Product Manager, Dryland Crops Program (DCP) at International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT)

Key responsibilities:

Product strategy and definition

• Work with Market Intelligence, Seed Systems, and value chain actors to understand and document drivers of variety replacement and adoption, and to inform product cycle strategy.
• Ensure Target Product Profiles (TPPs) are defined, validated, and supported by robust business cases, and are adopted and used by breeding teams to guide selection decisions.
• Ensure socially inclusive needs and circumstances, particularly of women and youth, are intentionally incorporated into target setting, product development, and market strategies.

Pipeline governance and advancement decisions

• Manage advanced testing and ensure qualitative and quantitative data from on-farm trials and pertinent studies are available, organized, and fit-for-purpose for product advancement meetings.
• Support transparent, evidence-based germplasm advancement processes from late-stage testing through recommendation for release and commercialization.
• Promote good data practices and clear decision criteria aligned to TPPs, including documentation of trade-offs and risks.

Validation, release and commercialization readiness

• Coordinate with the Seed Systems unit and the seed industry to ensure complete seed production and multiplication information is available for products recommended for release.
• Support development of product dossiers and related materials required to inform release, licensing, and commercialization decisions with partners and national authorities.
• Facilitate structured feedback loops from farmers, seed companies, and other stakeholders back into product design and breeding priorities.

Planning, partnerships and capacity development

• Contribute to DCP and CGIAR product design and management modules, annual and multi-year work plan development, execution, and reporting.
• Manage and track budgets associated with product management and late-stage testing activities, in line with CIMMYT financial policies and donor requirements.
• Build capacity of CIMMYT colleagues and external partners in modern product management and delivery approaches for dryland crops.
• Contribute to refereed publications, project reports, knowledge products, and fundraising.

Requirements

• MSc or higher in crop sciences, plant breeding, agricultural economics, seed science and technology, agronomy, or a related field.
• Four or more years of experience in seed product management, marketing of seed hybrids/varieties, and/or business administration (desirable).
• Agrobusiness experience in the commercial seed industry in Africa and/or demonstrated understanding of industry and value chain trends and developments.
• Working knowledge of product development principles, including understanding requirements for variety adoption and practical methods for marketing.