Technical Development Manager - Southern Region

Rimfire Resources; Adelaide; On-site; AUD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

LongReach Plant Breeders, a joint venture between Advanta Seeds and Syngenta, seeks a seasoned grains professional to manage product development and advanced line commercialisation in the Southern Region. The role connects the wheat breeding program with growers, agronomists and industry stakeholders to evaluate new varieties and adoption in farming systems.

The role involves coordinating trials, translating research into practical grower information, delivering field days and industry updates,

Qualifications

• 5+ years in cereal agronomy or related technical field.
• Graduate qualification in agriculture or agronomy.
• Knowledge of Southern Region farming systems SA and Victoria.
• Experience in field agronomics, disease assessment, and trial evaluation.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate product development trials, demonstration sites and variety evaluation.
• Translate breeding and research outcomes into practical grower info.
• Deliver field days, workshops, and industry presentations.
• Build relationships with growers, agronomists, consultants and seed companies.
• Support product advancement, release and commercialisation planning.
• Provide feedback to breeders and commercial team.

Skills

Cereal agronomy

Stakeholder engagement

Field trial management

Communication skills

Plant breeding understanding

Willingness to travel

Education

Graduate qualification in agriculture or agronomy

Job description

The Company:

LongReach Plant Breeders, a joint venture between Advanta Seeds and Syngenta, is one of Australia’s leading wheat breeding and commercialisation companies. For more than a quarter of a century, the business has conducted research, developed new products and introduced technologies that ultimately improve grower profitability.

With a strong reputation in the Australian grains industry, LongReach continues to build a competitive wheat portfolio through market‑led breeding, technical development and commercial partnerships. The business is focused on delivering varieties that meet grower needs, perform in Australian farming systems and support continued growth across the market.

The Opportunity:

Reporting to the Commercial Manager, this role will manage LongReach’s product development and advanced line commercialisation across the Southern Region. It is a highly market-facing technical role, supporting the transfer of knowledge between the wheat breeding program, growers, agronomists, advisers and broader industry stakeholders.

The role will ensure new wheat varieties, agronomic practices and research outcomes are effectively evaluated, communicated and adopted across farming systems. Just as importantly, it will bring market, technical and grower feedback back into the breeding program to help shape pipeline and portfolio decisions.

Key areas of focus include:

• Coordinating product development trials, demonstration sites and variety evaluation activity
• Translating breeding and research outcomes into practical information for growers and advisers
• Delivering field days, workshops, technical updates and industry presentations
• Building relationships with growers, agronomists, consultants, seed companies and industry bodies
• Supporting product advancement, variety release and commercialisation planning
• Providing technical, market and farming system feedback to breeders and the commercial team

This position will also play an important role in LongReach’s engagement with the NVT program, grower groups, retail agronomy networks, independent agronomists and key industry events across South Australia and Victoria.

About You:

We are seeking a practical, technically strong and relationship-driven grains professional who brings:

• 5+ years’ experience in cereal agronomy, broadacre cropping or a related technical environment
• A graduate qualification in agriculture, agronomy or a related discipline
• Strong knowledge of Southern Region farming systems across South Australia and Victoria
• Experience in field agronomics, cereal farming methods, disease assessment and trial evaluation
• An understanding of plant breeding operations, genetics and selection methodologies
• Strong communication, networking and stakeholder engagement skills
• The ability to work independently, organise field activity and travel widely across cropping regions

Most importantly, you will be self-motivated, commercially aware and confident working with growers, advisers, researchers and internal teams to turn technical insight into practical value in the paddock.

Why this Role?

This is a rare opportunity to join LongReach Plant Breeders in a role that aligns closely to the science, the market and the grower. You will have the chance to influence how new wheat varieties are evaluated, positioned, released and adopted across one of Australia’s most important grain-growing regions.

If you are a technically capable grains professional who enjoys working closely alongside growers, advisers and industry, we would love to hear from you. For a confidential discussion, contact Ryan Hoiberg on 1300 380 701. Applications via www.rimfireresources.com.au