Breeder

Our Principal delivers innovative farming solutions and technology to farmers around the world. It has global footprint in 84 countries. Our Principal prides itself on decades of research and deployment of the most advanced technologies in traditional plant breeding to deliver high-quality seeds. Our Principal is a global leader in tropical and subtropical corn and has leading positions in many regions in corn, forage and grain sorghum, sunflower, canola, rice and vegetables.Our Principal is a global seed business that combines the most advanced techniques in conventional plant breeding with biotechnology to deliver world-class seed. They are one of the international leaders in the research, development, production, processing, marketing, and sale of high-performance agricultural seeds. Drawing on our global network of breeders and researchers, the Company can offer exclusive genetics and industry-leading hybrids of field and vegetable crops.Our Principal is seeking a motivated Sunflower Breeder for Europe.The Senior Breeder Sunflower - Europe is responsible for leading the European sunflower breeding program, based out of Hungary and delivering a competitive pipeline of hybrids aligned with regional market needs. The role defines breeding strategy, manages hybrid and parental-line development, drives stage-gate advancement decisions, and integrates modern breeding technologies to accelerate genetic gain. The position works closely with Global and Regional R&D teams and cross-functional stakeholders to ensure the sunflower pipeline supports portfolio growth, commercial relevance and long-term business performance across Europe.On their behalf, we are searching for a highly qualified professional for the following position:Senior Breeder Sunflower, EuropeKey ResponsibilitiesEuropean Sunflower Breeding Strategy: Define and execute breeding strategy aligned with European market needs, business priorities and long-term portfolio objectives.Hybrid-Delivery Plan: Own germplasm strategy and trait strategy, discovery projects and strategic partnerships to provide a clear path for program effectiveness and hybrid delivery.Hybrid and Parental Line Pipeline: Lead hybrid and parental line development pipelines across breeding stages, hybrid creation priorities and nursery planning to support pipeline delivery.Parental Line Evaluation: Evaluate parental line value, adaptation, combining ability and fit within target hybrid combinations.Stage-Gate Advancement: Make advancement recommendations based on yield, agronomic adaptation, disease tolerance, quality traits, commercial fit and robustness across environments.Modern Breeding Methods: Implement molecular tools, marker-assisted selection, data-driven selection methods and trait introgression approaches where relevant.European Trial Network: Oversee multi-environment trials across Europe and ensure high-quality data, robust analysis and reliable selection decisions, with focus on key sunflower markets such as Central and East Europe.Team Leadership and Execution: Lead and develop local breeding teams, build capability and ensure strong execution discipline across operational activities.Cross-functional Collaboration: Coordinate with global and regional R&D, Technology Development, Supply, Marketing, Sales and business teams to align breeding priorities and product needs.Resources, Budget and Compliance: Optimize resource allocation and budget use while ensuring safety, quality, regulatory compliance, confidentiality and professional standards.Key InterfacesFunctional Manager: CRL Sunflower, for R&D priorities, breeding strategy, pipeline governance and scientific leadership.Administrative Manager: Europe Business Lead, for regional alignment, business priorities, resource planning and operating support.R&D and Breeding Teams: alignment on germplasm and traits, pipeline direction, breeding technologies and trial priorities.Technology Development: product validation, performance feedback and advancement readiness.Supply, Production and Operations: seed availability, nursery plans, production feasibility and operational execution.Marketing and Sales: market needs, product concepts, customer feedback and commercial fit.Regulatory and Quality Teams: compliance requirements, registration support and quality standards.Qualifications & ExperienceEssential Requirements:MSc or PhD in Plant Breeding, Genetics, Agronomy, Crop Science or related field.15+ years of relevant breeding experience, preferably in sunflower or hybrid crop breeding.Strong background in quantitative genetics, experimental design, statistics and data-driven breeding.Practical knowledge of molecular markers, marker-assisted selection and trait introgression.Strong experience in hybrid breeding, pipeline management and multi-environment selection.Leadership capability to guide breeding teams and influence international R&D networks.Fluent English and ability to operate effectively across European and global teams.Willingness to travel approximately 30% across trial locations and global research sites.

Preferred Qualifications

Sunflower breeding experience in European environments.Business-oriented mindset with ability to connect breeding priorities to commercial needs.Knowledge of sunflower-relevant herbicide tolerance platforms and relevant trait technologies.Experience with genomic selection, phenomics tools or advanced breeding analytics.Core CompetenciesPlant breeding strategy; hybrid breeding; parental-line development; quantitative genetics; experimental design; statistics and data analytics; marker-assisted selection; trait introgression; multi-environment trial interpretation; pipeline governance; scientific leadership; cross-functional collaboration; confidentiality and professional discipline; sunflower disease tolerance; oilseed quality traits; herbicide tolerance platforms; European sunflower market adaptation.KPIs / Success MetricsGenetic gain and strength of sunflower hybrid pipeline for Europe.Quality and timeliness of advancement decisions across breeding stages.Performance, adaptation and commercial relevance of promoted hybrids.Quality, completeness and reliability of trial data and selection analytics.Efficiency of crossing plans, nursery operations and resource deployment.Budget discipline and operational execution against breeding plans.Capability development and retention of local breeding team talent.Strength of collaboration with R&D, TD, Supply, Marketing, Sales and business stakeholders.ApplicationPlease, kindly send your application via e-mail: plurimus.cv@gmail.com and attach your professional CV in English with a photo + a letter of interest!Plurimus Ltd.H-2112 Veresegyház, Szivárvány u. 21., HungaryMobile, Viber, WhatsApp: +36 (20) 279 5885E-mail: plurimus.cv@gmail.comWeb: https://plurimus.huOpen positions: https://plurimus.hu/allasok