Senior R&D Manager

About InPlanet:
InPlanet is a mission-driven, remote-first ClimateTech startup headquartered between Germany and Brazil with hubs in Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, New York and London. We’re scaling Enhanced Rock Weathering (ERW) in tropical agriculture as a powerful method to remove carbon, regenerate soils, and transform the way food is grown in the tropics.
Our vision is simple but bold: to sequester gigatons of CO2 while regenerating tropical soils in order to create a livable planet with nutritious food and healthy ecosystems for future generations. We’re doing this in partnership with farmers, scientists, and industry leaders - and we’re growing fast.
Our company culture blends people-first care and performance excellence. The Rocket represents our ambition and drive; the Heart symoolizes our focus on empathy, integrity, and collective impact.
We’re proud of our globally diverse team and inclusive culture. Our teams span across continents, but our boots are firmly on the ground in Brazil - where the real climate impact happens.
You can check out independent reviews by other candidates on Glassdoor to check how people find interviewing with us.
Check out our Culture page here

About the Role:
Ideal role for an experienced & ambitious scientist within agronomy.

As our Senior Research and Development (R&D) Manager you will lead and be responsible for managing our research and development programme relating to deployment of Enhanced Rock Weathering (ERW) as a carbon dioxide removal technique in Brazil, with a special focus on agronomic trials. You will design, manage and interpret data from experiments in order to effectively monitor agronomic parameters and as well as helping to address fundamental research questions relating to ERW. You will be based in Brazil, with presence onsite at various locations within Brazil when necessary.

The Impact you can make

This role will oversee and manage team members, and you will take ownership over experiments, driving forward our scientific strategy. You lead our reporting on farmer co-benefits and impact metrics, providing robust scientific evidence to support the case for our wider impact. You will play a key role in managing and driving our science strategy and will be expected to maintain and develop relationships with internal and external stakeholders.

Core working relationships

Reporting to the VP of Science and Research, you will support and work effectively with all members of the science and operations teams. You will lead and work closely with our Science and Impact Lead and our Agronomic R&D Lead.

Key Responsibilities:
• Management of team members within our agronomy R+D programme
• Overseeing and planning our agronomy R+D programme, such as the design of experiments and communication with external stakeholders
• Generating, analysing, presenting, and publishing data from experiments and deployments to wide-ranging and high-profile audiences
• You will support operations to provide the robust scientific evidence for our farmer pitches and case studies
• You drive research and the wider science team strategy
• You manage communications and partnerships with leading researchers globally, with a specific focus on Brazil
• You will work with flexibility in Brazil, with travel to onsite experiments within Brazil and to visit partners (expectation & benefit)

You can be a Rock-Star if you have:
Core Skills & Experience
• You are an experienced senior scientist with a PhD (or equivalent experience) in Plant Science, Soil Science, Agronomy, Earth Science, Geochemistry, Biogeochemistry or related fields
• You have, ideally, 5+ years of experience in senior research or research related roles
• You have extensive experience in research and development and experimental design, with a focus on agronomy or a related field
• You have a proven track record of previously successful research projects and publications in high quality journals
• You have worked on successful research projects with a wide range of stakeholders and partners, e.g., from industry, government and academia.
• You have knowledge of agronomy and agronomic trials
• You are fluent in Portuguese
• You have advanced English language skills
• You are based in Brazil (ideally Piracicaba or Sao Paulo region)

Key Qualities
• You are a thought-leader and able to breakdown complex topics and present them in a clear and concise way
• You are independent, confident, hands-on, a go-getter, full of energy and possess an exceptional drive
• You are a fast learner and want to steadily improve your professional and personal skill set
• You are a team player, willing to work with and support others in the team where necessary including actively volunteering for tasks to assist where appropriate

Bonus Points (but not essential)
• You, ideally, have knowledge of geology, geochemistry, and weathering processes
• Industry (CDR) and management experience are real plus
• You are **based near Piracicaba (SP) or happy to relocate
• Experience with OKR goal setting

Living Our Values:
At InPlanet, we have a big vision of solving climate change, and we are looking for individuals who are genuinely passionate about making a positive difference in the world of Carbon Removal Solutions. Trust guides our actions, drive fuels our efforts, and impact is our goal.
• Trust: You believe in being kind and transparent in the workplace, fostering an environment where trust thrives and collaboration flourishes
• Drive: You possess an innate drive to take action with a hands-on, can-do attitude, propelled by urgency
• Impact: You dream big and are committed to making a meaningful difference in the world, aligning with our overarching mission to address climate change

Benefits:
• Compensation expectations and our comp philosophy are openly discussed in the first interview with the goal of managing expectations fairly
• Share options to make you feel like an owner
• Home Office Budget
• Personal development budget
• Language Programme Monthly Allowance
• 40 days of annual leave
• The opportunity to be autonomous, make a huge difference, and belong to a vision.
• Occasional off-sites in Brazil yay & travel!
• Laptop to fuel your productivity

InPlanet Compensation Philosophy:
At InPlanet, our philosophy revolves around ensuring fair and unbiased compensation and equitable equity pay, coupled with competitive benefits, across all regions where we operate.
The reason behind our salary range being wide or undefined at the first stages of the interview is because of our international presence and globally distributed workforce, we utilize geo ranges to account for varying pay differentials, forming a crucial part of our global compensation strategy to remain competitive across diverse markets as we expand our reach.
These ranges are determined by role, level, and location, recognizing the nuanced demands of each market. The actual base pay for the selected candidate is influenced by factors such as location, skills, experience, training, business requirements, and market dynamics, with the range subject to potential adjustments in alignment with our commitment to fairness and transparency.

Application Process:
Roughly 6 hours across 3-6 weeks from CV-screening.
• Interview with Talent & People Partner or Head of People (values & motivation)
• Interview with the Hiring Manager (required core skills and competencies)

(optional third interview)
• Challenge with 3+ team members (specific task, preparation needed)
• Verbal reference check & psychometric profiling
• Offer

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How to Apply:
• We kindly ask you to submit your CV in English, as this is the main language we use here at InPlanet (unless it is justified to be in Portuguese).

This job description is intended to provide a clear summary of the responsibilities, scope, and expectations associated with this opportunity. It may apply to a range of working relationships, including full-time or part-time employment as well as independent contractor or service-based arrangements, depending on the candidate's location and compliance framework. Each engagement is carefully assessed on a case-by-case basis to ensure alignment with applicable laws and InPlanet’s global operating standards.
Being an equal opportunities work provider is very important to us, and we are committed to ensuring that no applicant receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of gender, age, disability, religion, belief, sexual orientation, marital status, or race, or is disadvantaged by conditions which cannot be shown to be justifiable. We design our processes to be fair and equitable, and we believe in continuous learning.