Breeding Director Allium & Crucifers

Breeding Director Allium & Crucifers – Hazera

Made | Fulltime

Main Goal

The Breeding Director – Allium and Crucifers is accountable for defining and leading Hazera’s global onion & Crucifer’s breeding strategy to deliver innovative, sustainable, and differentiated varieties that deliver value and meet the evolving needs of growers, supply chain partners, retailers, processors, and consumers worldwide.

Reporting to the Global Head of  R&D , this role provides scientific, strategic, and organizational leadership for the global onion and crucifer breeding programs. The Director leads international multidisciplinary breeding teams across multiple while fostering collaboration with Product Management, Crop Research, Breeding Technologies , Data Science, R&D Operations, Seed Production, and Commercial teams.

The successful candidate champions innovation, accelerate genetic gain, strengthens global collaboration, and builds a high-performing breeding organization supporting the company's long-term strategic objectives . The Allium & Crucifer’s breeding Director is also part of the R&D management team and a key contributor in the Limagrain Vegetable Seeds Strategic Crop reviews.

Job description

• Develop and execute the global onion and crucifer breeding strategy aligned with business objectives.
• Lead the global breeding pipeline from germplasm development through commercial product launch.
• Ensure effective integration of contemporary breeding technologies, including genomics, phenomics, AI, predictive breeding, and data analytics into breeding decisions.
• Collaborate closely with Product Management, Applied Genetics , Crop Research, Seed Production, Commercial, and R&D Operations.
• Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing international breeding team.
• Manage breeding portfolio investments, budgets, KPIs, and resource allocation.
• Represent the breeding program with external partners and scientific organizations.

Candidate profile

• Ph.D. in Plant Breeding, Genetics, Plant Science, Horticulture, or related discipline preferred or MS with at least 5 years of breeding experience and breeding team management.
• Several years of progressive experience in commercial vegetable breeding.
• Demonstrated success leading onion/ Crucifers or comparable vegetable breeding programs.
• Experience managing international, multidisciplinary teams.

Technical Expertise

• Allium & Crucifers breeding experience a plus
• Quantitative genetics, hybrid breeding, genomic selection and marker-assisted breeding
• Digital phenotyping
• Experimental design and statistical genetics
• Product advancement
• Breeding informatics and data-driven decision making

Leadership Competencies

• Strategic vision
• Innovation leadership and people development
• Customer focus and business acumen
• Executive communication
• Cross-functional collaboration
• Results orientation
• Change management

Success Measures

• Commercially successful allium & Crucifer’s varieties
• Increased genetic gain
• Efficient breeding pipeline
• Adoption of modern breeding technologies
• High-performing teams
• Strong collaboration across R&D and Commercial
• Operational excellence

Your benefits and working environment

• Working with passionate colleagues
• 25 days paid holidays and 13 days paid ATV (by full time employment)
• Vitality leave to facilitate sustainable employability (number of days depending on age)
• Flexible working hours (depending on the job)
• Lease-a-bike to promote sustainable employability
• Discount on collective health insurances with  CZ and Nationale Nederlanden
• Commuting allowance according to the CLA for Horticultural Seed Companies
• Free fresh fruits and Free fresh vegetables to take home in the growing season
• CLA for Horticultural Seed Companies 
• Career opportunities within Limagrain Group (access to all vacancies, locally & abroad)
• Leaning & Development opportunities (Limagrain Group)
• Active Employee Association (regular events, e.g BBQ & Padel)

Interested?

Are you an experienced Breeding Director/Manager or ready to take the next step in your breeding career? Then we would like to hear from you.
Apply confidentially or contact Johan Grootscholten, Senior Consultant, Green Career Consult via +31 (0)6 38976049 or johan@greencareerconsult.nl .

About Hazera

Hazera is an international vegetable seed company with a rich history spanning more than 100 years. Driven by its mission, "Growing Together," Hazera is committed to helping people, partnerships and crops thrive through innovation, research and close collaboration with growers worldwide.

With headquarters in both the Netherlands and Israel, subsidiaries in 11 countries and a distribution network serving more than 130 markets, Hazera supports growers across diverse climates, cultivation systems and market conditions.

Hazera is part of the Limagrain Group, an international agricultural cooperative based in France and the largest seed company in Europe. Limagrain’s vegetable seed division is among the global leaders in the industry.

For over a century, Hazera has been developing innovative vegetable varieties that contribute to higher yields, improved quality and increased disease resistance. Through extensive R&D programs and collaboration with leading research institutions, Hazera provides reliable seed solutions that meet both today's market demands and tomorrow’s challenges.

Together with growers, partners and employees, Hazera is building a sustainable and successful future for the global vegetable industry.