Collaboration & Technology Delivery Lead

Syngenta Group • Durham, NC

9d • Onsite

About The Position

At Syngenta, our goal is to build the most collaborative and trustworthy team in agriculture, providing top-quality seeds and innovative crop protection solutions that improve farmers' success. To support this mission, Syngenta is seeking a Collaboration & Technology Delivery Lead in Durham, NC. This role will drive operational excellence in R&D collaboration execution and technology deployment across Seeds R&D, ensuring active collaborations meet strategic objectives through rigorous governance, milestone tracking, and cross-functional alignment.
The Collaboration & Technology Delivery Lead will be responsible for maintaining collaboration standards, assessing technology development execution, and facilitating strategic decision frameworks that connect technical plans to pipeline outcomes, serving as a key connection between technical teams and R&D leadership, ensuring cross-functional collaborations and technology deployment strategies remain aligned with Seeds R&D priorities through technical plan quality control and business case evaluation. They will partner closely with the Technology & Collaborations Manager, providing technical assessments, decision support, and execution oversight across the collaboration lifecycle.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Plant Sciences, Genetics, Biology, Biotechnology, Agronomy, or related field; Master's or PhD preferred.
• Minimum 10-15 years in Seeds R&D with demonstrated progression in breeding, trait development, genomics, or technology deployment roles.
• Deep technical expertise across multiple Seeds R&D technology domains with ability to credibly evaluate diverse technical approaches.
• Proven track record managing complex, multi-stakeholder projects or collaborations with accountability for technical and commercial outcomes.
• Strong experience in project governance, stage-gate processes, and cross-functional coordination in matrix organizations.
• Demonstrated ability to assess business cases, evaluate ROI, and connect technical capabilities to strategic priorities.
• Excellent analytical skills to synthesize complex technical, financial, and strategic information into clear recommendations.
• Strong financial acumen and experience with budget management and resource allocation in R&D contexts.
• Exceptional stakeholder management and influencing skills, with ability to drive alignment without direct authority.

Nice To Haves

• Technical expertise in emerging breeding technologies (gene editing, genomic prediction, AI/ML, digital agriculture).
• Experience with intellectual property strategy, freedom-to-operate analysis, and patent landscape evaluation.
• Background managing external collaborations from negotiation through execution with academic or industry partners.
• Publications, patents, or conference presentations demonstrating technical thought leadership.
• Familiarity with enterprise systems (SAP/SAC, Fusion) for financial tracking and portfolio management.

Responsibilities

• Establish governance for Seeds R&D collaborations (stage-gate criteria, milestone acceptance standards, data/reporting quality, and audit-ready documentation).
• Monitor execution vs. timelines/deliverables/budget using portfolio health metrics; partner with project leads, finance/PMO, and licensing to manage risks, dependencies, and compliance.
• Assess development and deployment plans at stage gates (readiness evidence, scalability, robustness/reproducibility, and commercial/regulatory pathway fit).
• Partner with breeding, trait development, regulatory, commercial, and IP/licensing experts to resolve execution gaps, align interfaces, and de-risk delivery.
• Facilitate data-driven stage-gate decisions with domain and R&D leaders, framing options, trade-offs, and recommendations based on evidence.
• Capture decision rationale/assumptions and track follow-through; partner with teams to drive actions, risk mitigations, and timeline adherence.
• Lead diligence on prospective partners/solutions with scouting and domain experts (scientific merit, validation quality, maturity, delivery capability, and key risks).
• Coordinate with IP/legal and regulatory specialists to assess FTO/IP constraints and risk posture; inform valuation, deal structure, and risk allocation.
• Translate Seeds R&D strategy into roadmaps and capability requirements, using execution insights from the collaboration portfolio.
• Partner across functions/geographies to identify gaps or redundancies, harmonize standards/ways of working, and share best practices.

Benefits

• A culture that celebrates belonging and collaboration, promotes professional development and strives for a work-life balance that supports the team members.
• Offers flexible work options to support your work and personal needs.
• Full Benefit Package (Medical, Dental & Vision) that starts your first day.
• 401k plan with company match, Profit Sharing & Retirement Savings Contribution.
• Paid Vacation, Paid Holidays, Maternity and Paternity Leave, Education Assistance, Wellness Programs, Corporate Discounts, among other benefits.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees