Global Precision Phenotyping Lead (Iowa)

Vylor; Johnston (IA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

Paid time off and holidays

Parental leave

Tuition reimbursement

Job summary

Vylor is seeking a Global Precision Phenotyping Lead to define and drive end‑to‑end phenotyping for seed product development. You will supervise and partner with teams, vendors, and collaborators to turn novel phenotyping approaches into field-ready solutions.

The role combines strategic leadership with hands-off orchestration, aligning investments with high-impact opportunities and translating complex data into actionable deployment plans.

Qualifications

• PhD in Plant Breeding, Quantitative Genetics, Plant Science, Agronomy, Ag-Biosystems Engineering, Data Science, or closely related field; or MS with equivalent applied experience.
• 10+ years R&D in plant breeding/phenotyping with strategic/people leadership.
• Track record translating capabilities into deployed solutions.

Responsibilities

• Lead and define Seed Product Development strategy for applying advanced phenotyping.
• Coordinate with teams, partners, and 3rd parties to deliver scalable phenotyping solutions.
• Set strategic direction for end-to-end phenotyping systems from data capture to insight.
• Translate complex outputs into decision-ready guidance for stakeholders.

Skills

R&D leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Data-informed decisions

Stakeholder engagement

Python/R data analysis

Genomics knowledge

Education

PhD in Plant Breeding/Genetics or related field

Tools

Python

R

UAV imaging

Hyperspectral imaging

Job description

Come join our team in the position of Global Precision Phenotyping Lead– Breeding & Trait Development!

Who We Are

Corteva Agriscience is a global leader in genetics, seed technologies and digital agriculture. Our Breeding & Trait Development organization advances high-performing germplasm and native traits that help farmers meet tomorrow’s challenges. We are seeking a highly driven leader who will empower our global teams with cutting‑edge end‑to‑end phenotyping solutions.

What You'll Do

The incumbent leads and defines Seed Product Development strategy for applying advanced phenotyping to maximize plant breeding value, translating scientific and technological capabilities into clear, prioritized actions that accelerate product development. This senior role focuses on delivering the greatest impact phenotyping solutions by supervising and partnering with teams that discover, validate and deploy novel phenotyping approaches.

This position sets the strategic direction for end‑to‑end phenotyping systems, from data acquisition through modeling and insight generation, ensuring outputs are scientifically robust, scalable, and directly tied to business value. Rather than directly executing all components, this role orchestrates delivery with 3rd parties, business partners and a team of technical innovation developers, ensuring concepts are translated into practical, field‑ready solutions.

The role drives alignment of phenotyping priorities across the seed product development organization, balancing long‑term innovation with near‑term needs. It prioritizes investments and initiatives based on expected impact, ensuring resources are focused on the highest‑value opportunities. The incumbent guides experimental strategies to optimize data quality, relevance, and usability at scale, with a clear line of sight to the needs of the stakeholders.

In addition, the position leads the evaluation and integration of emerging technologies within a strategic framework, ensuring innovation efforts are targeted, actionable, and compatible with operational realities. It serves as a key translator between technical development teams and business stakeholders, converting complex outputs into decision‑ready guidance and actionable deployment plans.

Above all this role acts as a strategic R&D leader and integrator, ensuring the right value‑rich phenotyping capabilities are not only developed, but effectively applied, connecting technical innovation to measurable breeding value by advancing and driving data informed decisions.

The incumbent should be highly driven and self‑motivated; passionate about unlocking unrealized value, deliverables focused, and rich in collaboration and partnership

What You'll Need

Education & Experience

• Ph.D. in Plant Breeding, Quantitative Genetics, Plant Science, Agronomy, Agricultural/Biosystems Engineering, Data Science, or a closely related field; OR M.S. in a related field with equivalent depth of applied experience.
• 10+ years of progressive R&D experience in plant breeding, phenotyping, or applied agricultural science, including 5+ years in a strategic and/or people‑leadership capacity.
• Demonstrated track record of translating scientific and technological capabilities into deployed, value‑generating solutions.

Technical & Scientific Expertise

• Deep expertise in plant phenotyping across the full pipeline — from data acquisition through platform development, trait deployment, modeling, analytics, and insight generation.
• Strong working knowledge of plant breeding principles and a clear understanding of how phenotypic data drives breeding value and product advancement.
• Proven ability to design experimental strategies that optimize data quality, relevance, and usability at scale.
• Demonstrated capability to evaluate, validate, and integrate emerging technologies within real‑world operational constraints.

Leadership & Strategy

• Proven experience defining and executing R&D strategy, including prioritizing investments and initiatives based on expected business impact.
• Demonstrated success leading and developing technical teams, and orchestrating delivery through teams, business partners, and third parties (rather than direct execution alone).
• Experience driving cross‑functional alignment within a complex R&D organization, balancing long‑term innovation with near‑term delivery.
• Exceptional ability to translate complex technical outputs into clear, decision‑ready guidance and actionable deployment plans for diverse stakeholders.
• Strong stakeholder engagement and partnership skills, including managing external vendors and collaborators.
• A consistent, data‑informed approach to decision‑making.

Personal Attributes

• Highly driven, self‑motivated, and deliverables‑focused.
• Passionate about unlocking unrealized value and about collaboration and partnership.

Preferred Qualifications

• Global or multi‑region R&D leadership experience across diverse crops, environments, or geographies.
• Hands‑on familiarity with precision phenotyping technologies such as UAV/drone‑based imaging, ground‑and‑field sensors, remote sensing, hyperspectral/multispectral imaging, and high‑throughput phenotyping platforms.
• Proficiency with data science and analytical tools and languages (e.g., Python, R), and experience applying machine learning, AI, or advanced statistical modeling to phenotypic data.
• Knowledge of genomics, genomic prediction, and the integration of phenotypic and genomic data in breeding programs.
• Experience managing budgets, capital investments, and external research partnerships or contracts.
• Familiarity with data architecture, pipelines, and infrastructure required to scale phenotyping data systems enterprise‑wide.
• Demonstrated success bringing novel R&D concepts from proof‑of‑concept through to operational, field‑ready deployment.
• Track record of publications, patents, or recognized scientific/industry contributions in phenotyping or breeding.

Benefits – How We’ll Support You

• Numerous development opportunities offered to build your skills
• Be part of a company with a higher purpose and contribute to making the world a better place
• Health benefits for you and your family on your first day of employment
• Four weeks of paid time off and two weeks of well‑being pay per year, plus paid holidays
• Excellent parental leave which includes a minimum of 16 weeks for mother and father
• Future planning with our competitive retirement savings plan and tuition reimbursement program
• Learn more about our total rewards package here - Corteva Benefits
• Check out life at Vylor! https://www.linkedin.com/company/vylorgenetics/

Vylor is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to embracing our differences to enrich lives, advance innovation, and boost company performance. Qualified applicants will be considered without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, national origin, age, military or veteran status, pregnancy related conditions (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), disability or any other protected status in accordance with federal, state, or local laws.