Technical Field Operations Lead

About Syngenta

At Syngenta Crop Protection, we're pioneering solutions that safeguard global food security while championing sustainable agriculture. As a world market leader headquartered in Switzerland, we empower farmers with innovative crop protection technologies that defend against nature's toughest challenges. We unite advanced science with digital solutions to develop intelligent crop protection that maximizes yields while minimizing environmental impact. Join our mission of revolutionizing plant protection from seed to harvest.

Role purpose

• Leads field operations delivery, ensuring all trials are executed to a prioritised plan and maintained to a high standard.
• Manages, co-ordinates, and prioritises ZA CPD capacity to ensure development trials are executed correctly and efficiently.
• Plans and executes ZA CPD Technical and Demonstration trials, aligning resources and timelines to strategic priorities.
• Ensures all field operations are conducted in accordance with local audit and HSE requirements, including all equipment used.
• Optimises field operation efficiencies and builds internal capacity and capability across the ZA trialling team.
• Assists in the delivery of Technical and Demonstration trials in consultation with marketing and sales, including review of protocols for practical execution.
• Leads training of the ZA CPD trialling team to ensure all members are equipped and enabled to perform their roles effectively.
• Supports product biology with the delivery of technical data for campaigns, NPIs, and business opportunities.
• Ensures compliance with HSE standards across all trial sites, fostering a safety-first culture and proactively managing risk.
• Builds and maintains strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders to support trial delivery and business objectives.
• Provides effective line management for all field biologists, covering workload allocation, performance management, coaching, and professional development in line with Syngenta expectations

Accountabilities

• Reviews all product biology protocols for commercial viability, practical feasibility, and probability of successful execution.
• Provides agronomic support, coaching, and training to the development, product biology, and agronomy teams as required.
• Supports the planning and delivery of commercial trials to deepen product understanding and maximise the impact of launches and the broader portfolio on sales and market share.
• Manages CRO trials to the same standard as internal trials, ensuring all project requirements are met consistently. (Just fyi our TM’s (PB’s) manage CRO trials as they are the project/study directors)
• Sets and maintains the ways of working and national trialling standards across the field biology team, holding all members to a consistently high expectation.
• Communicates foreseeable and emerging trial risks or issues proactively, minimising impact on project timelines.
• Ensures every trialist has a development plan with clear objectives that drives growth, satisfaction, and team retention.
• Maintains active relationships with key industry organisations including Agricultural Research Council, Universities, and CropLife.
• Translates demonstration trial outputs and relevant external insights into compelling product stories that support marketing and sales.
• Keeps the team current on trialling best practices, with a focus on budget efficiency and productivity.
• Builds and maintains strong product knowledge through close collaboration with the product biology team.
• Coordinate visits with internal stakeholders (Agronomy, Sales, Marketing) to ensure that the maximum benefit is gained without visits becoming a time constraint for field trialists.
• Ensure that all operations under direct control comply with Syngenta Health, Safety & Environmental policies and guidelines as well as any other relevant Syngenta or statutory policies. Report observations and near misses monthly. Continuously promote HSE activities

Critical success factors & key challenges

• Ensure that CPD field biology capacity is managed and communicated to ensure optimization and better utilization.
• Ensure that all trialling requirements are met and that all relevant data is communicated to the relevant stakeholders in a timely manner.
• Ensure that all audit requirements are always met for e.g. GEP.
• Ability to provide strategic technical input for all stakeholders.
• Ability to deliver outputs working across a complex range of interfaces.
• Ensure that field trialists are trained and supported to ensure that they develop key skills.
• Ensure biological elements of projects are kept on their critical paths and are delivered on time and efficiently
• Key relationships• Product biology and Data Management teams
• Senior Field Scientists and Field Scientists
• Commercial Unit ZA
• Internal CPD stakeholders

Desired Qualifications

• MBA / post graduate in business related field

Critical knowledge

• Agronomist with strong technical background.
• In-depth knowledge of the relevant crop, pests, competitor products and control strategies.
• Thorough understanding of technical characteristics of  relevant crop protection products.
• Good understanding of technical and market aspects.
• Leadership and teamwork in a multicultural environment.

Critical Skills

• Excellent network capabilities
• Strong technical communication
• Execution skills
• Results orientated
• Ability to build strong relations with internal and external stakeholders
• Strong verbal and written English
• Project Management

Critical Experience

• Experience in the implementation, management and analysis of field trials.
• Experience in managing development projects.
• Preferably a M.Sc. degree or equivalent with at least 10 years’ experience in crop protection or related field.
• Proven track record in a research/development environment.
• Experience in practical field execution of trial work.

Syngenta 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. 

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