Sr. Research Manager: Plant Physiology

Talent Acquisition Team; Al Ain; On-site; AED 900,000 - 1,400,000; Full time

Job summary

ARC-Gen seeks a Senior Research Manager - Plant Physiology to lead a new unit focused on abiotic resilience and plant physiology in UAE. You will guide strategic leadership, manage a multidisciplinary team, and oversee experiments translating findings into agronomic strategies for deserts.

Responsibilities include steering a high‑caliber research portfolio, developing KPIs, securing partnerships with LVS and public entities, and ensuring rigorous scientific standards across projects.

Qualifications

• PhD in Plant Physiology or related field.
• Fluent in English.
• 15+ years of professional experience.
• 5+ years in people management within an international environment.
• Deep understanding of plant physiology, genetics and environment.
• Experience with high-throughput phenotyping and physiological modeling is a plus.
• Proven track record of managing complex projects.

Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor a team of Plant Physiology and Agronomy scientists, ensuring onboarding, goal setting and performance reviews.
• Translate ARC-GEN strategy into actionable objectives and plans for your team, initial focus on setting up Plant Physiology Research Unit.
• Promote cross-functional collaboration and develop an innovative work environment.
• Oversee the Plant Physiology project portfolio and ensure timely delivery aligned with ARC-GEN governance and strategic roadmap.
• Develop KPIs, monitor progress, and report to ARC-GEN management.
• Lead innovation in high-throughput phenotyping and functional validation of edited traits.
• Ensure scientific rigor through monitoring, technology scouting, and adoption of cutting-edge methodologies in Plant Physiology.
• Drive cross-domain collaboration within ARC-GEN.
• Build and maintain strategic partnerships with public and private organizations.

Skills

Fluent English

15+ Years Experience

People Management

Education

PhD in Plant Physiology

Job description

Job Details

Job Title: Senior Research Manager - Plant Physiology

Sector: Innovation Oasis

Department: Science and Research

Section: Plant health/ Physiology

Reporting Lines

Direct Reports To: Director of Science and Research

Direct Reports From: Principal Scientist- Plant Physiology, Senior Scientist - Plant Physiology, Technicians.

Job Purpose

The Center of Excellence for Abiotic Resilience and Crop Genomics (ARC-Gen) is a partnership between Silal, the UAE’s leading agri-food and technology company, and Limagrain Vegetable Seeds (LVS), the world leader in Vegetable Seeds. This partnership aims to develop a world class research facility in UAE with state-of-the-art capabilities in plant physiology and gene editing, with the ultimate goal of enhancing crops’ ability to withstand extreme conditions such as heat, drought, and salinity.

As Senior Research Manager - Plant Physiology you will drive innovation and excellence in Plant Physiology. This role combines strategic leadership, team management, and scientific oversight to accelerate the development of a Plant Physiology Research Unit at ARC-Gen; aiming to improve the abiotic stress resilience in plants in arid and desert-like growing conditions.

This role involves the management and mentoring of a team focused on designing and implementing experiments to understand plant physiological mechanisms and their genetic control. This role will focus on translating findings into actionable strategies for abiotic resilience improvement in targeted crops. The position requires strong leadership skills to manage projects and teams, as well as the ability to communicate complex scientific concepts to stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities

Functional

Strategic Leadership & Team Management

• Lead and mentor a team of Plant Physiology and Agronomy scientists, ensuring onboarding, goal setting and performance reviews.
• Translate the ARC-GEN strategy into actionable objectives and plans for your team, with an initial focus on setting up the Plant Physiology Research Unit.
• Promote cross-functional collaboration and develop an innovative work environment.

Scientific & Operational Excellence

• Oversee the Plant Physiology project portfolio and ensure timely delivery aligned with ARC-GEN governance and strategic roadmap.
• Develop and implement guidelines, processes, and KPIs to monitor progress, report efficiently, and provide transparency to ARC-GEN management.
• Lead innovation in high-throughput precision phenotyping and functional validation of edited traits.
• Ensure scientific rigor through continuous monitoring, technology scouting, and adoption of cutting-edge methodologies in Plant Physiology.
• Drive cross-domain collaboration within ARC-GEN.

External Collaboration & Resource Management

• Build and maintain strategic partnerships with public and private organizations.

Compliance & Continuous Improvement

• Guarantee compliance with legal, safety, regulatory and sustainability standards across all activities.
• Promote continuous improvement of protocols, processes, and cost-effectiveness.

Financial Management

• Manage team budgets and resource allocation in alignment with ARC-GEN management team.
• Contribute to CAPEX, OPEX, and PERC planning for domain activities.

People Management

• Lead and mentor a team of Plant Physiology and Agronomy scientists, ensuring onboarding, goal setting and performance reviews.
• Translate the ARC-GEN strategy into actionable objectives and plans for your team, with an initial focus on setting up the Plant Physiology Research Unit.
• Promote cross-functional collaboration and develop an innovative work environment.

Stakeholder Management

Key Internal Stakeholders

• All Sectors, Departments and Offices
• Any other concerned internal stakeholders as required

Key External Stakeholders

• Concerned government, semi-government and private sector entities
• Any other concerned external stakeholders as required

Required Qualification

Academic Qualifications

• PhD in Plant Physiology or related fields
• Fluent in English

Professional Experience

• Professional experience of a minimum of 15+ Years.
• 5+ years in people management within an international/ cross-cultural environment.
• Deep understanding of plant physiological processes and their interaction with genetics and environment.
• Proficiency in experimental design, statistical analysis, and data interpretation.
• Experience with high-throughput precision phenotyping and physiological modeling is a plus.
• Proven track record of managing complex projects and delivering impactful results.

Competencies

Technical Competencies

R&D Roadmap Alignment

Translating high-level corporate goals (UAE food security/ARC-Gen strategy) into actionable research milestones and Unit objectives.

Technology Scouting & Innovation

Identifying and adopting cutting-edge global trends in phenotyping and physiology to maintain a world-class competitive advantage.

High-Throughput Phenotyping Systems

Designing and overseeing automated platforms to quantify plant responses to extreme heat, drought, and salinity.

Abiotic Stress Functional Validation

Expertly interpreting the physiological mechanisms (e.g., stomatal conductance, osmotic adjustment) that prove a gene‑edited trait works.

Experimental Rigor & Quality Systems

Establishing scientific protocols and KPIs that ensure all research data is reproducible, accurate, and ready for commercial transition.

Resource & Capex/Opex Management

Strategically allocating multi-million-dirham budgets across lab equipment, infrastructure, and high-cost research consumables.

Strategic Partnerships & Tech Transfer

Building alliances with external research bodies (LVS, universities) to accelerate the "lab-to-field" delivery of resilient crops.

Scientific Mentorship & Talent Development

Coaching a multidisciplinary team of scientists and technicians to foster technical growth and high-performance output.

Cross-Functional Influence

Leading collaboration between the Physiology, Gene Editing, and Bioinformatics units to ensure an integrated, frictionless R&D pipeline.