At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead innovative plant science projects and mentor a dynamic team of scientists.
- Company: Join a cutting-edge biotech firm focused on sustainable crop protection.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, collaborative culture, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Engage in a vibrant scientific community with exciting external collaborations.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in agricultural science and shape the future of herbicides.
- Qualifications: PhD in biology with strong leadership and mentoring skills.
The predicted salary is between 59400 - 72600 £ per year.
Biology Lead, Plant Science, Discovery Research, R&D Mentorship
A Biology Lead opportunity has opened up at an innovative agricultural biotech company operating at the forefront of sustainable crop protection science.
This is a rare chance to step into a senior scientific leadership position where your expertise will directly shape the direction of a growing discovery biology function.
Could this be the role where your scientific thinking makes a genuine difference to how the next generation of herbicides are developed?
The Role
The Biology Lead will serve as the senior scientific authority within the discovery function, providing expert guidance across biological platforms, assay development, experimental design and data-driven decision-making.
You will work closely with chemistry, project management and technical operations colleagues to ensure that biological insight is fully embedded in candidate progression and portfolio decisions.
A key part of this role is being present and visible within the laboratory, not to oversee every experiment, but to troubleshoot, advise on protocols and help scientists think through challenges in real time.
Beyond day-to-day scientific guidance, the Biology Lead will champion rigorous experimental standards and reproducible data practices across the function, lead the uptake of new methodologies and tools, and represent the company professionally in external collaborations and partnerships.
You will also coach and develop scientists at all levels, raising the quality of scientific thinking across the team rather than managing headcount.
The Company
This is an opportunity to join an ambitious and growing biotech company based in South East England, focused on discovering novel crop protection solutions.
The organisation brings together a multidisciplinary team of scientists working across discovery, chemistry and technical operations to develop sustainable agricultural products.
It is a science-first culture that values collaborative working, evidence-based decision-making and the kind of creative rigour that accelerates genuine discovery.
The company works with a range of external scientific partners, including academic collaborators, CROs and commercial partners.
What experience does the Biology Lead need?
- Ph D-qualified scientist with a strong research background and the ability to apply deep biological expertise to complex discovery challenges.
- Established scientific leader with experience mentoring and influencing multidisciplinary teams, driving technical excellence without necessarily having extensive line management responsibilities.
- Commercial R&D experience, ideally working across collaborative research programmes, external partnerships and cross-functional project teams.
- Hands-on and scientifically curious, with a passion for staying close to the science and supporting experimental problem-solving.
- Experience in plant science, crop protection or related life sciences is advantageous, but exceptional candidates from biotech or pharmaceutical discovery who are keen to transition into the sector will also be considered.
- Excellent communicator who can translate complex scientific concepts into clear recommendations and influence stakeholders across technical and leadership teams.
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