Research Operations Lead wanted urgently: APPLY NOW
Greytown, KwaZulu-Natal
Description
The Research Center Operations Lead is responsible for the day-to-day management at the Research Center and serves as the liaison between all process leads at the center level and serves as the overall key contact for the center. This individual ensures safe, effective and efficient management of Research Center processes at the local level and plans for Research resources (manpower, machinery, equipment and tools and facilities) needed to produce high quality data, on-time field operations and product advancement schedules.
Operational:
Manage and accountable for the daily center operations, ensuring on-time completions to meet research and business needs.
Plan, organize, and direct research operations to ensure the most effective use of assets while meeting research/business objectives; may include, but not limited to the management of: personnel, equipment, facility and land use.
Manage research operations through subordinate staff that have full accountabilities for their respective area(s).
Coordinate the research center leadership team meetings by developing agendas, schedules, and ensuring appropriate follow-ups.
Effective management of land cooperators and off –site storage.
Ensure Regulatory compliance
Meet with employees individually to stay abreast of business issues, workload levels, and employee concerns.
May participate in field activities as determined by specific location needs.
Tactical Planning (3-12 months)
Work with research center leadership team to proactively plan and address future needs.
Review of operations and fixed projections and implement corrective actions to stay within budget.
Provide feedback to Finance regarding the center’s operating and capital budgets.
Implement best productivity practices at center and ensure these practices are sustained.
Monitor and manage capacity constraints, equipment problems, labor scheduling, etc. to ensure research goals are met.
Identify and resolve problems with help as needed from the local center leadership team and upper management (Research Directors, EZ Leads, etc.).
Teamwork and Employee Development:
Coach, support and develop employees on their team in a manner that fosters effective collaboration and teamwork, demonstrating and modeling the Core Values.
Establish and support individual and team performance goals that are attainable and aligned with business strategy.
Hold employees accountable for achieving performance results and demonstrating work behaviors that promote collaboration and teamwork in an effective manner while demonstrating and modeling the Core Values.
Recognize and value employees through ongoing recognition of individual and team results.
Strongly encourage employee feedback and ideas for process improvements.
Promote a Culture that Demonstrates Core Values While Generating High-Quality Results
Promote health, safety, and environmentally- friendly practices
Ensure SHE programs are implemented and fully executed
Foster a positive Safety Culture on and off the job
Ensure RMS and Management Review is in place and effective.
Provide oversight of and monitor quality levels through all stages of research processes and testing.
Ensures that the research facility maintains its social license to operate through community engagement initiatives
Scientific:
Ensures that all operational practices are agronomically sound
Work in conjunction with Research Scientist(s) and EZ Lead(s) to establish project goals consistent with business unit goals which reflect internal and external customer needs.
Provide management, scientific leadership and creativity when initiating, designing, and executing research within/across projects.
Remain current on new technology by participating in professional meetings, career development activities and by encouraging others to bring information into research activities.
May be involved with scientific studies to support breeding program or department per the employees interest and skill set (molecular breeding involvement, product advancement, regulated testing, disease-related work, etc.)
May monitor research progress and meet with participating researchers to identify problems and opportunities impacting the business unit.
May serve on teams appropriate to cross-project research initiatives.
Qualifications
Masters Degree or Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent experience in Agriculture related field
10 – 15 years’ experience in operations is required; experience in the seed industry is preferred.
Strong knowledge of crop systems and agronomy
Experience in seed production or knowledge of research seed production systems
Knowledge of seed processing, QMS and certification
Demonstrated management/leadership experience is required
Proven ability to make timely decisions, solve problems and build consensus.
Excellent interpersonal/communication skills are required for fostering teamwork, enhancing a good working environment, and effectively developing strong working relationships with a diverse group of people
Ability to supervise/handle multiple tasks at one time is critical.
Requires ability to look several months forward to anticipate labor needs, resource needs, space requirements, etc.
High aptitude for learning.
Primarily in a Research Center setting with regular interaction taking place in a high traffic & activity plant/warehouse areas.
High workload with long hours and weekend work during seasonal peaks which includes frequent visits to field locations including overnight travel, sometimes for an extended period.
Physical ability to lift15kg, ability to work outside in all kinds of weather, ability to stand/sit for extended periods.
The Research Center Operational Leads job operates over three job grade levels with increasing responsibility, complexity, and impact. Factors that would affect this would be experience, scientific contribution, contribution to the department outside the local center level and overall research center complexity.
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Source: Indeed
