Agricultural R&D Manager (Fixed-Term)

Role Overview

The Regional Ag R&D Manager shapes how agricultural research is planned and carried out across country programs, from setting trial methods to interpreting results and tracking research performance. By turning evidence into practical, locally adapted advice for farmers and program teams, this role helps improve crop productivity and farm profitability while supporting long-term soil health.

Key Responsibilities

• Set technical direction for regional research on crop varieties, nutrition, soil health, and crop management, adapting recommendations to local conditions and farmer needs.
• Guide variety research and country strategies for seed catalogs, helping identify options with strong potential for farmer adoption and improved productivity.
• Develop evidence-based approaches to fertilizer rates, formulations, timing, and application methods, including suitable organic or biological alternatives.
• Oversee research into erosion control, soil structure, and soil biology, drawing on trials, desk research, surveys, and qualitative evidence.
• Design and oversee on-station and on-farm research so that methods are consistent, results are reliable, and studies address decisions that matter to program teams and farmers.
• Analyze and interpret trial and survey data, translating findings into clear recommendations; provide timely technical advice when field problems or unexpected results arise.
• Coordinate regional research operations by tracking progress, protocol compliance, data quality, milestones, and efficiency measures, and by maintaining regular reporting and country dashboards.
• Contribute to stage-gate reviews of research innovations and build country teams’ capabilities through training in trial design, data analysis, and research data management; engage external research and industry partners to exchange insights and surface field priorities.

Requirements & Qualifications

• PhD in an applied agricultural science with at least 3 years of relevant experience, or a master’s degree in an applied agricultural science with at least 5 years of relevant experience.
• Strong knowledge of agronomy, crop physiology, genotype-by-environment-by-management interactions, and major crop pests in the operating regions.
• Experience relevant to maize and other cereals, solanaceous crops, beans and other legumes, and higher-value crops such as chilli.
• Demonstrated ability to turn technical agronomic evidence into clear, practical, prioritized guidance for field teams and farmers.
• Experience designing and managing both station-based and farmer-managed trials, including work with smallholder farmers.
• Ability to select, apply, and interpret parametric and non-parametric statistical methods and visualizations for agronomic trial data.
• Familiarity with predictive and classification machine-learning methods and their potential use with climate and soil data to inform agronomic recommendations.
• Experience creating project management systems, country-level performance measures, R&D efficiency metrics, and executive reporting.