Indigo improves grower profitability, environmental sustainability, and consumer health through the use of natural microbiology and digital technologies. Utilizing beneficial plant microbes and agronomic insights, Indigo works with growers to sustainably produce high quality harvests. The company then connects growers and buyers directly to bring these harvests to market. Working across the supply chain, Indigo is forwarding its mission of harnessing nature to help farmers sustainably feed the planet. The company is headquartered in Boston, MA, with additional offices in Memphis, TN, Research Triangle Park, NC, Sydney, Australia, Buenos Aires, Argentina, and São Paulo, Brazil. www.indigoag.com

The role of Director, R&D Program Prioritization will drive synchronization and harmonization of inputs, outputs and processes for microbial product development decision-making across R&D. They will also drive pipeline review preparation and facilitate discussions including scenario planning. They will report to the Head, R&D Program Management and be located in Indigo’s Boston, MA office.

Responsibilities

• Create process and plan to utilize and provide input on R&D portfolio tools to monitor portfolio progression, update and provide strategic recommendations to governance, senior leadership, and BoD on the microbial pipeline.
• Own and implement process to update Stage Gate process map on a regular basis and use to inform capacity, data flows. 
• Develop an understanding of capacity constraints by stage, and develop a capacity model for resources (human and physical) to be used in the prioritization process
• Develop and propose a set of R&D portfolio KPIs and drive the use of these KPIs into the prioritization process and in decision-making.
  • Develop a means to track these KPIs over time and perform trend analyses, reporting these and high-lighting concerns to Sr Management.
• Collaborate with R&D Product Management and Business Intelligence to create new and augment existing dashboards to provide transparent dashboards to be used by governance and Senior Leaders
  • Views should include prioritization, microbial staging, portfolio progression, capacity utilization and other measures as defined. 
• Partner directly with senior leaders to ensure preparation, implementation and follow-up of scientific and pipeline-related decisions and action.
• Create a model for R&D investments that provides +/- 20% accuracy to budget and develop a format/process to communicate this information to senior stakeholders.
  • Using the budget model, develop portfolio level reports that will create transparency around investments for governance and Sr Leadership (including CEO, CIO, and Board of Directors) and show opportunities for trade-offs by using scenario analyses.
• Develop project budgeting, risk assessment and resource management methods, tooling, and procedures which will provide value-added decision-making support
• Supports R&D and Crop Teams with 5-year business plan and budgeting activities, including aggregating and synthesizing organizational KPIs

Competencies

• Highly experienced in constructing and using models for financials, resource, and capacity measures. 
• Understands capacity measures, including team-based resources vs functional area resources and how to apply them in determining functional capacity
• Well-organized approach to capturing priorities and following through on action items
• Able to translate stakeholder needs to system/process improvements; able to effectively communicate technical concepts to non-technical or less technical audiences
• Able to bring structure to loosely defined processes and to develop requirements and process when presented with ambiguity
• Able to work with and present to Senior Leaders
• Think not only in terms of highlighting issues but also in terms of identifying and implementing solutions
• Flexible mindset, able to remain composed amidst stressful situations
• Driven, self-starter with exceptional organizational skills
• Clear, concise, and direct communication style; able to “call to action”
• Able to be an “owner” for all processes created; takes pride in their work and deliverables
• Able to work effectively with individuals at all levels of the organization
• Able to identify and manage complex interdependencies between tasks
• Able to influence team members and stakeholders without direct management authority
• Must be willing to do necessary tasks, even menial ones, with joy!

Qualifications

• B.S. or M.S. in a science discipline and/or business or finance + ≥10 years’ well-rounded experience across business functions (manufacturing, R&D, operations, commercial / sales & marketing, etc.)
• Total experience includes 4+ years of working as a consultant in a high-impact (e.g. Biotech) industry
• Experience with financial systems and models, project management systems, and the development of portfolio level systems
• Experience working in highly analytical positions
• Experience in projects that deliver process and/or systems to drive operational efficiencies a plus
• Experience managing programs and projects involving organizational change management a plus
• Ag or food production industry experience a plus

Indigo is committed to living our values, specifically “creating a work environment where everyone feels respected, connected, and has opportunities to learn and grow.” As part of living our values, we strive to create a diverse and inclusive work environment where everyone feels they can be themselves and has an equal opportunity of succeeding.