Product Manager Tomato
Job title: Product Manager - Tomato (m/f)
[Full-time] permanent position [Europe, Middle East and Africa]
Context
Sakata Vegetables Europe is a subsidiary of Sakata Seed Corporation (Japan) and is responsible for the development and expansion of the activities across the EMEA area. With our wide array of vegetable seeds, we want to create a confidence-based relationship with our customers, working to our age old motto of Quality, Reliability and Service.
Sakata’s marketing team provides the maximum of technical information so that our clients get the best results from our varieties. The department performs an essential role in the definition of the development and evolution of our business.
Missions
This position is an excellent opportunity for a passionate Agronomic Professional to translate long term vision into short term actions at an international level. Within the Marketing department this challenging position is at the center of all company departments (Research, Supply Chain and Sales). Under the management of the Crop Group Manager for Tomato, your main missions will be to:
- Manage and coordinate the development of various Tomato segments across the Europe, Middle East and African markets.
- Know the Markets for your segments; Keep the Market Database updated, share clear Segmentation & Product-Profiles, and map the Competition landscape.
- Steer the breeding effort; In collaboration with the Crop Group Manager and the R&D teams, develop and implement the strategy across the region (including product profiles, trends, breeding effort, priorities) to be agreed with senior managers during a crop review meeting. Set the objectives with the stakeholders and monitor progress of Sakata breeding on those initiatives.
- Manage the complete Product Life Cycle of all the varieties of Tomato. Launch & discontinue varieties providing the organization with relevant information.
- Explore opportunities; Identify ways of capturing value. Scout for new genetic sources when no breeding. Identify existing or new segments where Sakata could play.
- Position Sakata Varieties & Promote; Manage the evaluation and development of new varieties in their pre-commercial phases (collect & analyze data), and prepare for commercial introductions in collaboration with the local Sales and Product Development teams. Coordinate the communication plan for tomatoes along with the Communications Team.
- Coordinate with all involved functions, this includes aligning sales needs and seed supply; especially with respect to seed production costs and seed availability.
You will have to travel extensively across the region (between 30% to 60% of your time depending the time of year), working with closely with our dedicated sales teams and distributors where relevant, providing technical support and knowledge to customers
Profile
We are looking for candidates with a degree level qualification, preferably in a horticultural related field. A minimum of 4 years’ working experience in the vegetable industry is necessary and previous experience in product management is desirable. The position requires a technical background to support the development of our varieties as well as a commercial approach.
You will work in an international project-oriented environment within a multicultural organization. You need to have the capacity to adapt yourself to many different cultures and environments as well as being able to demonstrate good teamwork skills.
Excellent communication and organizational skills along with a high level of autonomy and flexibility are also required to succeed in this position. It is mandatory to be fluent in English, (reading, writing, and speaking), other language skills are also desirable. Familiarity with other languages could enhance your candidacy. A strong proficiency in computer skills is essential.
Application
This position is available as soon as possible. It will be based in Europe and can be home-based or in one of our regional offices.
If you believe you have the ability to add value, please send us your application (Resumé + covering letter explaining why you believe you are suitable for this exciting opportunity), before May 31st, 2024, by email at the following address: recruitment.veg@sakata.eu.
Thank you for your interest!