Project Leader

Who are we, and what do we do?

At Corteva Agriscience, you will help us grow what’s next. No matter your role, you will be part of a team that is building the future of agriculture – leading breakthroughs in the innovation and application of science and technology that will better the lives of people all over the world and fuel the progress of humankind.

Corteva is seeking to hire a Project Leader for Seed Applied Technology (SAT). You will lead defined regional biology programs and scientific projects, translating portfolio and program strategy into coordinated, executable research plans that deliver high-quality data, clear scientific conclusions, and timely business and regulatory outcomes.

Connect global and regional strategy with practical implementation by aligning stakeholders, resources, timelines, budgets, protocols, field execution, data interpretation, and required project deliverables. The initial focus of this role will be project leadership, with responsibility for selected Principal Biologist activities based on project and portfolio needs. Over time, the role may expand to include direct support for field-trial implementation as business needs, portfolio priorities, and seasonal demands evolve.

The successful candidate must therefore bring both the capability to lead complex scientific projects and a genuine aptitude and interest in hands-on field science.

What You’ll Do:

• Project Leadership and Delivery
• Program and project leadership: Lead assigned biology programs or project components from planning through interpretation, communication, and completion. Establish objectives, milestones, deliverables, accountabilities, and operating cadence.
• Strategic translation: Translate global and regional strategy, project objectives, key questions, and performance criteria into actionable regional science plans and research workplans.
• Cross-functional coordination: Build alignment among Regional Biology Leaders, Global Biology Leaders, Principal Biologists, Field Scientists, Commercial Unit Field Science Leaders, Regulatory, Marketing, Commercial, statisticians, external researchers, and Innovation Management network teams.
• Risk and issue management: Track progress, dependencies, resource needs, and risks. Anticipate constraints, escalate issues early, and adjust plans to protect scientific quality, timelines, budget, and critical deliverables.
• Portfolio agility: Rebalance effort among projects and responsibilities as priorities change, while maintaining clarity on ownership and ensuring that critical work is not duplicated or dropped.
• Research Planning, Resources, and Operations
• Resource planning: Partner with regional and global biology leaders to define trial demand, capacity, capability, material, and external research needs. Support budget development, resource allocation, sample forecasting, and project prioritization.
• Biology planning: Develop or coordinate biology plans that define valid key questions, interpretive intent, proposed treatments, locations, methods, decision criteria, and required deliverables.
• Protocol quality: Ensure protocols are scientifically rigorous, use appropriate Corteva Trial Methods, align with regional guidance and global strategy, and are reviewed and released on schedule.
• Operational coordination: Coordinate internal and external trial placement, materials, systems entries, scientific support, and logistics required for successful execution.
• Process discipline: Apply the Field Sciences Research Cycle and applicable Innovation Management processes consistently, while enabling appropriate flexibility in local implementation.
• Principal Biologist Responsibilities, as needed
• Scientific ownership: Own assigned biology key questions and the local or regional research package needed to answer them.
• Protocol development and leadership: Refine key questions and interpretive intent; develop treatments, methods, locations, and trial requests; lead protocol finalization and required peer discussions.
• In-season stewardship: Maintain frequent contact with Field Scientists and co-investigators, monitor trial status and data quality, obtain interim observations, resolve scientific or operational issues, and keep project leadership informed.
• Data integrity and interpretation: Ensure trial data are complete, reliable, appropriately analyzed, statistically supported when needed, and interpreted against predetermined decision criteria.

What Skills You Need:

Strong scientific foundation in applied biology, agronomy, crop protection, pest management, or a related field, with the ability to connect experimental design to practical field outcomes.

Demonstrated project leadership and organizational skills, including planning, prioritization, resource coordination, milestone management, risk management, and follow-through.

Proven ability to develop, execute, analyze, interpret, summarize, and communicate biological research trials.

Working knowledge of experimental design, statistics, data quality, and research documentation.

High learning agility and adaptability. Comfortable moving between strategic planning, detailed scientific work, operational coordination, and hands-on field execution.

Collaborative leadership style with strong stakeholder management, facilitation, coaching, and influencing skills across functions and geographies.

Clear written and verbal communication, sound scientific judgment, curiosity, creativity, and a proactive problem-solving mindset.

Ability and willingness to work outdoors in variable field conditions, travel to research locations, and adjust seasonal work patterns when required by trial activities.

Commitment to safety, stewardship, process discipline, data integrity, inclusion, and ethical scientific conduct.

MSc or PhD in a scientific or technical field, with 5+ years of relevant experience in scientific project execution, research coordination, or operational planning. Equivalent combinations of education and experience may be considered.

Preferred Skills:

Experience in field research, controlled-environment research, laboratory studies, or technology deployment. Direct small-plot field research experience is strongly preferred.

Experience authoring protocols, working with research data systems and analytical tools, and developing technical reports or presentations.

Experience collaborating with regulatory, commercial, marketing, external research, or cross-functional product-development teams is desirable.

Experience serving as a Principal Biologist, protocol lead, study director, project leader, or comparable scientific leadership role is desirable.

Keys to Success

Delivers scientifically rigorous, decision-ready work on schedule and within agreed resources.

Demonstrates ownership from strategic intent through field execution, interpretation, communication, and archival.

Builds trusted partnerships, communicates early and clearly, and creates alignment across diverse stakeholders.

Balances scientific depth with practical execution and remains willing to work alongside colleagues in the field.

Anticipates changing portfolio needs and flexes the job pie without losing accountability, quality, or momentum.

Actively seeks learning, shares knowledge, develops others, and improves how the team works.