R&D Scouting & Intelligence Lead
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Job Location:
Durham, NC - USA
Monthly Salary:
Not Disclosed
Posted on:
5 hours ago
Vacancies:
1 Vacancy
Job Summary
At Syngenta our goal is to build the most collaborative and trustworthy team in agriculture providing top-quality seeds and innovative crop protection solutions that improve farmers success. To support this mission Syngentas Collaborations team is seeking a R&D Scouting & Intelligence Lead in Durham North Carolina. This role will lead the organizations competitive intelligence technology scouting and external engagement activities for Seeds R&D ensuring strategic decision-making is informed by comprehensive market intelligence and that R&D maintains a strong external presence.
This position is responsible for designing and maintaining R&D competitive intelligence (CI) infrastructure coordinating strategic scouting initiatives with technical teams and managing R&Ds external brand positioning across conferences partnerships and innovation events. Drives intelligence-driven insights to leadership facilitates cross-functional CI governance and supports collaboration development through expert network management and partnership due diligence.
Accountabilities
- Coordinate internal and external scouting activities on strategic technology targets in collaboration with technical teams.
- Identify emerging technologies innovative startups and potential collaboration partners aligned with Seeds R&D strategic priorities.
- Conduct due diligence on potential partnerships by building and supporting buy/borrow/build analysis processes to enable decision-making by Technology & Collaborations Manager.
- Partner with functional technical teams and Collaboration Execution & Technology Development Lead to ensure due diligence includes relevant technical assessments for effective decision-making.
- Create new entries in Fusion database for first contacts as the starting point for collaboration proposal development.
- Design and maintain enterprise CI infrastructure and analytics frameworks ensuring insights drive strategic decision-making at all organizational levels.
- Lead CI strategic forums and govern CI efforts in cross-functional technical teams to align intelligence priorities with business objectives.
- Deliver executive intelligence briefs competitive trend analyses and strategic landscape assessments for R&D leadership disseminating strategic recommendations actions and decisions.
- Synthesize complex intelligence from multiple sources into actionable insights that inform portfolio strategy investment decisions and risk mitigation.
- Coordinate Seeds R&D external presence across sponsored events conferences workshops partner engagements and Innovation Hub tours.
- Develop manage and optimize the R&D conference and sponsorship budget ensuring strategic allocation of resources to maximize visibility partnership opportunities and intelligence gathering value.
- Establish clear criteria and governance processes for conference participation and sponsorship decisions tracking ROI and strategic impact of external engagement investments.
- Develop and implement external engagement strategies that position Seeds R&D as a thought leader and preferred innovation partner.
- Manage relationships with key external stakeholders including conference organizers industry associations academic institutions and strategic partners.
- Establish governance frameworks standards and best practices for CI activities across Seeds R&D.
- Partner closely with Technology & Collaborations Manager technical leaders and business development teams to align scouting and CI priorities with strategic objectives.
- Facilitate knowledge sharing and collaboration across R&D functions Crop Protection (CP) and Vegetables R&D to maximize the value of competitive intelligence and external insights.
- Build strong partnerships with R&D leadership to ensure CI frameworks and external engagement strategies support research priorities and business needs.
- Collaborate with Seeds Strategy Communications and legal etc. to ensure aligned external messaging and brand consistency.
Qualifications :
Required
- Deep technical understanding of seed breeding technologies trait development germplasm improvement or related agricultural biotechnology fields.
- Demonstrated ability to critically evaluate technical literature patent landscapes and research capabilities across breeding platforms genomics gene editing phenotyping and other core Seeds R&D technologies.
- Minimum 7-10 years of combined experience in Seeds R&D competitive intelligence technology scouting business development or strategic planning in agriculture or life sciences.
- Proven track record of translating complex scientific and technical information into strategic business insights for cross-functional and executive audiences.
- Proven experience designing and managing CI frameworks analytics tools and intelligence reporting systems.
- Strong financial acumen with demonstrated budget management experience including allocation optimization and ROI tracking.
- Strong experience managing external stakeholder relationships and coordinating multi-stakeholder events and engagements in technical/scientific contexts.
- Ability to engage credibly with R&D scientists evaluate technical feasibility of emerging technologies and assess scientific merit of potential partnerships.
- Excellent analytical and critical thinking skills with ability to identify trends patterns and strategic implications from various data sources.
- Strong project management capabilities with ability to coordinate multiple initiatives simultaneously in a matrix environment.
- Experience conducting technology assessments and partnership due diligence with strong technical evaluation components.
Desired
- Technical expertise in emerging breeding technologies such as CRISPR/gene editing speed breeding genomic selection high-throughput phenotyping or digital agriculture.
- Experience with intellectual property analysis freedom-to-operate assessments and patent landscape mapping in agricultural biotechnology.
- Publications or presentations at major scientific conferences in plant science genetics or agricultural innovation.
- Familiarity with innovation management methodologies and open innovation frameworks in R&D settings.
- Experience with CRM systems (e.g. Salesforce Fusion) and CI platforms.
- Proficiency in SAP/SAC or similar financial reporting and budget management systems.
- Network of contacts across academic institutions ag-tech startups and agricultural research organizations.
Additional Information :
What We Offer:
- A culture that celebrates belonging and collaboration promotes professional development and strives for a work-life balance that supports the team members. Offers flexible work options to support your work and personal needs.
- Full Benefit Package (Medical Dental & Vision) that starts your first day.
- 401k plan with company match Profit Sharing & Retirement Savings Contribution.
- Paid Vacation Paid Holidays Maternity and Paternity Leave Education Assistance Wellness Programs Corporate Discounts among other benefits.
Syngenta has been ranked as a top employer by Science Journal. Learn more about our team and our mission here: is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate in recruitment hiring training promotion or any 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.
WL: 5B
#LI-ONSITE
Remote Work :
No
Employment Type :
Full-time
Key Skills
About Company
To help feed 10 billion people while reducing emissions and improve biodiversity. This is our mission as the global agriculture technology leader. With 59,000 employees in more than 100 countries and hundreds of thousands of agricultural partners worldwide, we are committed to transfo ... View more
