Seed care Application and Sustainability Manager Syngenta

Company DescriptionAs a world market leader in crop protection, we help farmers to counter these threats and ensure enough safe, nutritious, affordable food for all – while minimizing the use of land and other agricultural inputs.

Syngenta Crop Protection keeps plants safe from planting to harvesting. From the moment a seed is planted through to harvest, crops need to be protected from weeds, insects and diseases as well as droughts and floods, heat and cold.

Syngenta Crop Protection is headquartered in Switzerland.

Job Description

ROLE PURPOSE

• Manage the Seedcare Institute (SCI) and lead application stewardship and seed quality services to the seed industry and farmers.
• Promote and develop Seedcare stewardship and Sustainability Strategy.
• Support the demand creation for Seedcare products through demo trials for the key Seedcare customers.
• Leadership and management.

Accountabilities

• Manage the Seedcare Institute (SCI) Laboratory activities in the BA and build a SCI strategy to support the BA Seedcare 5-year plan ambition.
• Take lead and be the Project Manager in the relocation and re-designing of the Seedcare Institute (SCI) from its current location.
• Conduct small-scale seed treatments, design recipe for customers and monitor application quality based on SCI quality control (QC) tools and standards.
• Provide tailor-made seed application services based on individual customer needs.
• Train customers on application technology and trouble shoot on application problems at seed companies’ factories.
• Establish and deploy Syngenta Seedcare quality standards and products to all assigned existing customer and prospective accounts.
• Co-ordinate on-farm seed treatments with CP KAMs leveraging support from Seedcare Application Specialist and Seedcare Marketing Lead.
• Develop on-farm application quality monitoring support tools in season.
• Promote Seedcare Stewardship standards to ensure good and safe use of Seedcare products at seed industry and at farmers levels.
• Take ownership of the Seedcare plastic waste management initiatives in Zambia and Zimbabwe to reach 100% recycling of Seedcare plastics.
• Develop a platform and associated tools to fight against fake seed in the seed industry.
• Champion and shape Sustainability for Seedcare in BA and beyond
• Support Seedcare solutions demand creation by running successful demo trials:
• Ensure effective liaison with CPD colleagues (Technical Field Experts and Technical Product Leads), agents and Key Account Managers (by following the correct channel procedure) to secure proper site selection and site management prior to, during and after the trial/s.
• Conduct data collection, compilation and reporting to the Seedcare team at the set required time points as provided for in the protocols guide.
• Responsible for maximizing the purpose of each trial, for example data collection and in field product promotions with relevant parties as agreed with the Seedcare team and presenting findings to Seedcare Team.
• Stay abreast of market, trade and competitors’ activities in order to revise strategies and meet changing requirements for the seed industry.
• Ensure all customers are handled and serviced within accepted Syngenta policy and standards with the use of Salesforce.com.
• Participate in field days/expositions and in industry events, execute product campaigns agreed with Seedcare Head for EASA and be an active member of the EASA Seedcare Team
• Be an active member of the AME Seedcare Institute Team and champion stewardship.
• Drive safely and lead by example for driving excellence.

• Understand seed processing activities.
• General Marketing practices and dynamics including Product Life Cycle Management and Digital marketing.
• A member of Agricultural Institute of Zambia (AIZ).

Critical Skills

• In depth understanding of the agriculture industry in Southern Africa especially the seed industry.
• Strong project management skills a must.
• Self-starter with a high-level of self-drive, integrity and proactiveness.
• Capability to work across teams with different functional roles.
• High level of computer literacy (Power Point, Excel, Word).
• Excellent communication skills, written and verbal, and presentation skills.
• Ability to collaborate effectively across organizational and functional boundaries.
• Multicultural sensitivity, diversity and capability to multi-task.
• Strong Agronomic, marketing, and commercial skills.

Critical Capabilities And Behaviours

• Ability to “create” and “connect” in order to exploit opportunities.
• Understands customer needs.
• Fostering a mindset change with high level of integrity.
• Eager to learn and apply.
• High ethic and transparent working style.
• Ability to work independently.
• Flexible and mobile (willingness to travel between Zambia, Zimbabwe & Malawi with ease).

HSE Critical Capabilities

• Completes the work processes according to the Syngenta HSE Policy, Safety Standards and Environmental policy.
• Complies with the Syngenta BA Driving Policy.

Additional Information

Critical success factors & key challenges:

• Transform and shape the market to increase technology adoption.
• Change perceptions and image of seed applied technologies.
• Collaborate with local teams to leverage all existing industry relationships.
• Work in matrix organization.
• Gain stakeholder support.