Corn, Sorghum & Cotton Product Manager in Cambridge

The Corn, Sorghum, Cotton Product Manager – EMEA/APAC leads product marketing, technical positioning, product life‑cycle management, performance interpretation, crop agronomy support and licensing product readiness across assigned crops. The role connects research output, field evidence, agronomic insights, farmer needs and commercial strategy into clear portfolio guidance, product concepts, launch support, training content and practical recommendations that improve farmer confidence, sales effectiveness and profitable growth across EMEA/APAC.

What This Role Is

• A product marketing, technical product and commercial agronomy leadership role connecting Research, Agronomy, Production, Marketing, Sales and Commercial execution.
• A role owning product positioning, product concepts, life‑cycle recommendations, performance interpretation and agronomic guidance.
• A role turning field evidence into simple guidance grounded in farmer needs and business value.

Key Responsibilities

• Product Strategy & Product Marketing: Support the regional product portfolio for corn, sorghum and cotton, translating crop strategy, market segmentation, agronomic needs and competitive dynamics into clear product priorities and research orientation. Define product positioning by maturity, geography, growing environment, customer segment, farming system and use case, with a specific focus on the best portfolio offer for out‑licensing needs. Build strong value propositions, launch stories, technical arguments and competitive differentiation to support Regional Portfolio Leaders, Country Marketing teams and pricing discussions.
• Product Life‑Cycle Management: Lead life‑cycle recommendations from concept and advancement to launch, growth, maturity, decline and phase‑out; define product roles such as launch, growth, stable leader, tactical, replacement, niche or phase‑out candidate. Recommend advancement, maintenance, expansion, restriction or discontinuation based on performance, market fit, profitability, supply feasibility and strategic relevance. Partner with Portfolio, Demand, Supply Chain and Licensing teams to manage replacement plans, portfolio simplification, production impacts, inventory, carry‑over and market protection.
• Product Performance & Agronomy Expertise: Develop a deep understanding of product performance across countries, environments, farming systems, management levels, customer segments and licensing partner clusters. Use research data, IMPACT/demo trials, commercial results, farmer feedback, claims and competitive comparisons to identify strengths, risks, best‑fit conditions and “do not position” situations. Act as regional agronomy reference for crop management, adaptation, stress tolerance, disease sensitivity, planting density, maturity fit, harvest timing and end‑use requirements.
• Trials, Data Valorization & Field Evidence: Support trial design, prioritization and interpretation with Agronomy and Research so trials generate decision‑useful information for advancement, positioning, launch and life‑cycle decisions. Transform country trial data into product insights, technical presentations, decision aids, booklets, commercial tools and sales‑enabling messages. Coordinate and participate in key pre‑commercial small plot tours, field days, product advancement reviews and technical crop tours; support digital trial and product performance tools.
• Product Positioning & Market Deployment: Define where each product should win and where it should not be positioned; build clear USPs and positioning by country, maturity zone, disease pressure, drought/heat profile, soil, planting window, irrigation, management intensity, end‑use and competitor context. Ensure alignment between positioning, agronomic recommendations, sales campaigns, training, side‑by‑side trials, demonstration plans and country deployment priorities. Build competitive positioning tools showing advantages, limitations, substitution logic and replacement opportunities versus key competitors.
• Licensing Portfolio Strategy & Governance: Support the Regional Licensing Leader in licensing portfolio strategy, product selection, technical fit, partner readiness and value creation through gap filling, tactical defense, second‑brand development, local partner leverage or life‑cycle extension. Validate licensed products by geography, maturity, agronomic environment, customer segment, competitive position and partner capability; ensure clear documentation, restrictions, brand rules and performance evidence before deployment. Review licensed product performance by market, partner, role, volume, value and strategic contribution; recommend corrective actions, substitutions or phase‑out plans when needed.
• Product Concepts, Research Alignment & Business Planning: Build regional product concepts reflecting target geographies, maturity, agronomic profile, stress tolerance, disease package, quality expectations, end‑use, trait needs, productivity benchmark, management system and commercial potential. Provide structured feedback to Research based on trial results, commercial performance, customer feedback, claims, field observations, seed production productivity and competitive benchmarks. Support 1‑5 year product plans, demand planning, launch planning, production planning, resource allocation and long‑term portfolio vision.
• Training, Knowledge Transfer & Cross‑Functional Leadership: Design practical training on product positioning, crop agronomy, performance, competitive differentiation and technical sales arguments for sales teams, promoters, country marketing and local agronomy teams. Create and disseminate product guides, crop insights, positioning sheets, launch toolkits, technical brochures, decision aids and customer‑facing presentations. Work closely with Research, Agronomy, Portfolio Leaders, Regional Marketing, Sales Effectiveness, Supply Chain, Demand Management, Quality, Field Seed Production and Country teams; challenge assumptions constructively and drive fact‑based product decisions.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Agronomy, Crop Science, Plant Breeding, Agricultural Engineering, Agrobusiness, Marketing, Business or related field.
• Strong experience in seeds, product management, agronomy, technical marketing, portfolio management, research interface or commercial crop leadership; strong corn expertise required, sorghum/cotton advantage.
• Ability to interpret product performance data, trial results, field observations and commercial feedback, and translate them into clear commercial and agronomic recommendations.
• Knowledge of life‑cycle management, positioning, advancement, launch planning, field deployment, seed production and supply constraints; fluent written and spoken English; EMEA/APAC and digital trial tool experience preferred.

Leadership Competencies

• Strong product and crop ownership; technical credibility; strategic portfolio mindset; customer, farmer and sales‑team orientation; ability to influence without authority; data‑driven decisions; constructive challenge; clear communication, training and product storytelling; bias toward clarity, action and business impact; ability to balance short‑term execution with long‑term portfolio health.

Success Metrics

• Clear and adopted product positioning, value propositions and agronomic guidance across priority countries and segments.
• Stronger product life‑cycle, advancement, licensing and replacement decisions aligned with research, market needs, demand planning and supply feasibility.
• Successful launches, stronger trial data valorization, improved sales confidence, better country adoption of regional guidance and reduced portfolio complexity where appropriate.
• Clear technical documentation for product concepts, performance, positioning and recommendations; stronger integration of product and agronomy input into portfolio planning and commercial execution.