Global Breeding Director (M/F)

Global Breeding Director

As Global Breeding Director, you will be a key executive leader at the heart of HM.CLAUSE's R&D strategy. You will define the medium- and long-term breeding execution plan, lead a global, multidisciplinary team across three regions (EMEA, AMPA, and Asia), and drive the timely creation of winning, innovative vegetable varieties that reach growers' hands. This role sits at the intersection of science, strategy, and people – requiring you to lead with vision, collaborate across functions, and embrace the complexity of a truly global organization. You will be a core member of both the HM.CLAUSE R&D Global Management Team (GMT) and the Limagrain Vegetable Seeds Breeding Application Strategy Team (BAST), ensuring HM.CLAUSE's scientific excellence is visible and impactful at Group level.

Main Goal

• Strategic Leadership : Define and implement HM.CLAUSE's global breeding roadmap, aligned with LVS strategy and business priorities. Contribute as a member of the R&D Global Management Team (GMT) and the HM.CLAUSE Leadership Team. Lead the Breeding Leadership Team (BLT) and translate company and crop strategies into concrete breeding strategies. Represent HM.CLAUSE's breeding function in the LVS Breeding Application Strategy Team (BAST), driving cross-BU synergies and harmonization.
• Breeding Excellence & Innovation : Establish and oversee global breeding analytics, metrics, and continuous improvement frameworks across all crop programs. Champion data-driven breeding. Lead the R&D Trial Specialist organization to ensure robust, data-based decision-making in alignment with global crop priorities. Ensure best-in-class germplasm stewardship, including compliant seed movement, FTO, Nagoya compliance, and seed health management.
• People & Organization : Build and lead a high-performing, globally distributed breeding organization; develop future R&D leaders. Foster a collaborative, inclusive, and innovative team culture that unlocks the potential of every team member. Manage and develop the direct leadership team Drive succession planning, performance management, and talent development across the breeding function.
• Cross-functional Collaboration & Partnerships : Collaborate closely with AGS, R&D Operations, Portfolio & Innovation, and commercial teams to deliver an integrated R&D approach. Coordinate strategic research partnerships with universities, national and international research centers, and external partners. Interface with production, sales, and marketing functions with a speed-to-market mindset.
• Financial & Resource Management : Develop and track annual budgets for the Breeding and Trial Specialist teams, with a strong focus on ROI and business alignment. Lead cross-crop investment strategy and resource allocation decisions. Promote quality standards and Plant Health, Safety & Environmental practices at all R&D sites.

Your profile

What you bring

• Master's degree or higher in Plant Breeding, Genetics, or a related life science discipline.
• At least 10 years of experience in plant breeding roles, including a minimum of 4 years in a senior R&D leadership position.
• Deep expertise in vegetable breeding, with a solid understanding of contemporary breeding technologies: genomics, molecular markers, digital phenotyping, AI-assisted selection.
• Proven track record of leading large, multicultural, geographically distributed teams to high performance and business delivery.
• Strong scientific acumen combined with business and financial literacy.
• Excellent communication and influence skills; fluent in English (French or Spanish a plus).
• Ability to travel internationally up to 35% of the time.

Who you are

• A collaborative leader who knows how to build trust across organizational boundaries – within the BU, across LVS, and with Group Limagrain.
• Agile in managing complexity: you navigate the BU/LVS agenda with ease and keep teams aligned and motivated.
• A genuine change agent: you challenge the status quo constructively, inspire teams to evolve, and lead with curiosity and courage.
• Deeply people-oriented: you coach, develop, and bring out the best in others, especially across diverse cultural contexts.
• A strong voice in scientific and strategic discussions, with the humility and influence to achieve alignment across stakeholders.