Product Trialing Specialist – Vegetable Seeds

Syngenta; Kolkata District; On-site; INR 600,000 - 900,000; Full time

Job summary

Syngenta Vegetables and Flowers in India seeks a dedicated Vegetable Seed Trial Manager to plan, execute and monitor trial activities across an assigned state or geography. You will collaborate with breeders, product specialists and growers, implement trial protocols, collect data on yield and quality, and ensure compliance, safety and data integrity.

Travel extensively within the geography to site trials, build partnerships and support product launches with evidence from satellite demos and

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Agriculture, Horticulture, Agronomy or Plant Breeding.
• 4–6 years of experience in vegetable-seed trialing and agronomy.
• Practical knowledge of vegetable crop cultivation in the assigned geography.
• Experience with multi-location field trials and trial protocols.
• Fluency in English and regional language(s).

Responsibilities

• Execute annual trialing plans for vegetable crops and hybrids across the geography.
• Identify and manage trial locations with growers and partners.
• Implement trial protocols including plot layout, planting, management, harvest.
• Ensure trials reflect local agro-climatic conditions and grower practices.
• Collect and submit data on yield, maturity, fruit quality and disease tolerance.
• Monitor trials, identify deviations, and take corrective action.
• Maintain trial records, field notes, and digital data entries.
• Collaborate with Product specialists and breeding teams to support pipeline decisions.
• Support satellite demos and field demonstrations for launches.
• Build relationships with trial growers and local stakeholders.
• Provide timely local market and crop insights.
• Manage materials, equipment, and seasonal labour efficiently.
• Ensure safety, stewardship, and data integrity.
• Lead and develop the team of trial officers.

Skills

Field execution

Data discipline

Planning & prioritisation

Stakeholder management

Cross-functional collaboration

Clear communication

Safety mindset

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Agriculture/Horticulture/related

Job description

Company Description

At Syngenta Vegetables and Flowers, we're cultivating tomorrow's diversity through innovative breeding that brings vibrant colors to gardens and nutritious vegetables to tables worldwide. We combine centuries of seed heritage with cutting-edge innovation to develop resilient, high-performing varieties that thrive in diverse climates. Join us in shaping the future of sustainable horticulture, where every seed holds the potential to enhance lives through better nutrition and natural beauty.

Company Description

At Syngenta Vegetables and Flowers, we're cultivating tomorrow's diversity through innovative breeding that brings vibrant colors to gardens and nutritious vegetables to tables worldwide. We combine centuries of seed heritage with cutting-edge innovation to develop resilient, high-performing varieties that thrive in diverse climates. Join us in shaping the future of sustainable horticulture, where every seed holds the potential to enhance lives through better nutrition and natural beauty.

Job Description

Role purpose

Plan, execute and monitor vegetable-seed trials (includes PLC 6.1, agronomy trials, satellite demos, demo day fields) within an assigned state or geography in India. Generate accurate, timely and decision-ready trial data to support hybrid evaluation, product advancement, regional positioning and commercial launch decisions.

Key Responsibilities

• Execute annual trialing plans for assigned vegetable crops, hybrids and trial types across the designated geography.
• Identify, establish and manage suitable trial locations with growers, research partners and external trial service providers.
• Implement approved trial protocols, including plot layout, planting, crop management, assessments, harvest and sample handling.
• Ensure trials represent relevant local agro-climatic conditions, production systems, seasons, disease pressure and grower practices.
• Collect, validate and submit high-quality data on yield, maturity, fruit quality, disease tolerance, plant habit, shelf life and other defined product traits as per the product profile. Effective use of the internal tools like Ez Capture
• Monitor trials regularly, identify deviations or risks early, and take corrective action in line with trial protocols.
• Maintain complete trial records, photographs, GPS/location details, field books and digital data entries within agreed timelines
• Work closely with Product specialist, Breeding & TPP teams to support pipeline decisions and hybrid advancement with trial execution, PAT execution, data collection and data consolidation for proposal to the product meetings
• Partner with commercial, Product specialist, customer experience teams to establish satellite demo & demo days field demonstrations and build compelling evidence for launches and demand generation activities around CPIs with CX and Commercial team
• Build productive relationships with trial growers, distributors, research institutions and local agricultural stakeholders.
• Provide timely local market and crop insights, including competitor observations, emerging diseases, customer preferences and production challenges.
• Manage assigned trialing materials, field equipment, seasonal labour and local operating expenses efficiently.
• Ensure full compliance with safety, stewardship, phytosanitary, quality and data-integrity requirements.
• Support to the commercial team for the mass scale customer complaints validation and RCA process
• Lead, coach and develop the supporting team of trail officers

Qualifications

Qualifications and experience

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Agriculture, Horticulture, Agronomy, Plant Breeding or a related discipline.
• 4–6 years of experience in vegetable-seed trialing, product development, agronomy, field research in vegetable seeds.
• Practical knowledge of vegetable crop cultivation and local production systems within the assigned geography.
• Experience in multi-location field trials, trial protocol implementation and crop assessment.
• Familiarity with experimental design, digital data capture and basic data analysis is preferred.
• Ability to work independently in the field and coordinate growers, labour and external partners.
• Fluency in English and the relevant regional language(s)
• Willingness to travel extensively within the assigned geography, including during planting, assessment and harvest periods.

Key competencies

• Field execution and agronomic judgement
• Strong attention to detail and data discipline
• Planning, prioritisation and problem solving
• Stakeholder and grower relationship management
• Collaboration across R&D, product development and commercial teams
• Clear communication and timely reporting
• Safety, stewardship and quality mindset

Success measures

• Timely establishment and completion of assigned trials
• Compliance with approved protocols and trialing standards
• Accuracy, completeness and on-time submission of trial data
• Quality and relevance of local product recommendations
• Effective management of trial sites, growers and local partners
• Efficient use of assigned budget, materials and seasonal resources
• Timely escalation and resolution of trial risks or deviations

Additional Information

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.