Senior Plant Breeding Scientist – Horticulture

Placements24; Sandton; On-site; ZAR 900,000 - 1,300,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

State-of-the-art facilities

Publication opportunities

International conferences

Sandton location

Job summary

Placements24 in Sandton seeks a highly qualified Horticultural Scientist specializing in plant breeding to join our R&D team, focusing on developing new plant varieties with improved traits.

You will lead breeding programs, conduct field trials, and apply genetic and molecular techniques to advance crop performance for local and global markets. The ideal candidate holds a PhD and 5+ years of applied breeding experience, with greenhouse and field trials expertise.

Qualifications

• PhD in Horticulture, Plant Science, Genetics or related field with plant breeding focus.
• Minimum 5 years of applied plant breeding research and program management.
• Proven track record in developing new plant varieties or improving existing ones.
• Strong knowledge of genetics, molecular biology, statistics and experimental design.
• Experience with greenhouse and field trial management.

Responsibilities

• Design and lead plant breeding programs for key horticultural crops.
• Conduct field trials, collect data and perform statistical analysis.
• Apply genetic and molecular techniques to accelerate progress.
• Maintain detailed records of experimental designs and germplasm.
• Collaborate with scientists, agronomists and breeders to meet objectives.
• Stay current with literature and best practices in plant breeding.

Skills

Genetic techniques

Molecular techniques

Statistical analysis

Research design

Team collaboration

Education

Ph.D. in Horticulture/Plant Science/Genetics (plant breeding focus)

Tools

Genetic techniques

Greenhouse trials

Field trials

Job description

Placements24 in Sandton seeks a highly qualified Horticultural Scientist specializing in plant breeding to join our R&D team, focusing on developing new plant varieties with improved traits.

You will lead breeding programs, conduct field trials, and apply genetic and molecular techniques to advance crop performance for local and global markets. The ideal candidate holds a PhD and 5+ years of applied breeding experience, with greenhouse and field trials expertise.