Business Operations Lead

Company Description

About Syngenta 

At Syngenta Seeds Field Crops, we're shaping the future of agriculture and empowering farmers to meet the ever-growing demand for food and fuel. We’re a global Ag Tech powerhouse, headquartered in the United States, with passionate, local experts collaborating with farmers to deliver solutions that create market opportunities.  We unite precision breeding, advanced biotechnology trait choice, and digital platforms for unmatched in-field performance.  Our seeds help mitigate risks such as disease, insect, weed, and extreme weather pressures, all while promoting sustainable farming practices that protect and enhance our planet. Join our mission of revolutionizing food security and transforming agriculture. 

Job Description

At Syngenta, our goal is to build the most collaborative and trustworthy team in agriculture, providing top-quality seeds and innovative crop protection solutions that improve farmers' success. To support this mission, Syngenta’s Portfolio and Project Management Team is seeking a Business Operations Lead in Durham, NC. This role will serve as the connective tissue between Seeds R&D leadership and critical business partners (Finance, HR, Quality, Productivity, Sustainability, Risk Management), orchestrating cross-functional alignment and enabling data-driven decision-making across a complex, global-regional operating model.

The Business Operations Lead is a strategic integrator and transformation driver within the Seeds R&D Business Operations function. This position owns initiatives from strategy through sustained implementation – combining management consulting rigor with hands-on program execution and long-term operational tracking. The role architects enterprise-level processes that flex appropriately across geographies while maintaining global coherence, balancing standardization with necessary regional adaptation.

The ideal candidate brings a consultant's problem-solving toolkit with an operator's delivery mindset: someone who can diagnose organizational friction, design scalable solutions, mobilize diverse stakeholders across matrix structures, and remain accountable through the messy middle of implementation and beyond. Success requires navigating ambiguity, translating between technical and executive audiences, and building durable operating mechanisms that outlast individual projects.

Accountabilities:

• Drive cross-functional transformation initiatives end-to-end – from strategy development through implementation and sustained operational integration across Finance, HR, Quality, Risk Management, and R&D Operations.
• Architect enterprise operating models and governance frameworks that work across global and regional structures, balancing standardization with necessary local flexibility.
• Translate executive vision into executable plans – structure ambiguous, complex problems into clear roadmaps, mobilize diverse stakeholder teams, and deliver measurable business outcomes.
• Build strategic partnerships across business functions – serve as the integrator who connects dots, surfaces hidden risks/opportunities, and enables high-quality decision-making.
• Create executive-ready insights and communications – synthesize complex data into compelling narratives and actionable recommendations for senior leadership.
• Own the outcome, not just the plan – stay through implementation and sustainment, ensuring solutions stick and deliver lasting value (this is not a "recommend and hand-off" consulting role).

Qualifications

PLEASE NOTE: Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States on a permanent basis without requiring current or future sponsorship (which also includes OPT/CPT and H-1B visas).

Required:

• 7+ years in management consulting, corporate strategy, transformation/change management, or enterprise PMO leadership.
• Proven track record owning initiatives from strategy through implementation to sustainment (not just creating plans and handing off).
• Experience in global matrix organizations with regional sub-structures; comfortable balancing standardization with local customization.
• Cross-functional fluency: Track record partnering across Finance, HR, Operations, Quality, and/or Risk Management functions.
• Structured problem-solving and hypothesis-driven thinking.
• Influencing without authority across diverse stakeholder groups.
• Executive communication: PowerPoint storytelling and presentation skills for C-suite audiences.
• Analytical capability: Financial modeling, data synthesis, business case development.

Desired:

• Background in biotech, pharma, agriculture, or R&D-intensive industries.
• M&A integration or post-merge