Job Description

Nutreco is a leading global animal nutrition company offering solutions that go beyond nutrition. We support our customers to produce more feed in a sustainable way to feed the growing population.  

In 2021, Nutreco established the Nutreco Exploration (NutEx) group who develops novel and proprietary ultra-specialty ingredients and empowers development of innovative functional feeds. In order to discover novel ideas and develop them into exclusive ingredients, NutEx engages in two programs, i.e., phytotechnology and microtechnology. 

For the phytotechnology program, Nutreco founded a Competence Center for Medicinal Plant Solutions (Nutreco Garden of the Future = NuGaFu). Located in Switzerland’s phytovalley near the Austrian and German border, the Center commands state-of-the-art infrastructure and facilities allowing the conduct of all activities required for the development of PhytoComplexes used in the feed industry (bioactivity modelling facilities, phytochemistry laboratory, in vitro propagation laboratory, plant breeding greenhouse, medicinal plant exhibition garden, experimental field station for plant domestication work). The Center also builds on an existing, worldwide network of specialty plant growers.

To expand our team we are seeking for a Plant Production and Supply Manager for Medicinal Plants in Animal Nutrition. You become part of the NutEx team and support us in all aspects related to the global commercial scale production and supply of our PhytoComplexes. 

Your area of responsibility:
•    Close collaboration with our Discovery Group including early assessment of general plant material availability, cultivation prospectives and expected production costs of candidate species.
•    Close alignment with our Plant Domestication Group assuring a trouble-free establishment of the selected plant materials and an efficient implementation of the production guidelines for the commercial production of our PhytoComplexes.
•    Close interaction with our Upstream Group to facilitate the on-time supply of plant materials in the required volumes.
•    Next to the volumes, you are responsible for the quality and the costs of production and thus add value financially. Concretely, you ensure that the quality is in compliance with the given specifications and that the production costs are within the earlier agreed cost frames.
•    Establishment of plant collection/cultivation and processing procedures utilizing the in-house expertise and know-how of the Plant Domestication Group. 
•    Commercial in vivo and in vitro propagation of selected, proprietary plants employing inhouse developed propagation procedures in the countries of cultivation and delivery to our contract growers.
•    Extension of the plant production worldwide (geographic diversification) in compliance with relevant requirements of the feed industry, in particular related to safety and traceability within given budget frames and in compliance with quality and regulatory requirements
•    Continuous improvement of the production aiming at elevated quality levels and reduced production costs.
•    Support and close supervision of the contract growers, in particular in the initial phases with detailed advice with regards to field establishment as well as harvesting and processing. 
•    Close collaboration with NutEx Ingredient Development Group.
•    Support and close collaboration with Nutreco’s Regulatory, Quality Assurance and Procurement team.
•    Training for staff of Nutreco OpCos and Nutreco OpCos’ business partners.

On-site presence is mandatory for close collaboration with other teams, training, and transfer of our grower- and service provider-networks.
 
What we offer
As Nutreco our mission is ‘feeding the future’. In a world with limited natural resources, our ambition is to meet the rising food needs of a growing world population in a sustainable manner. Working for Nutreco means an impactful role in an international, dynamic environment with complex and diverse topics. We offer you the opportunity to grow professionally. Nutreco belongs to the SHV Family with more than 60.000 employees. 

What else is in it for you?
·    We will offer you a fulltime position, 40 hours per week,
·    Competitive remuneration package with a good pension scheme,
·    You will get 25 vacation days, with the possibility to sell or purchase a limited number of days,
·    Opportunity for business travel to be involved in projects around the globe including,
·    Flexible work environment. 

Who you are:
We are seeking for a forward-thinking and innovative individual. Someone who possesses a curious and inquisitive mind, with a passion for exploring new ideas and technologies. You embrace unconventional approaches to problem-solving and experimentation, thriving on pushing the boundaries of traditional research methodologies. Your ability to think outside the box and adapt quickly to changing circumstances makes you an invaluable asset to our team's pursuit of groundbreaking discoveries.

What you bring:
•    PhD or master’s degree in Agronomy or Horticulture, with several years of work experience in a relevant field.
•    Strong background in specialty crop production and processing. 
•    Hands-on experience in the up-scaling and geographical diversification of plant production, as well as sustainability. 
•    Extensive supply chain experience, i.e., in transportation, ex- and import, customs, warehousing, etc.
•    Excellent communication skills and ability to work effectively in a team environment, collaborating with team members and stakeholders across multiple teams including the growers in the countries of production.
•    Fluent in English, proficiency in German is a plus.
•    High level of initiative, autonomy, reliability, and flexibility in handling multiple tasks and projects simultaneously.
•    Ability to travel, up to 25% of the time, to visit the growers and the production fields, and to participate in collaborative meetings. 
•    This role will be based in Arbon, Switzerland; local labor conditions apply.

Extra information / Apply direct
Are you the enthusiastic candidate we are looking for? We would like to hear from you! You can express your interest in this role by clicking the button “apply now’’ and we will contact you as soon as possible. For more information regarding this vacancy, you can contact Arzu Sayin (Talent Acquisition Specialist) at arzu.sayin@nutreco.com. In case you do apply, we like to thank you for sharing your ambition with us!

The application process will include an assessment.

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Please be aware that acquisition based on our vacancies is not appreciated.