Agricultural Research Manager

🌾 We're Hiring: Agricultural Research Manager📍 Location: United Arab Emirates (Remote) 🕒 Employment Type: Full-Time 💼 Experience Level: Mid-Level to Senior 🌐 Work Arrangement: Fully RemoteAbout UsWe are an agriculture and food-systems-focused organization committed to advancing agricultural productivity, sustainable farming, food security, resource efficiency, and climate-resilient agricultural practices through high-quality research and innovation.Our distributed teams collaborate across Agricultural Science, Agronomy, Horticulture, Soil Science, Irrigation, Biotechnology, Food Science, Data Science, Sustainability, Engineering, Government Authorities, Universities, Research Institutions, Farmers, Agribusinesses, and Executive Leadership to develop practical solutions for modern agriculture.The RoleWe are seeking an experienced Agricultural Research Manager to lead agricultural research programs, field trials, crop studies, experimental projects, data analysis, technology development, research partnerships, and knowledge-transfer initiatives.The ideal candidate will combine strong agricultural science expertise with research leadership, experimental design, project management, data analysis, field operations, and stakeholder engagement.The role will be responsible for developing research strategies, managing multidisciplinary agricultural research programs, overseeing trials and experiments, evaluating new technologies and farming practices, and translating research findings into commercially and environmentally sustainable agricultural solutions.Key ResponsibilitiesDevelop and implement agricultural research strategies aligned with organizational objectives, food-security priorities, sustainability goals, and market needs.Lead multidisciplinary research programs covering crop science, agronomy, horticulture, soil health, irrigation, plant breeding, agricultural biotechnology, precision agriculture, pest management, and sustainable farming where applicable.Identify agricultural research priorities, emerging challenges, technology opportunities, and productivity gaps.Develop research proposals, experimental plans, methodologies, budgets, timelines, milestones, and deliverables.Design and oversee agricultural field trials, greenhouse experiments, controlled-environment studies, laboratory investigations, and demonstration projects.Develop appropriate experimental designs, sampling strategies, control groups, treatment plans, data-collection protocols, and quality-control procedures.Manage research activities involving crops, seeds, soils, irrigation systems, fertilizers, pesticides, biological inputs, growing systems, and agricultural technologies.Coordinate field research across farms, experimental stations, greenhouses, laboratories, and controlled-environment facilities.Monitor crop growth, yield, quality, soil conditions, water use, nutrient performance, pest pressure, disease incidence, and other relevant agricultural indicators.Evaluate new crop varieties, cultivation techniques, irrigation methods, fertilizers, biological products, pest-management approaches, and agricultural technologies.Conduct research into climate-resilient agriculture and farming methods suitable for arid and water-constrained environments.Investigate methods to improve water-use efficiency, soil productivity, crop resilience, and agricultural resource efficiency.Support research into protected agriculture, hydroponics, vertical farming, controlled-environment agriculture, and other innovative production systems where applicable.Evaluate precision-agriculture technologies including remote sensing, drones, IoT sensors, automated irrigation, satellite imagery, robotics, artificial intelligence, and agricultural analytics.Manage agricultural research datasets and ensure data accuracy, consistency, traceability, and appropriate documentation.Analyze experimental and field-trial data using appropriate statistical and scientific methodologies.Work with Data Science, GIS, Engineering, Biotechnology, and other technical specialists to develop advanced agricultural models and decision-support tools.Establish research quality-assurance and quality-control processes covering field trials, laboratory analysis, data collection, and reporting.Manage agricultural laboratories, research facilities, field equipment, sensors, sampling tools, and other technical resources where applicable.Ensure research equipment is appropriately maintained, calibrated, documented, and available for planned research activities.Monitor developments in agricultural science, climate change, food security, biotechnology, crop genetics, precision agriculture, and sustainable farming.Review scientific literature, technical publications, patents, market developments, and emerging agricultural technologies.Develop partnerships with universities, agricultural research institutes, government agencies, farmers, agribusinesses, technology companies, laboratories, and international research organizations.Manage collaborative research projects, joint trials, research agreements, technical studies, and knowledge-sharing initiatives.Manage external researchers, consultants, laboratories, agricultural technology providers, contractors, and other specialist partners.Develop research budgets and monitor expenditure, procurement, resource allocation, and project financial performance.Identify opportunities for research grants, government funding, commercial partnerships, sponsorships, and collaborative agricultural programs.Ensure agricultural research activities comply with applicable UAE agricultural, environmental, biosafety, pesticide, research, and regulatory requirements.Coordinate with Government Relations, Regulatory Affairs, Sustainability, Legal, and relevant authorities on research approvals and regulatory matters.Evaluate environmental and sustainability impacts associated with agricultural research and proposed farming technologies.Assess the potential impact of agricultural practices on soil health, water resources, biodiversity, ecosystems, and surrounding communities.Develop recommendations to improve crop productivity while minimizing water consumption, chemical use, waste, and environmental impact.Translate research findings into practical recommendations for farmers, agribusinesses, agricultural operators, policymakers, and senior management.Develop technical reports, research papers, trial reports, scientific presentations, management summaries, and implementation guidelines.Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)Performance will be measured through a combination of scientific, agricultural, operational, sustainability, and commercial KPIs, including:Research program deliveryField-trial completionCrop yield improvementCrop quality improvementWater-use efficiencyResource-use efficiencySoil-health improvementResearch data qualityResearch publication outputResearch commercializationTechnology adoptionResearch-budget performanceResearch partnership developmentGrant and funding successAgricultural productivityCrop resiliencePest and disease management performanceSustainability performanceEnvironmental impact reductionResearch-to-farm implementationCandidate ProfileThe successful candidate should have strong experience in agricultural research, agronomy, horticulture, crop science, soil science, agricultural biotechnology, precision agriculture, or a related discipline.Experience managing agricultural research programs, field trials, experimental farms, greenhouses, laboratories, or controlled-environment agriculture projects would be advantageous.Experience working in arid, desert, water-constrained, greenhouse, or climate-sensitive agricultural environments would be particularly valuable given the UAE and wider GCC context.What You'll BringProven experience in agricultural research, agronomy, horticulture, crop science, soil science, or a related discipline.Strong experience designing and managing agricultural experiments and field trials.Strong understanding of crop production, plant health, soil management, irrigation, and agricultural systems.Experience with experimental design, statistical analysis, field data collection, and scientific reporting.Knowledge of precision agriculture, controlled-environment agriculture, hydroponics, or agricultural technology is advantageous.Experience managing multidisciplinary agricultural and scientific teams.Strong understanding of sustainable agriculture, resource efficiency, and climate-resilient farming.Experience working with universities, government agencies, research institutions, farmers, laboratories, or agribusinesses.Strong scientific writing, technical reporting, presentation, and communication capabilities.Experience developing research proposals, budgets, methodologies, and project plans.Strong project-management and stakeholder-management skills.Experience with agricultural data analytics, GIS, remote sensing, or statistical software is advantageous.Strong analytical, critical-thinking, and problem-solving capabilities.Highly scientific, practical, innovative, and results-oriented.Ability to manage multiple research projects, field activities, and stakeholder requirements simultaneously.Ability to work independently and effectively within a fully remote environment, including coordination of field teams where required.Relevant degree in Agronomy, Agricultural Science, Horticulture, Crop Science, Soil Science, Plant Science, Agricultural Engineering, Biotechnology, or a related discipline.Master's degree or PhD in a relevant agricultural or scientific field is highly advantageous.Experience working within the UAE or wider GCC agricultural and food-security sector is highly desirable.