Senior Scientist - Variety Agronomy

PepsiCo • Rhinelander, WI

9d • Onsite

About The Position

At PepsiCo, we strive to put more smiles on our consumers’ faces with every bite—and we achieve this through robust research and a sustainable approach to raw material production and processing. Come change the way consumers experience food by joining the R&D Ag Science team. You will be part of the North American Advanced Trialing team within PepsiCo’s North America R&D Ag Science Variety Trialing organization. As a Scientist in Variety Specific Agronomy (VSA), you will play a pivotal role in advancing our chipping potato portfolio by designing, executing, and interpreting field and storage trials across North America. Working closely with potato breeders, you’ll help select top-performing varieties and recommend sustainable, high-performance crop practices and technologies. Your expertise in research agronomy and project management will drive innovation across our ingredient supply chain—unlocking data-driven insights that link regional trials to broader global programs. This role focuses on delivering impactful research in agronomy, breeding, and AgTech, including the identification and validation of new varieties and the development of cutting-edge farming practices. Your contributions will be foundational to PepsiCo’s beloved products and instrumental in delivering our Positive Agriculture (Pep+) goals across our global sourcing footprint.

Requirements

• BS with 4+ years, or MS with 2+ years, or PhD with 0-1+ years in Agriculture, Crop Science, Plant Physiology, or a related field
• 5+ years of field research experience in agronomy, AgTech, or sustainable agriculture
• Corporate experience in the Ag Seed, Chemical, or Food industry, preferably with potatoes, grains, fruits, or vegetables
• Strong knowledge of trialing methodology, statistical design, field plot technique, data analysis, and interpretation
• Demonstrated success leading innovative research projects from concept to implementation
• Proven ability to manage multiple, concurrent projects with strong prioritization and attention to detail
• Strong relationship management skills with a network of collaborators in industry and academia
• Strong commercial acumen with a customer-first mindset; understands the business impact of R&D
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills; effective at building trust across diverse stakeholders
• Skilled at developing and delivering high-impact presentations
• Solution-oriented, data-driven decision-maker who thrives in dynamic and ambiguous environments
• Culturally aware team player who collaborates across geographies and disciplines
• Ability to travel domestically 20–30%
• This position is limited to persons with indefinite right to work in the United States

Nice To Haves

• Preferred experience in seed production, supply planning, and storage management

Responsibilities

• Foundational subject matter expertise in identification and advancement of top-performing varieties and practices in potatoes, grains, or other specialty crops, aligned with Pep+ goals.
• Apply advanced expertise in trial design, data analysis, and systems biology to evaluate varieties, practices, and technologies for optimal on-farm performance.
• Own and manage field and storage trials across North America, including trial design, execution, data interpretation, and reporting.
• Collaborate with internal teams and external partners—breeders, growers, CROs, universities, and vendors—to deliver on project goals and timelines.
• Serve as a technical liaison to growers, CROs, universities, and internal teams, ensuring aligned project execution and timeline adherence.
• Bring broad technical knowledge across agronomy disciplines, including fertilizer optimization, microbiome, pest management, and soil health.
• Interpret and communicate experimental results and recommendations to technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Manage contracts and hold external collaborators accountable to deliverables and timelines.
• Maintain and grow strong relationships with key internal and external stakeholders.
• Provide project budget estimates and track expenditures across assigned workstreams.
• Regularly communicate project progress and key outcomes to stakeholders, ensuring alignment with strategic business objectives.

Benefits

• Bonus based on performance and eligibility target payout is 8% of annual salary paid out annually.
• Paid time off subject to eligibility, including paid parental leave, vacation, sick, and bereavement.
• Medical, Dental, Vision, Disability, Health, and Dependent Care Reimbursement Accounts, Employee Assistance Program (EAP), Insurance (Accident, Group Legal, Life), Defined Contribution Retirement Plan.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior