, representing Syngenta with integrity, and meticulously documenting production instructions.

• Production Strategy Development: Formulate comprehensive production strategies tailored for each crop and location within the assigned area, focusing on achieving optimal production reliabilities, uncompromised quality, and timely delivery.
• Gap Analysis & Correction Plan Implementation: Systematically identify discrepancies between current operational practices and established production strategies. Develop and execute corrective action plans in close collaboration with relevant stakeholders to bridge these gaps.
• Regular Field Visits & Partnering: Conduct frequent production field visits, actively partnering with field production staff to ensure trial data accuracy and business relevance. Engage with sales teams and customers to gain profound insights into customer needs and market demands.
• Stakeholder Communication & Engagement: Establish and maintain robust communication channels with various internal Syngenta functions, including Research and Development, Global Crop Protection Solutions (GCPS), Supply Planning, Operations, Marketing & Sales (MOM), Parent Seeds, and Quality Control. Extend communication to external sectors, including the broader seed industry and academic institutions.
• Data Analysis & Reporting: Undertake thorough data analysis, preparing insightful reports and presentations for both internal departments and external customers, facilitating data-driven decision-making.
• Competitive & Technological Awareness: Maintain a proactive awareness of competitive advancements, emerging technologies within seed production, and adjacent industries. Monitor external technology institutions to identify, evaluate, and integrate innovative solutions.
• Health, Safety & Environment (HSE) Compliance: Ensure stringent compliance with all Health, Safety & Environment (HSE) regulations and actively champion environmentally sustainable solutions across all operations.
• Personal & Professional Development: Actively participate in Company-sanctioned and/or external training seminars, as mutually agreed upon with the Supervisor, to continuously enhance personal and technical skills.
• Syngenta Representation & Values: Build and foster trust both internally within Syngenta and externally within local communities, consistently demonstrating ethical considerations and upholding Syngenta's core values in all activities.
• Production Instructions & Product Profile Development: Lead the development of comprehensive production instructions and detailed product profiles for all crops cultivated within the assigned region, ensuring clarity and consistency.

Company Description: Syngenta Seeds - Partnering for Agricultural Innovation

Syngenta Seeds is a global leader in agricultural innovation, deeply committed to working collaboratively across the entire agricultural value chain. Our mission is to provide the highest-quality seeds, seedlings, and plants, augmented by cutting-edge technologies and digital services, to farmers worldwide. We operate as a global innovation powerhouse, powered by passionate and expert local teams who engage directly with farmers in every corner of the world. Through these collaborations, we deliver tailored solutions, address critical agricultural challenges, and actively create new market opportunities, ultimately contributing to a more sustainable and productive agricultural future. Our comprehensive network includes farmers, retailers, seed dealers, plant raisers, licensing partners, value chain stakeholders, processors, and consumers, all working hand-in-hand towards shared success.

Qualifications

KNOWLEDGE, EXPERIENCE, CAPABILITIES: The Foundation for Success

Critical Knowledge:

• Educational Background: Master's degree in Agronomy, Plant Breeding, or a closely related agricultural or biological discipline is preferred. Alternatively, a Bachelor's degree accompanied by a significant and relevant 5 years of professional experience in the field will be considered.
• Extensive Seed Production Knowledge: Demonstrated expertise in seed production across a diverse range of crops is highly desirable, showcasing a broad understanding of agricultural practices and genetic principles.
• Budgeting & Standard Cost Proficiency: Solid understanding of budgeting principles and standard costing methodologies relevant to agricultural production, ensuring financial prudence and efficiency.
• Seed Quality Acumen: A deep and nuanced understanding of seed quality parameters and the intricate factors that influence and affect seed quality throughout the production lifecycle.
• English Language Fluency: Excellent command of the English language, both written and verbal, for effective communication in a global professional environment.

Critical Experience:

• Proven Experience in Seed Production: Substantial prior experience in seed production, demonstrating practical knowledge and successful outcomes in managing seed cultivation processes.
• Team & Third-Party Management: Documented experience in effectively managing teams, fostering collaboration, and overseeing third-party suppliers to ensure project delivery and quality standards.
• Organizational Leadership: Proven capabilities in organization, strategic planning, pro-activity, reactivity, strong leadership, flexibility, and availability to adapt to dynamic operational demands.
• Impactful Communication: Excellent communication skills that are impactful, open-minded, and facilitate the easy establishment of rapport and effective engagement with all stakeholders.
• Cross-functional & Multi-cultural Project Management: Demonstrated aptitude for successfully managing cross-functional and multi-cultural projects, navigating diverse perspectives and operational complexities.

Critical Technical, Professional & Personal Capabilities:

• Motivation & Knowledge Sharing: Strong ability to motivate others, coupled with a genuine desire and capability to share knowledge and expertise, fostering a learning environment.
• Creative Problem Solving: Exceptional analytical skills to dissect complex and diverse problem situations creatively, leading to the generation and successful implementation of effective and innovative solutions.
• Project Execution Through Influence: Proficient ability to drive project execution by influencing others, including those in technological domains outside one's core competence, ensuring collaborative success.
• Network Building & Maintenance: Adeptness at establishing and expanding structured networks both within the region and across different regions, fostering collaboration and resource sharing.
• Energy, Drive & Persistence: Possesses high levels of energy, an unwavering drive, and remarkable persistence to overcome challenges and achieve objectives.
• Advanced Influencing & Negotiation: Masterful capability in influencing and negotiation, crucial for securing favorable outcomes and managing stakeholder expectations.
• Excellent Collaboration & Stakeholder Engagement: Outstanding skills in fostering collaboration and engaging effectively with a wide array of stakeholders, building consensus and strong working relationships.
• Financial Acumen in Production: Ability to understand the financial ramifications of various production strategies and contract designs, ensuring economic viability and strategic value.
• Relationship Building Across Teams: Proven capability to establish and nurture strong relationships with business team members, regional teams, procurement partners, and external suppliers.

Critical Leadership Capabilities:

• Strategic Goal Setting: Demonstrated capabilities in formulating and setting ambitious, yet achievable, strategic goals that align with organizational vision.
• Impactful Communication: Ability to communicate with clarity, conviction, and impact, inspiring action and ensuring understanding across all levels.
• Cultivating Innovation: Proven ability to foster and build a culture of innovation within teams and across the organization, encouraging new ideas and approaches.
• People Development: Proficient skills in developing people, nurturing talent, building effective organizations, and committing to continuous self-development.
• Cross-boundary Collaboration: Strong ability to collaborate effectively across geographical, functional, and cultural boundaries, working seamlessly with individuals of diverse backgrounds, genders, and ages.

Additional Information

This role demands a high degree of flexibility and dedication, often extending beyond traditional working hours during critical agricultural seasons. The nature of the work requires a significant presence in the field, involving travel and physical activity. The candidate must be prepared for both domestic and potential international travel, holding the necessary documentation.

• Flexible Working Hours: Ability to work effectively during weekdays, and with eventual requirements for evenings and weekends, particularly during peak season periods such as pollination and harvesting.
• Intense Work Periods: Readiness for periods of intense work at critical times of the year, directly aligning with agricultural cycles (e.g., pollination, harvesting).
• Physical Demands: Capable of walking or standing in fields for extended periods of time, indicating a good level of physical fitness.
• Travel Requirements: Must be able to travel by car or plane, facilitating visits to various production sites and meetings.
• Work Environment Split: Approximately 60% of work will be performed in field locations or during external meetings, emphasizing hands-on engagement. The remaining 40% will be performed in a standard office environment.
• International Travel: International travel is likely, necessitating a current and valid passport.
• Driving License: Possession of a valid driver’s license is mandatory.
• Domestic Travel: Regular domestic travel within India will be required.

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Syngenta is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate in recruitment, hiring, training, promotion or other employment practices for reasons of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, marital or veteran status, disability, or any other protected status.

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