Rice Seed Breeder at Olam Nigeria Limited

Olam International is a leading food and agri-business supplying food, ingredients, feed and fibre to over 19,800 customers worldwide. Our value chain spans over 60 countries and includes farming, processing and distribution operations, as well as a sourcing network of 4.8 million farmers. Through our purpose to 'Re-imagine Global Agriculture and Food Systems', Olam aims to address the many challenges involved in meeting the needs of a growing global population, while achieving positive impact for farming communities, our planet and all our stakeholders. Headquartered and listed in Singapore, Olam currently ranks among the top 30 largest primary listed companies in terms of market capitalisation on SGX-ST.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Rice Seed Breeder

Location: Nigeria

Job Description

• The Rice Breeder, under immediate supervision of the General Manager / Business head.
• He / She will undertake activities related to the breeding pipelines development for Olam Rice Farm.

Key Deliverables

• Develop high yielding varieties corresponding to desired product profiles, in close collaboration with farm and mill teams, by combining good agronomic traits, desirable grain quality, and tolerance / resistance to abiotic and biotic stresses through conventional breeding approach.
• Plans and carries out breeding studies to develop and improve varieties of Rice: Improves specific characteristics, such as yield, quality, maturity, and resistance to drought, disease and insect pests in plants, utilizing principles of genetics and knowledge of plant growth.
• Produce pure parent line, breeder and foundation seed for multiplication.
• Breeds plants, using methods such as inbreeding, crossbreeding, backcrossing, outcrossing and selection.
• Select progeny having desired characteristics and continues breeding and selection process to reach desired objectives.
• Lead the testing of advanced breeding lines developed at inhouse Center for various breeding product segments (Early duration, Mid duration, long grains, High amylose content, High yielding germplasm)
• Coordinate with external stakeholders (Private organization/Public institutes) for new germplasm introduction and breeding collaborations.
• Facilitate varietal release and adoption at farm and create demand for superior varieties;

Requirements
Qualifications / Selection Criteria Education and work experience:

• PhD in Breeding, Genetics or other related fields with a minimum of 2-year experience in Rice breeding; or M.Sc.  in Breeding, Genetics or other related fields with a minimum of 5-year experience in Rice breeding in a reputed seed company or research institution.

Knowledge and Key Competencies:

• Highly self-motivated, detail-oriented, and innovative;
• Strong record of innovation and process improvement in breeding;
• Excellent knowledge of statistics in field experimental design and data analysis;
• Good project management, communication and interpersonal skills;
• Strong scientific writing skills;
• Ability to work in multicultural environments;

Language:

• The candidate should communicate fluently (oral and writing) in English.

Application Closing Date
Not Specified.