Job Description

Trait Discovery Planner

The Trait Discovery Planner enables the delivery of Trait Discovery projects within Vegetables R&D by translating plans into structured, actionable tasks and ensuring that the right people, resources, and information are in place for execution. The role acts as a coordination hub across breeding, pathology, molecular lab, and operations teams, removing bottlenecks, maintaining planning visibility, and ensuring that timelines are understood and followed. Where workflows are absent or unclear, this role takes initiative to define and document them, creating the conditions for consistent and efficient execution by others.

Scope: Global

TASK AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Developing and maintaining forecasts that allow project milestones to be delivered and partner teams to plan their capacity effectively. This includes generating and adjusting genotyping, pathology, sequencing & FP, VQ lab, and CE & Field forecasts. The Planner monitors upcoming forecast cycles, flags emerging resource constraints, and facilitates forecast overview sessions to align capacity across functions. Exception requests and capacity adjustments are handled by the Planner as part of ongoing demand management.
• Ensures that seed management and trial logistics activities are properly planned and handed off to the teams responsible for execution. This includes coordinating seed inventory planning, greenhouse release scheduling, final plant number communication to the farming team, and seed harvest handoff logistics. The Planner initiates and tracks requests , such as sowing requests, issue shipments, seed testing, and shipping document acquisition, and ensures that executing teams have what they need when they need it. For some trials, this extends to coordinating cycle harvest guidelines, transplant list preparation, and cycle scheduling.
• Ensures that enterprise systems are set up correctly to support project execution. This includes initiating project and set creation, coordinating field book setup, supporting mapping and inventory record publishing, and ensuring that data entry steps (e.g. phenotypic data uploads, operations uploads, weight imports) are assigned, understood, and completed by the responsible parties. The Planner maintains oversight of data integrity without necessarily being the one to enter all data.
• Actively identify situations where workflows are undefined, inconsistent, or inefficient, and to take initiative in proposing and documenting improvements. This includes drafting process descriptions, coordinating stakeholder input to validate them, and ensuring that agreed workflows are accessible and followed. The Planner does not wait for a formal mandate to improve a process, they treat workflow clarity as part of their core responsibility.
• Converts Trait Discovery Trait project plans into concrete, time-bound actionable tasks. This means breaking down research plans into sequenced activities, assigning ownership to the appropriate teams, and tracking progress against milestones. The Planner facilitates pre-season discussions of trial aims, ensures that all parties understand their responsibilities, and follows up proactively to prevent delays. The role does not execute operational tasks directly but is accountable for ensuring those tasks are clearly defined, assigned, and on track.

WHO YOU ARE

· Proven ability to translate high-level project goals into structured task plans with clear ownership and timelines

· Experience managing multiple concurrent workstreams across cross-functional teams

· Skilled at facilitating planning meetings and driving alignment without direct authority

· Comfortable working with ambiguity and able to create structure where it is lacking

· Working knowledge of Trait Discovery processes, trial management, and seed logistics is strongly preferred

· Ability to understand and navigate enterprise systems such as FTS/Velocity, Rubicon, Lab Gateway, and similar platforms

· Familiarity with forecasting concepts in a research or operations context

· Advanced digital acumen

· Basic coding, data analytics and AI proficiency

· Strong data literacy: ability to read, interpret, and communicate planning data from enterprise systems

· Proficiency in Microsoft Office; experience with data visualization tools

· Clear, proactive communicator for diverse audiences

· Able to influence and coordinate across teams with different priorities and working styles

· Comfortable escalating issues early and constructively

· Demonstrated ability to identify process gaps and take initiative to define structured, documented workflows

· Experience writing SOPs or process documentation is a strong asset

· Systems thinker who anticipates the downstream impact of planning decisions

· B.S. in Horticulture, Plant Biology, Genetics, Agriculture, Plant Breeding, or a related field with 5 years’ relevant experience; Master Degree preferred.

· Minimum 3–5 years of experience in a project coordination, planning, or research operations role within a life sciences or agricultural R&D environment

· Experience with trial coordination, seed management, and/or lab forecasting

Key Working Relationships: Works closely with Breeding and Nursery teams, Operations, Discovery and Applied Pathology, Molecular Lab operations, and local farming/greenhouse teams. The role interfaces regularly with digital platform owners and contributes to cross-functional operational alignment across the Trait Discovery function.

Be innovative, be Bayer. We shape the future of everyday health, patient care and agriculture. Together, we can advance health and nutrition for all. Guided by our purpose ‘science for a better life’, rooted in our DSO approach and steered by the organization’s strategy, we reach for our ambitious vision. Help bring this vision to life: ‘Health for all, hunger for none’.

Are you looking for a new challenge?

Apply online by sending us your resume and cover letter (in 1 document).

What can you expect? The application process consists of a personality questionnaire and an interview with the recruiter and hiring manager.

Would you like to know more about what our people do and how they feel at Bayer?

Check https://www.bayer.com/en/nl/career/our-people#489796 and follow us via #TeamBayerBenelux!

We do not accept any unsolicited applications via agencies. 

#LI-BNL

Division: Crop Science Location: Bergschenhoek or Wageningen
Employment Type: Regular Work Time: fulltime