Our client is seeking a Technology Development Associate to grow their portfolio of agricultural products in Southern Africa. Reporting to the Business Manager - Southern Africa, administratively and to the Technology Development Manager – FC functionally, the incumbent must have a love for building value for farmers, while also being comfortable building the business of our client and interacting with a wide range of stakeholders.

Responsibilities:

• Coordinate products testing and registration in line with in-country seed policies and regulations.

• Preparing and implementing trial plans and design by existing TD system, including the collation of trials data/information and general data management to understand the outcomes and the impact on the strategy.

• Managing the TD Trials for field crops by employing best agronomic practices to know the agronomical aspects (pest / diseases resistance, characteristics, performance, etc.), yield potential, and potential segments in different markets.

• Conduct thorough evaluations of new technologies through literature reviews, field trials, and collaboration with research institutions.

• Product/crop training to commercial teams and partners, development of productspecific technical information and technical support in product complaint  handling.

• Design and conduct field trials across different Agro-climatic zones to assess the performance of new seed varieties under various environmental conditions.

• Manage trial data to identify superior products and present to cross functional team for advancement decisions though product advancement meetings (PAM).

• Work closely with the TD team in the registration of our client's products in line with the regulatory requirements of the Country.

• Collaborate with commercial teams to develop product launch strategies for new seed varieties.

• Technical support to local seed production projects in line with company’s strategy and government regulatory framework.

• Technical support to quality control and quality assurance in areas such as complaints handling, field inspection & seed inspection.

• Ensure new seed varieties meet all necessary regulatory requirements for registration and commercialization.

• Stay updated on evolving regulatory landscape and industry standards.

• Provide market feedback as well as analyze data to aid in decision making.

• Travel to trial sites and conduct market visits up to 50% of the time.

Skills:

• You have the ability to professionally and respectfully dissent, and logically debate challenges.

• You have demonstratable fluency in key work tools such as Microsoft Office.

Qualifications:

• You have a Postgraduate’s degree in a relevant discipline.

• Master’s Degree will be an advantage.

• At least 5 years’ experience in Agronomy and the area of agriculture, preferably in the Southern Africa market

• Experience and knowledge of the seed industry will place you at an advantage.

• You have experience working with different stakeholders at all levels and navigatingregulatory structures.

• You are a South African national proficient in one or more local languages.

• You are comfortable working against a target.

Contact information

Tamlyn Redmond