Agribusiness Consultant

CIMMYT is a leading international organization dedicated to solving complex agricultural challenges. We are seeking a highly skilled Product Development Manager to join our team and contribute to our mission of improving crop yields and food security.

• Develop comprehensive product strategies and roadmaps, considering market trends, customer needs, and business goals.
• Consult with market intelligence, seed systems, and value chain actors to document the drivers of variety adoption and develop the product cycle strategy from design to market.
• Incorporate socially inclusive needs and circumstances, particularly of women and youth in rural households in target geographies and of human nutrition, in target setting and design and the go-to-market strategy.
• Manage advanced testing to ensure qualitative and quantitative data from on-farm trials are available for product advancement meetings.
• Manage the product advancement process and pipeline from late-stage testing to product advancement and recommendation for release and commercialization.
• Support management in ensuring that the breeding programs deliver products that meet market needs, and to do this on time, and on budget.
• Work with partners to increase the impact of crop improvement by improving our understanding of factors affecting variety replacement, developing effective practices in the germplasm advancement processes, and ensuring accurate seed multiplication and dissemination processes.
• Contribute to CGIAR product design and management modules, annual and multi-year work plan development, execution, and reporting, and manage associated budgets.
• Capacity development to designated teams, e.g. PDT and PATs, and partners for modern product delivery.

• Master's degree or higher in crop sciences, plant breeding, seed science and technology, agronomy or similar.
• Four or more years of experience in seed product management, marketing of seed hybrids/ varieties and/or business administration is desirable.
• Hands-on agrobusiness experience in the commercial seed industry in Africa; awareness of industry trends and developments.
• Familiarity with the seed sector / seed value chains and experience with agricultural digital tools is desirable.
• Awareness of product development principles including how to understand requirements for variety adoption and methods for marketing.
• Commitment to social inclusiveness, including awareness of the roles of women and youth in variety uptake.
• Cross-cultural, cross-function team management and leadership experience.
• Effective oral and written communication skills.
• Results-focused, persistence, and pragmatic attitude skills.
• Teaching, training, and capacity development; ability to work effectively within a product-oriented perspective while engaging with organizations/stakeholders that might not share this perspective.