Rwanda Seed Science & Technology Lead

Job Summary

The Rwanda Seed Science & Technology Lead directs the scientific strategy, postgraduate curricula, and regulatory laboratory operations of the RICA Seed Center. Core responsibilities include managing a multidisciplinary team of researchers and laboratory technicians; executing the end-to-end delivery of the flagship postgraduate training program; directing Distinctness, Uniformity, and Stability (DUS) alongside Value for Cultivation and Use (VCU) national field trials; advancing laboratory pathways toward global accreditation standardizations; and generating data-driven technical publications to influence national seed sector policies.

Foundational Capabilities & Prerequisites

Minimum Requirements

• Academic Credentials:
  • A PhD in Plant Breeding, Seed Science, Seed Systems, Seed Technology, Agronomy, or a closely related agricultural science discipline; OR
  • An MSc in the same fields backed by an extensive, high-impact professional tracking profile.
• Sector Tenure:
  • A minimum of two (2) or more years of post-PhD experience inside seed research, varietal development, or public/private seed systems; OR
  • A minimum of five (5) or more years of specialized experience if applying with an MSc degree.
• Analytical & Writing Command: Exceptional scientific and technical reporting skills, with a proven track record of synthesizing complex data sets; prior academic publication histories and advanced proficiency in complex statistical modeling/interpretation are major competitive advantages.
• Domain Expertise: Deep technical understanding of seed technologies, grain crop physiology, and plant breeding methodologies.
• Regulatory Framework Fluency: Working familiarity with international seed governance bodies, certification parameters, and intellectual property frameworks (e.g., ISTA, UPOV, OECD).
• Educational Delivery: Prior experience designing or facilitating academic courses, professional capacity-building workshops, or high-level technical training modules.
• Environmental Agility: Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional squads, align diverse institutional stakeholders, and drive delivery accountability within high-context development environments.
• Linguistic Requirements: Complete professional fluency in written and spoken English is mandatory; conversational or working proficiency in Kinyarwanda is a strong asset.

Key Responsibilities

1. Departmental Strategy, Leadership & Team Optimization

• Establish and drive the RICA Seed Center’s long-term scientific roadmap, ensuring all initiatives maintain absolute industry impartiality and align with smallholder impact goals.
• Line-manage, mentor, and elevate a high-performing, multi-disciplinary team of researchers, instructors, and technicians, cultivating a culture of rigorous scientific accountability.
• Oversee the department's annual planning, multi-variable budgeting processes, and Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) tracking metrics to ensure lean, high-yield operations.

2. Postgraduate Program Direction & Technical Training

• Lead the operational delivery, curriculum evolution, and student outcome monitoring for the flagship postgraduate training program in Seed Technology & Business.
• Drive the formal accreditation, regional institutional positioning, and sustainable growth of the training center, building strategic funding and knowledge partnerships.
• Coordinate external guest lecturers, university administrators, and trainee welfare leads to maintain an elite, cohesive, and supportive learning environment.

3. Seed Laboratory Governance & Certification Calibration

• Architect the technical roadmap for the center's seed testing laboratories, steering internal protocols toward formal international accreditation benchmarks (e.g., ISO, ISTA standards).
• Ensure the daily execution of unbiased, high-accuracy laboratory diagnostic testing services that consistently satisfy national and international quality control matrices.
• Cultivate and manage robust, collaborative relationships with public regulatory agencies, private seed companies, and agricultural ministries.

4. National Field Trials & Seed Systems Alignment

• Oversee national variety performance testing pipelines, ensuring all field-level DUS and VCU evaluations produce clean, high-integrity data that satisfies international compliance bars.
• Coordinate the regular, transparent compilation and publication of official national variety lists, actively modernizing domestic seed governance structures.
• Deepen structural collaboration networks between government ministries and private agro-dealers to eliminate bottlenecks within Rwanda's seed supply chain.

5. Sector Analytics, Reporting & Policy Influence

• Supervise the production of user-focused, field-validated technical briefings, data dashboards, and research insights for institutional partners and agricultural stakeholders.
• Monitor macro-level seed sector trends, identifying market gaps and shifting seed vulnerabilities to inform national policy planning.
• Serve as an authoritative technical voice for One Acre Fund/Tubura, participating in national roundtables and steering committees to guide the evolution of East African agriculture.

Expected Outputs & Deliverables

• A fully executed annual scientific and training roadmap for the RICA Seed Center matching institutional milestones.
• Seamless, high-quality instruction and graduation cycles for the postgraduate Seed Technology cohort.
• Clean, statistically sound national trial registries (DUS/VCU) delivered on schedule to regulatory authorities.
• An audited operational matrix moving internal seed testing laboratories closer to formal ISTA/ISO certification status.

Skills Required:

• Agricultural / Studies