Processing Program and Portfolio Lead

About the Role

Processing Program and Portfolio Lead — Vegetable Seed Production Innovation unit at Bayer. Own and steer an integrated portfolio of applied research, readiness, and innovation initiatives for VSPS Seed Processing units across multi-crop and multi-site operations, including quality testing labs. Operate with autonomy to align technical execution teams to strategic business priorities and deliver measurable business outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

• Translate business priorities and operational needs into clear program objectives, outcomes, and success metrics.
• Own and manage a diverse portfolio of cross-functional projects focused on applied research, innovation, and readiness for seed production and processing.
• Drive and support prioritization, sequencing, and resource allocation of initiatives across multiple technical teams and disciplines.
• Serve as primary point of contact to ensure alignment between VSPS Processing units, working teams (inside and outside SPI), and operational functions.
• Guide projects through the full lifecycle from concept and prioritization to validation, deployment preparation, and implementation.
• Provide oversight on progress, risks, dependencies, and return on investment at the portfolio level.
• Foster collaboration across research, SPI, PS, engineering, quality, production, and processing functions to remove barriers to execution.
• Assist in annual budget and resource planning for programs within scope (OPEX/CAPEX).
• Ensure programs adhere to relevant quality, safety, and governance frameworks.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in portfolio & program management, business translation & outcome definition, and cross-functional stakeholder management; ideally in seed production and product supply.
• Ability to translate strategic priorities into executable programs and define measurable success metrics.
• Solid understanding of product supply, production, processing, and applied innovation contexts.
• Expertise in prioritization & trade-off decision-making, resource & budget planning (OPEX/CAPEX), and delivery governance & readiness oversight.
• Ability to travel globally up to 15%.
• Fluent in English.
• Background in agriculture, seed production, or similar industries is a strong advantage.

Benefits

• Focus on employee well-being and work-life balance.
• Career development opportunities in an innovative environment.
• Competitive compensation and location-specific benefits; details provided by recruiter.

Additional Information

Please submit your resume along with a cover letter in a single document, highlighting relevant experience. After application review, the selection process includes a phone screening followed by two interview rounds with the hiring manager and key team members.

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