R&D Scouting & Intelligence Lead

Syngenta Group•Durham, NC

2d•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’s Collaborations team is seeking a R&D Scouting & Intelligence Lead in Durham, North Carolina. This role will lead the organization's competitive intelligence, technology scouting, and external engagement activities for Seeds R&D, ensuring strategic decision-making is informed by comprehensive market intelligence and that R&D maintains a strong external presence. This position is responsible for designing and maintaining R&D competitive intelligence (CI) infrastructure, coordinating strategic scouting initiatives with technical teams, and managing R&D's external brand positioning across conferences, partnerships, and innovation events. Drives intelligence-driven insights to leadership, facilitates cross-functional CI governance, and supports collaboration development through expert network management and partnership due diligence.

Requirements

Deep technical understanding of seed breeding technologies, trait development, germplasm improvement, or related agricultural biotechnology fields.
Demonstrated ability to critically evaluate technical literature, patent landscapes, and research capabilities across breeding platforms, genomics, gene editing, phenotyping, and other core Seeds R&D technologies.
Minimum 7-10 years of combined experience in Seeds R&D, competitive intelligence, technology scouting, business development, or strategic planning in agriculture or life sciences.
Proven track record of translating complex scientific and technical information into strategic business insights for cross-functional and executive audiences.
Proven experience designing and managing CI frameworks, analytics tools, and intelligence reporting systems.
Strong financial acumen with demonstrated budget management experience, including allocation optimization and ROI tracking.
Strong experience managing external stakeholder relationships and coordinating multi-stakeholder events and engagements in technical/scientific contexts.
Ability to engage credibly with R&D scientists, evaluate technical feasibility of emerging technologies, and assess scientific merit of potential partnerships.
Excellent analytical and critical thinking skills, with ability to identify trends, patterns, and strategic implications from various data sources.
Strong project management capabilities with ability to coordinate multiple initiatives simultaneously in a matrix environment.
Experience conducting technology assessments and partnership due diligence with strong technical evaluation components.

Nice To Haves

Technical expertise in emerging breeding technologies such as CRISPR/gene editing, speed breeding, genomic selection, high-throughput phenotyping, or digital agriculture.
Experience with intellectual property analysis, freedom-to-operate assessments, and patent landscape mapping in agricultural biotechnology.
Publications or presentations at major scientific conferences in plant science, genetics, or agricultural innovation.
Familiarity with innovation management methodologies and open innovation frameworks in R&D settings.
Experience with CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce, Fusion) and CI platforms.
Proficiency in SAP/SAC or similar financial reporting and budget management systems.
Network of contacts across academic institutions, ag-tech startups, and agricultural research organizations.

Responsibilities

Coordinate internal and external scouting activities on strategic technology targets in collaboration with technical teams.
Identify emerging technologies, innovative startups, and potential collaboration partners aligned with Seeds R&D strategic priorities.
Conduct due diligence on potential partnerships by building and supporting buy/borrow/build analysis processes to enable decision-making by Technology & Collaborations Manager.
Partner with functional technical teams and Collaboration Execution & Technology Development Lead to ensure due diligence includes relevant technical assessments for effective decision-making.
Create new entries in Fusion database for first contacts as the starting point for collaboration proposal development.
Design and maintain enterprise CI infrastructure and analytics frameworks, ensuring insights drive strategic decision-making at all organizational levels.
Lead CI strategic forums and govern CI efforts in cross-functional technical teams to align intelligence priorities with business objectives.
Deliver executive intelligence briefs, competitive trend analyses, and strategic landscape assessments for R&D leadership, disseminating strategic recommendations, actions, and decisions.
Synthesize complex intelligence from multiple sources into actionable insights that inform portfolio strategy, investment decisions, and risk mitigation.
Coordinate Seeds R&D external presence across sponsored events, conferences, workshops, partner engagements, and Innovation Hub tours.
Develop, manage, and optimize the R&D conference and sponsorship budget, ensuring strategic allocation of resources to maximize visibility, partnership opportunities, and intelligence gathering value.
Establish clear criteria and governance processes for conference participation and sponsorship decisions, tracking ROI and strategic impact of external engagement investments.
Develop and implement external engagement strategies that position Seeds R&D as a thought leader and preferred innovation partner.
Manage relationships with key external stakeholders including conference organizers, industry associations, academic institutions, and strategic partners.
Establish governance frameworks, standards, and best practices for CI activities across Seeds R&D.
Partner closely with Technology & Collaborations Manager, technical leaders, and business development teams to align scouting and CI priorities with strategic objectives.
Facilitate knowledge sharing and collaboration across R&D functions, Crop Protection (CP), and Vegetables R&D, to maximize the value of competitive intelligence and external insights.
Build strong partnerships with R&D leadership to ensure CI frameworks and external engagement strategies support research priorities and business needs.
Collaborate with Seeds Strategy, Communications, and legal, etc. to ensure aligned external messaging and brand consistency.

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.

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