What are the responsibilities and job description for the Technical Development Manager position at Verdesian Life Sciences?
Job Details
Description
Essential Responsibilities:
Field Research & Product Validation
Description
Essential Responsibilities:
Field Research & Product Validation
- Design, implement, and manage field trials and on‑farm demonstrations in specialty crops (e.g., fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, vines, potatoes, turf, or other high‑value systems).
- Ensure trials are agronomically sound, statistically defensible, and aligned with intended claims and use‑patterns.
- Collect, analyze, and interpret agronomic, physiological, and yield/quality data to support product performance claims.
- Provide feedback to the lab/greenhouse team and Product Management on formulation performance, crop response variability, and use‑case optimization, consistent with the organization’s emphasis on scientifically validated product performance.
- Serve as the subject‑matter expert (SME) for product use in specialty crop systems, integrating products into grower‑relevant fertility, stress mitigation, and crop quality programs.
- Partner with Sales and Marketing to support customer meetings, field days, and technical trainings.
- Help sales teams position products credibly by explaining mechanisms of action, realistic performance expectations, and best‑fit agronomic scenarios.
- Support the development of crop‑specific guidelines, technical bulletins, and decision tools grounded in field data and biological rationale.
- Build trusted relationships with growers, consultants, researchers, and specialty crop influencers.
- Act as a technical face of the company in the field, answering agronomic questions, troubleshooting performance issues, and reinforcing product confidence.
- Provide in‑season agronomic support to ensure correct product use and to identify opportunities for program improvement.
- Translate field data into clear insights for internal teams, including Product Management, Regulatory, Marketing, and R&D.
- Contribute to internal knowledge sharing by documenting learnings from trial programs and customer interactions.
- Support regulatory and stewardship activities by ensuring field use aligns with label requirements and regional crop practices.
- Other duties not listed above may be assigned by immediate supervisor
- Broad agronomy knowledge of specialty crops in the U.S. and around the globe.
- Experience managing the technical aspects of product development projects for crop inputs
- Experience planning, facilitating or summarizing agronomic field trials
- Experience in technical support for differentiated products in a competitive market
- Strong interpersonal and customer relation skills, but also an innovative and creative thinker
- Strong ability to work well with others to achieve objectives, but Independent and comfortable working from a remote office at their home
- High level of proficiency for analyzing and summarizing data (i.e. Excel, ARM, etc…)
- Achieves Results: Self-starter, self-disciplined, detailed and organized. Identifies and resolves problem in a timely manner. Prioritizes and plans work activities and uses time efficiently.
- Adaptability & Change Management: Effectively deals with and handles change and uncertainty. Adapts easily and quickly to a changing environment without losing effectiveness. Resilient
- Personal Development: Listens well and is aware of personal strengths and weaknesses and takes continuous action to improve personal capabilities
- Uncompromising ethics; Passionate for excellence; Unaccepting of mediocrity; Efficient with time
- This position requires 40-60% travel on average. (some weeks zero travel, some weeks 5 days).
- Bachelor’s degree in Agronomy, Crop Science, Plant Science, Soil Science, or a related field (Ph.D. degree preferred).
- 5 years of experience in field agronomy, technical services, or crop consulting, with direct exposure to specialty crop systems.
- Strong working knowledge of plant nutrition, soil fertility, crop physiology, and stress responses.
- Demonstrated experience designing and executing field trials or on farm research.
- Excellent communication skills with the ability to translate complex biological concepts into practical agronomic recommendations.
- Willingness to travel extensively during the growing season