Research Operations Lead

At Corteva Agriscience, you will help us grow what’s next. No matter what your role, you will be part of a team that is building the future of agriculture – solving the world’s food problems through innovation, technology, and putting people first.

The Research Center Operations Lead is responsible for leadership and management of a multi-function research center that serves corn, soybean, disease screening, and silage testing and evaluation. The Operations Lead coordinates the leadership of day-to-day management at the research center, serves as the liaison between all process leads at the center level, and serves as the overall key contact for the center. They plan for research center resources (manpower, machinery, equipment, land, tools, and facilities) needed to produce high quality data, on-time field operations, meet winter research seed production and product advancement schedules. Additionally, they ensure safe, effective, and efficient management of research center processes at the local level.

*Please note: There is no visa sponsorship provided for this role.

What You'll Do:

Operational:

• Manage and accountable for the daily center operations, ensuring on-time completions to meet research and business needs.

• Plan, organize, and direct research operations to ensure the most effective use of assets while meeting research/business objectives; may include, but not limited to the management of: personnel, equipment, facility and land use.

• Manage research operations through subordinate staff that have full accountabilities for their respective area(s).

• Coordinate the research center leadership team meetings by developing agendas, schedules, and ensuring appropriate follow-ups.

• Effective management of land cooperators and offsite storage.

• Ensure Regulatory compliance (safety, DOT, wage/hour laws, USDA, EPA, etc).

• Hold regular team meetings to provide short-term and long-term task direction, along with timely business updates.

• Meet with employees individually to stay abreast of business issues, workload levels, and employee concerns.

• Participate in field activities based on the seasonal needs of the center.

• May calibrate, operate, or troubleshoot complex research field equipment.

• Work alongside New Holland staff members in technical tasks during peak workload seasons including but not limited to field equipment operation, data collection, and seed logistics.

Tactical Planning:

• Work with research center leadership team to proactively plan and address future needs.

• Participate in the labor planning for all regular, temporary, and seasonal research staff.

• Review of operations and fixed projections and implement corrective actions to stay within budget.

• Monitor and manage capacity constraints, equipment problems, labor scheduling, etc. to ensure research goals are met.

• Identify and resolve problems with help as needed from the local center leadership team and upper management (Research Directors, EZ Leads, etc.)

Teamwork and Employee Development:

• Coach, support and develop employees on their team in a manner that fosters effective collaboration and teamwork, demonstrating and modeling the Core Values.

• Establish and support individual and team performance goals that are attainable and aligned with business strategy.

• Hold employees accountable for achieving performance results and demonstrating work behaviors that promote collaboration and teamwork in an effective manner while demonstrating and modeling the Core Values.

• Recognize and value employees through ongoing recognition of individual and team results.

• Strongly encourage employee feedback and ideas for process improvements.

Promote a Culture that Demonstrates Core Values While Generating High Quality Results

• Promote health, safety, and environmentally- friendly practices

• Ensure safety standards are implemented and fully executed.

• Ensure all employees at the center are engaged in Safety.

• Model and enforce Corteva’s Safety Life Critical Rules.

• Foster a positive Safety Culture on and off the job.

• Ensure CAMS and Management Review is in place and effective.

• Provide oversight of and monitor quality levels through all stages of research.

• Organize and facilitate the management review meetings to ensure continual improvement through CAMS.

Scientific:

• Work in conjunction with Research Scientis