Product and Genome Design Lead Bayer Vegetable Seeds

Bayer•Bergschenhoek, VA,US

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

As Product and Genome Design Lead, you are at the heart of Bayer's Vegetable Seeds R&D organisation. You lead a globally distributed team of design breeders, geneticists, genomics scientists, and specialists, together building the foundational capabilities that drive tomorrow's seed innovations. You work across crops, technologies, and time zones to ensure our breeding pipelines are powered by the best genomic and predictive tools available.

Requirements

University degree in Breeding, Genetics, Genomics, or a relevant field, with one of the following experience profiles: Bachelor's + 12 years | Master's + 10 years | PhD | PhD + 6 years
Proven people management experience in complex, international research environments
Deep technical expertise in genomics and quantitative genetics with a strategic mindset
Ability to zoom in on the science and zoom out on the bigger picture
Natural connector: build bridges across teams, influence without authority, and align diverse stakeholders around a shared direction
Thrive in a globally matrixed organisation and comfortable navigating ambiguity

Responsibilities

Lead resource planning, prioritisation, and talent management for your team, including recruiting, hiring, coaching, and developing people at every level
Drive the development and application of foundational genomics and quantitative genetics technology across key vegetable crops, enabling genome-wide analysis, predictive breeding, and strategic trait integration
Own the strategic identification and development of molecular capabilities, including SNP and sequencing technology, genome editing, and quantitative genetics methods, fully aligned with Product Development targets
Deploy molecular and predictive breeding capabilities in prioritised pipelines to enable allele tracking and genetic prediction modelling
Partner with Product and Technical Unit Leads to co-design and test new breeding technologies, integrating them into enterprise data analytics and product advancement pipelines
Coach, mentor, and influence technical teams to align on strategic vision in line with Vegetable Seeds and Veg R&D long-term goals, while driving DSO ways of working for career development and dynamic resource flow
Contribute to identifying and developing research partnerships with service providers and academic collaborators
Communicate and educate stakeholders on new genetics and genomics breeding technologies together with your technical experts
Shape organisational and operational vision as an active member of the Vegetables R&D Leadership Community