Manager Plant Phenotyping & Diagnostics Applications (PPDA)

Enza Zaden; Enkhuizen; On-site; EUR 57,000 - 81,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Laptop & mobile phone provided

Competitive vacation allowance

Bonus program 10%

Overnight accommodation support

Remote work allowance

Job summary

Enza Zaden is seeking a Manager PPDA to lead an international team of 20–30 specialists across the Netherlands, Spain and the United States. You will drive digitalization, automation, and professionalization of our diagnostics and phenotyping services, ensuring day-to-day stability and a clear shared direction.

You will oversee daily operations, collaborate with Breeding and Biotechnology, and lead projects focused on efficiency, scalability, and data integration while building trust across

Qualifications

• Experience leading teams in scientific or high-throughput environments.
• Experience managing remote teams in an international organization.
• Excellent command of Dutch and English; ability to operate across locations.

Responsibilities

• Lead daily operations across multiple locations (Netherlands, Spain, USA).
• Drive automation and digitalization initiatives with ImplementatIon Expert.
• Maintain quality standards and process improvements across PPDA.
• Represent PPDA with stakeholders at all levels and locations.

Skills

People leadership

Remote team leadership

International collaboration

Process optimization

Digitalization

Dutch & English fluency

Education

Plant Science / related field

Tools

LIMS

Data management tools

Job description

PPDA plays a key role within our global breeding programs. The department supports breeders and Seed Operations with disease and stress phenotyping, routine diagnostics and monitoring, and is continuously evolving towards high-throughput, automated, and data-driven workflows. As Manager PPDA, you will lead an international organization with teams in the Netherlands, Spain, and the United States, playing a key role in the further digitalization, automation, and professionalization of our services.

Make a difference as Manager PPDA

As Manager PPDA, you will lead Process Supervisors and Team Leads and be responsible for a team of approximately 20 to 30 specialists across multiple locations. In Spain and the United States, you will provide functional leadership to the PPDA teams in close collaboration with local managers. You will ensure a stable day-to-day operation while also creating a clear, shared direction, regardless of location or reporting line. Together with your team, you will help shape the future of PPDA, where global diagnostics will become an increasingly important pillar alongside digital phenotyping for biotic and abiotic testing.

In this role, you will:

• Lead daily operations and drive continuous process improvement across multiple locations
• Safeguard the scientific quality and relevance of disease screening and diagnostic activities in close collaboration with Breeding and Biotechnology;
• Drive automation and digitalization initiatives in close cooperation with the Implementation Expert;
• Ensure consistent ways of working and quality standards across the Netherlands, Spain, and the United States;
• Initiate and lead improvement and innovation projects focused on efficiency, scalability, quality, and data integration;
• Represent PPDA within the organization and collaborate with stakeholders at different levels and across locations.

What you bring as our future colleague

You are a people-oriented manager with a strong affinity for processes, technology, and international collaboration. You know how to effectively connect and lead teams, including in a remote setting, while bringing structure, clarity, and trust to an international environment. You recognize and develop talent, encourage collaboration across departments and locations, and contribute to an open, transparent, and inclusive team culture.

In addition, you bring:

• Extensive experience leading teams within a scientific or high-throughput environment;
• Experience managing remote teams and working within an international organization;
• A background in Plant Science, Plant Pathology, Phenotyping, Diagnostics, or a related field;
• Experience with laboratory or process automation and digitalization;
• Affinity with LIMS, data flows, and process monitoring is considered an advantage
• Excellent command of both Dutch and English.

Enza Zaden as your employer

Enza Zaden is an international family-owned company that has been developing innovative vegetable varieties since 1938. Together with more than 3,300 colleagues worldwide, we work on vegetable seeds with better flavor, higher yields and strong resistances. We do this from our mission: "Breeding to feed the world." Every day, more than 480 million people eat vegetables grown from our seeds, and that is something we are very proud of.

We are passionate about our work and care about one another. Good ideas are given room to grow and together we keep moving forward. This is how we continue to grow and innovate, both as a company and as colleagues.

What you can expect from us

We believe it is important that you can grow in your work and feel good about what you do. That is why we invest in your development, well-being, and job satisfaction. Through our Great to Grow development program, our focus on vitality, and activities that bring colleagues together, we create a work environment where you can keep learning and contribute with energy and enjoyment.

You can also count on:

• A position for 32-38 hours per week;
• A gross monthly salary between €5.103,90 and €7.291,28, based on a full-time workweek of 38 hours and aligned with your knowledge and experience;
• 8.33% vacation allowance and an attractive annual bonus program of 10% of your annual salary, depending on your job level and company performance;
• 25 vacation days, the option to purchase additional vacation days, and one paid vitality day per year, with extra vacation days granted as you get older
• A laptop and mobile phone provided by Enza Zaden;
• A contribution toward overnight accommodation costs if you live farther away from Enza Zaden. This program applies to employees working for Enza Zaden in the Netherlands whose one-way commute exceeds 100 kilometers and 75 minutes;
• An attractive retirement plan, commuting reimbursement if you live more than 10 kilometers from your workplace and a remote work allowance when working partly from home in consultation with your manager;
• Opportunities for personal and professional growth through our Great to Grow development program, training courses, workshops, and e-learning platform
• Plenty of opportunities to connect with colleagues outside of your daily work through social events organized by the Staff Association, as well as Young Enza networking events, inspiration sessions, and social gatherings. We also host an annual summer barbecue, Christmas market and New Year’s reception;
• A strong focus on your health and well-being, including free fresh fruit, healthy lunch options at the office, a bike-to-work program, sports activities through enzActive, and mental well-being support through OpenUp.

This role cannot be filled on an interim basis.

Enza Zaden is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate based on background, identity, or personal characteristics.

Want to learn more about Enza Zaden? Visit our website.