Product and Genome Design Lead Bayer Vegetable Seeds

Product and Genome Design Lead Bayer Vegetable Seeds — R&D | Global

As Product and Genome Design Lead, you are at the heart of Bayer's Vegetable Seeds R&D organisation. You lead a globally distributed team of design breeders, geneticists, genomics scientists, and specialists, together building the foundational capabilities that drive tomorrow's seed innovations. You work across crops, technologies, and time zones to ensure our breeding pipelines are powered by the best genomic and predictive tools available.

What will you do?

• Lead resource planning, prioritisation, and talent management for your team, including recruiting, hiring, coaching, and developing people at every level
• Drive the development and application of foundational genomics and quantitative genetics technology across key vegetable crops, enabling genome-wide analysis, predictive breeding, and strategic trait integration
• Own the strategic identification and development of molecular capabilities, including SNP and sequencing technology, genome editing, and quantitative genetics methods, fully aligned with Product Development targets
• Deploy molecular and predictive breeding capabilities in prioritised pipelines to enable allele tracking and genetic prediction modelling
• Partner with Product and Technical Unit Leads to co-design and test new breeding technologies, integrating them into enterprise data analytics and product advancement pipelines
• Coach, mentor, and influence technical teams to align on strategic vision in line with Vegetable Seeds and Veg R&D long-term goals, while driving DSO ways of working for career development and dynamic resource flow
• Contribute to identifying and developing research partnerships with service providers and academic collaborators
• Communicate and educate stakeholders on new genetics and genomics breeding technologies together with your technical experts
• Shape organisational and operational vision as an active member of the Vegetables R&D Leadership Community

Who are you?

• You hold a university degree in Breeding, Genetics, Genomics, or a relevant field, with one of the following experience profiles:
  • Bachelor's + 12 years | Master's + 10 years | PhD | PhD + 6 years
• You have proven people management experience in complex, international research environments
• You combine deep technical expertise in genomics and quantitative genetics with a strategic mindset, you can zoom in on the science and zoom out on the bigger picture
• You are a natural connector: you build bridges across teams, influence without authority, and know how to align diverse stakeholders around a shared direction
• You thrive in a globally matrixed organisation and are comfortable navigating ambiguity

What does Bayer offer you?

A role with real impact, where your decisions shape product pipelines and breeding strategies across multiple vegetable crops on a global scale. You will work in a diverse, high-calibre R&D community with access to cutting-edge technology and meaningful cross-functional partnerships. Bayer offers a competitive package, flexible working arrangements, and the opportunity to grow both technically and as a leader.