Product Manager - Rice

Drive the end-to-end lifecycle of rice hybrid products—prioritizing on-time New Product Introduction (NPI)—from early-stage selection through pre-commercial advancement, registration, supply readiness, and commercial launch. This role orchestrates disciplined cross-functional delivery with Rice R&D, Agronomy & Technical Services, Production & Supply, and Field Crops Regulatory to ensure data-driven advancement decisions, compliant registrations, and reliable seed availability.

Portfolio Management

• Maintain the rice hybrid portfolio roadmap (pipeline, advancement, phase‑out plans).
• Ensure Target Product Profiles reflect real market needs (segment, maturity, competition, disease pressure).
• Help define pricing, positioning, naming, and labeling.
• Lead post‑launch performance reviews and gather feedback from growers and channel partners.

NPI (New Product Introduction) Management

• Own the full NPI plan and stage‑gate timeline for all rice hybrids.
• Maintain a master tracker of milestones, risks, owners, and deadlines.
• Lead weekly team check-ins and monthly governance meetings.
• Prepare decision packs for go/no‑go discussions, including trial data, product fit, supply, and financials.
• Identify risks early (e.g., registration delays, seed issues, trial failures) and drive solutions.

Collaboration with Key Functions

With Rice R&D

• Align on TPPs and criteria for hybrid selection.
• Ensure consistent data capture (yield, quality, milling %, disease tolerance, maturity, etc.).
• Prepare shortlists for advancement gates.

With Agronomy & Technical Services

• Review and align on trial design (checks, replication, locations, data quality).
• Ensure trials generate solid, market‑relevant data to back product claims.
• Build field positioning and agronomic recommendations for launch.
• Coordinate Hybrid Promotions Committee meetings.

With Production & Supply

• Ensure timely parent seed hand‑off (A/B/R lines) and seed increase planning.
• Track seed production progress and quality (purity, germination).
• Coordinate seed allocation for demos, trials, and sales kits.

With Field Crops Regulatory

• Track registration dossier preparation, submission, and approval.
• Ensure compliance in labeling and claims.
• Maintain an updated regulatory tracker and escalate risks when needed.

Market Readiness & Commercial Enablement

• Lead demo plot planning and collect validated product performance claims.
• Work with Commercial Excellence to develop training materials.
• Support launch readiness (pricing, forecasting, SKUs, kits, collaterals).

Data, Systems & Reporting

• Own the central NPI and portfolio data dashboards.
• Publish monthly NPI updates, quarterly portfolio reviews, and seasonal scorecards.
• Maintain high data accuracy across all teams.
• Track key performance indicators (KPIs) and performance metrics (e.g., yield, sales data, market share) to assess product success and inform future iterations.

Stakeholder Management

• Regularly communicate product updates, progress, and performance to executives and stakeholders, ensuring buy-in and managing expectations.
• Engage with industry experts, research institutions, and universities to stay at the forefront of seed technology and agronomic advancements.
• Represent Syngenta in scientific and technical forums, contributing insights on hybrid performance, trait efficacy, and sustainable agronomic practices.

Risk Management: Implement risk management tools and resolve problems or delays in production in a timely manner. 

• Education: Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Agronomy, Plant Science, Agricultural Engineering, or related fields.
• Experience: at least 5 years in technical agronomy, product development, or technical marketing in the seed or crop protection industry.
• Proven project management experience
• Familiarity with seed production, trial design, and regulatory processes for crops
• Ability to translate technical insights into impactful commercial messaging.
• Strong collaboration and communication skills to work cross-functionally with marketing, sales, agronomy, and external partners.

Additional Information

• Travel Requirements:   50-60%
• All applicants must be eligible to work anywhere in the Philippines

Syngenta is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate in recruitment, hiring, training, promotion or any other employment practices for reasons of race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, sexual orientation, marital or veteran status, disability, or any other legally protected status. Learn more about our D&I initiatives here: https://www.syngenta.com/careers/working-syngenta/diversity-and-inclusion