Genetics Program Manager, Wheat
Company: Ardent Mills
Location: Denver
Posted on: May 27, 2023
Job Description:
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Genetic Program Manager - Wheat
Your Role
The Wheat Genetic Program Manager will play an instrumental role in
developing and executing the breeding strategies for the Ardent
Mills Traditional and Premium Wheat portfolio. In this role, you
will lead the wheat breeding program, collaborate with external &
internal partners to identify, develop, and deliver the key
breeding milestones of all Wheat pipelines which align with Ardent
Mills strategic growth objectives, mission and vision. Strong
business acumen, solid understanding of the grain science and
milling industry, research and plant breeding methods & tools,
wheat product quality and end use characteristics are critical for
the success of this role.
As a leader driving innovation within Ardent Mills, this individual
will partner with cross-functional teams (i.e., Sales, Risk,
Finance, Supply Chain, RQT, Operations, Legal, Marketing) to
protect and design a 'concept-to-commercialization' path of new
product launches that will provide differentiation and add
competitive insulation to Ardent Mills. This role will report to
Senior Director of R&D.
This role must have excellent interpersonal, relationship building,
and communication skills. Must possess the ability to work in a
commercial, academic or research setting with customers, public and
private breeding partners, and new technology providers
independently or as part of a cross-functional team either within
Ardent Mills or with key strategic customers.
To succeed, you must be able to:
- Deliver results in first-time situations by inspiring others
and working to earn trust every day.
- Serve others with understanding, respect, and care.
- Operate with simplicity, clarity and transparency.
- Deal with and drive change.
- Organize, prioritize and own multiple tasks while meeting or
exceeding deadlines.
- Learn and apply new technology, and share your knowledge with
others. Above all you will be expected to carry out all your
activities with reliability, integrity, compliance and in a safe,
environmentally responsible, and efficient manner.
Your Responsibilities:
Genetics Lead
- Lead execution of scientific studies and wheat breeding
programs to deliver novel grain-based solutions by identifying
opportunities, collaborating with, sponsoring, and directing
research with private and public research institutions.
- Work with R&D Application team and external partners to
facilitate development of key technical materials and applicable
studies in nutrition, sensory, performance, etc. required to
support business development.
External Ardent Mills Representation
- Proactively represent Ardent Mills perspectives and interests
in professional and scientific organizations by holding a position
of influence, advocating goodness of grains and plant-based
ingredients and presenting in technical forums.
- Scout new technologies or findings in Agriculture, Food, and
Technology areas; identify potential opportunities to explore and
threats to miss; and influence leadership to champion
initiatives.
- Actively cultivates a broad network of contacts both within and
outside the organization to support existing and future pipeline,
and actively uses network to identify, develop and initiate
potential pipeline.
Project Management
- Partner with Legal and Commercial Risk teams in creating
agreements that comply with corporate IP policies & procedures and
developing business case & commercialization path of the wheat
traits assigned.
- Lead and coordinate all technical aspects of programs/projects
with external partners and internal stakeholders.
- Collaborate with internal stakeholders (i.e., Ops, Supply
Chain, RQT, Sales, Marketing, Finance), as pipeline projects are
ready for commercialization.
- Set research objectives, produce projects plans, budget,
execute, and provide periodic reports on projects.
Technical Support
- Comfortable & effective communicator of complex information to
cross-functional audiences at various levels within an
organization
- Anticipates customer requirements through regular customer
interactions & by staying abreast of trends
- Promotes a culture of inclusion, collaboration, and teamwork
across organizational & industry boundaries
- Independently prepares & delivers oral and written
communication for technical/non-technical audiences
Essential Skills & Experience
- Master's degree or higher in Grain Science/Milling Science/Food
Science, and Agronomy or plant science, with minimum of 8 years
industry experience developing and commercializing wheat-based
solutions.
- Strong technical knowledge (breeding tools, ingredient
functionality, product applications and process development).
- Experience in successfully managing multiple projects and
deadlines within a matrixed organization with strict attention to
detail and prioritization.
- Must be reliable, self-motivated, persistent and have the
ability to work effectively both independently and within a
team.
- Experience and passion in grains, especially wheat, and other
plant-based products.
- Proven ability to build solid relationships, earn the
confidence of internal stakeholders and demonstrate the ability to
get results in timely manner with attention to timelines and
deadlines.
- High Integrity, positive attitude, highly motivated,
self-starter, and not afraid to take on ambiguous tasks.
- Demonstrated technical curiosity, creativity, and ability to
innovate. Creatively solve technical and operational hurdles to
reach a business goal.
- Must be proactive, flexible, organized, with the ability to
handle changing priorities.
- Strong communication skills, both written and verbal to work
effectively with internal customers and external partners. Good to
have:
- Long standing relationships with Wheat trade and scientific
based organizations such as NAWG, WQC, NAMA, Cereal & Grains,
USDA
Other considerations:
- Ability to travel up to 30+% for business.
- Ardent Mills is headquartered in Denver, CO. Preference for the
position to be based in Denver, CO, however, remote is considered.
If remote, the successful candidate will be expected to commit to a
periodic presence in the Denver HQ office, frequency can be
discussed with hiring manager.
At Ardent Mills, everyone matters, and everyone has a voice. We are
committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal
opportunities are available to all applicants and team members and
the decisions will be based on merit, competence, performance, and
business needs. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer.
We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion,
creed, national origin, aboriginality, ancestry, marital status,
sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, physical or
mental disability, pregnancy, genetic information, veteran status,
age, political affiliation, or any other non-merit characteristic
protected by law or not. Together, celebrating our differences, we
make Ardent Mills.
The preceding position description has been designed to indicate
the general nature and essential duties and responsibilities of
work performed by employees within this position. It may not
contain a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities,
and qualifications required of employees in this position. The
description, duties, functions, and responsibilities are subject to
change at the discretion of Ardent Mills.
Keywords: Ardent Mills, Denver , Genetics Program Manager, Wheat, Executive , Denver, Colorado
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