Head of Applied Data Science EAME (M/F)

Company Description

Syngenta Seeds is one of the world’s largest developers and producers of seed for farmers, commercial growers, retailers, and small seed companies. Syngenta seeds enhance the quality and yields of crops. High-quality seeds lead to better and more productive crops, thus explaining the farmers' investment in them. Advanced seeds help control risks such as disease and drought, and enable farmers to grow food using less land, less water, and fewer inputs.

Syngenta Seeds provides farmers with more robust, stronger, resistant plants, including innovative hybrid varieties and biotech crops that can prosper even in challenging growing conditions.

The headquarter of Syngenta Seeds is in the United States.

Job Description

Role Purpose

As the leader of the EAME Seeds Development Applied Data Science team, reporting to the Head of EAME Field Crops Seeds Development, you'll play a critical role in shaping the future of our data strategy. Your mission will be to pioneer data-driven innovation, supervising the management of essential data, deploying cutting-edge data analytics, and establishing sturdy operations research capabilities. Your efforts will significantly improve the decision-making processes for our Seeds Development initiatives, covering corn, sunflower, cereals, and WOSR (winter oilseed rape) businesses, eventually shaping the future of agriculture.

The position is offered on a permanent contract, based in France/Saint Sauveur (31), or Germany/Bad Salzuflen, or Hungary/Mezotur or Budapest, or Italy/Casalmorano, or Ukraine/Kiev, or United Kingdom/Whittlesford.

Some level of business travel is required (mostly EAME, workshop, meeting, visits…).

Starting date: as soon as possible.

Responsibilities

Data Science Leadership & Business Acumen: Oversee the overall data science and analytics strategy in EAME Field Crops Seeds Development and ensure seamless support for all functions, aligning their efforts to deliver outcomes driven by business value.

Innovation Catalyst: Drive innovative strategies and encourage a transformational mindset, inspiring a cultural shift that harnesses the full potential of data and analytics. Propel the organization to achieve the objectives necessary to deliver the EAME field crop seed pipelines and future agronomy solutions.

Multi-disciplinary Team Leadership: Lead a dynamic team of genomic, phenotypic, and operations research data science engineers, to exploit the power of data and technology to empower data-driven decision-making. Set evaluation priorities, model Syngenta's values, with an emphasis on people development.

End to End Solution Deployment: Identify challenges, facilitate ideation, define requirements, develop models, and iterate products/tools through MVP (minimum viable product) delivery. Successfully implement data-driven solutions encompassing descriptive, predictive, and prescriptive analytics for corn, oilseeds, and cereal crops in EAME.

Global Collaboration: Collaborate with Global teams to connect regional needs with the development of analytics-driven workflows. Ensure that the organization scales up improved data-driven decision-making in line with global best practices in data science.

Cross-functional Alignment: Maintain robust interaction and collaboration with global analytics & data science, IT, and portfolio teams. Ensure openness, alignment, and deployment of new enterprise technologies and analytical methodologies. Provide clear mitigation strategies and transparency when alignment falters. Facilitate planning resources and building capability for effective Data Science and analytic activities across the region.

Change Leadership: Effect change and integration across the applied data science team, creating a cohesive force that supports all EAME Seeds Development Operations. Be the driving force behind a harmonized approach to data-driven decision support.

Qualifications

PhD in Agronomy, Plant Breeding, Quantitative Genetics, Crop Science, Data Science, Computer Science, or relevant field, with more than 10 years’ experience in a global research and development environment and a minimum of 5 years’ experience working in the data science and analytics space.

Experience working successfully in an international and multidisciplinary project team environment.

A proven track record of managing teams and developing talent, leading individuals through complex situations. Proven leadership skills and ability to work collaboratively with cross-functional teams to effectively achieve business results.

A strong analytical mindset and Agile project management implementation, including planning, budget management, and operational excellence.

A proven ability to develop project plans, analyze and interpret data. Ability to perform successfully in a fast-paced, dynamic, team-based environment. Management of multiple projects and priorities from different stakeholders, across disciplines and cultures and across geographies.

Strong capabilities to communicate with both technical and non-technical audiences and work effectively with all management levels in a multicultural organization.

Practical experience in leading data science operations; good knowledge of plant breeding and/or agronomy data and processes is a plus.

Professional English is required to work in our multicultural organization (meetings, emails, documents).

Syngenta is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate in recruitment, hiring, training, promotion, or other employment practices for reasons of race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, sexual orientation, marital or veteran status, disability, or any other legally protected status.

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