Indigo is a company dedicated to harnessing nature to help farmers sustainably feed the planet. With a vision of creating a world where farming is an economically desirable and accessible profession, Indigo works alongside its growers to apply natural approaches, conserve resources for future generations, and grow healthy food for all. Utilizing beneficial plant microbes to improve crop health and productivity, Indigo’s portfolio is focused on cotton, wheat, corn, soybeans, and rice. The company, founded by Flagship Pioneering, 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 the Sr. Project Manager, R&D is to lead key late stage R&D cross-functional projects. As part of the Project Management team, you will be responsible for enabling cross functional teams to meet commercial objectives through the development of microbial products. Responsibilities include developing and executing project plans to ensure successful achievement of commercial goals, implementing standard processes to enable cross functional alignment, and identifying and mitigating risks to commercial objectives. This position will report directly to Project Management and will work cross functionally with Product Management, R&D, and IP teams to achieve the best outcomes for Indigo and our partners.

Key Outcomes:

Develop plans and manage 3 projects to ensure success of Indigo’s Target Product Commercialization Goals

• Take on portfolio of late stage R&D projects across up to 5 crops.
• Obtain cross functional inputs and buy in to build and implement project plans.
• Run regular team meetings.
• Create and populate dashboards for quick reference to project status and functional responsibilities/dependencies.
• Provide coordination and logistics support for functional team members to ensure execution of workstreams.
• Lead cross functional project team meetings with clear agenda and objectives to maintain alignment.
• Identify and ensure mitigation of project risks according to Indigo’s Risk Management Plan.
• Ensure connectivity of R&D team with Commercial Team to ensure fluid communication.

Identify, develop & improve upon R&D processes to enable efficient and scalable achievement of product launch goals

• Establish rapport with functional workstream owners and have a clear understanding of their processes and challenges.
• Become an expert in the complexities of agriculture microbial product development.
• Establish and execute clear communication plans to meet team needs.
• Support functional teams, including Field Sciences, Bioprocess, Plant Phenotyping, & Regulatory/Quality, to develop improved assays and methods for deployment into Stage Gate to meet throughput and quality requirements for product development.
• Participate in R&D problem solving meetings.
• Improve upon current process MAPs to provide a clear framework for team member reference, training, and execution.

Independently coordinate with R&D pipeline engine to advance potential commercial products

• Establish rapport with key R&D and Commercial stakeholders.
• Schedule and host Stage Gate meetings to determine commercial candidates that meet performance objectives while conforming to other required product specifications.
• Provide cross functional logistics support to execute field trials, controlled environment testing, and manufacturing scale up.
• Work with R&D team to establish clear processes to meet all commercial and research requests, within and outside of Stage Gate.
• Manage collaborator relationships to support Stage Gate
• Work with R&D Team to generate supporting technical marketing materials for Commercial.

Become a Subject Matter expert in the tools and processes deployed by the Project Management team

• Utilize project management tools and processes for effective project management.
• Aid in institutionalization of PM tools and processes.

Competencies:

• Able to challenge senior scientists with tact and diplomacy; able to lead technical teams
• Excellent listening and communication skills to all levels and backgrounds at appropriate detail
• Interest and desire to be part of a fast-paced and dynamic team
• Passion for identifying areas for improvement, owning, & implementing process
• Ability to work on multiple projects with changing priorities
• Highly organized and process-driven with strong attention to detail
• Able to stick to and hold others accountable for deadlines; willing to help others optimize their work
• Agile with the ability to deliver in a fast-paced environment
• Self-starter
• An advocate for scientific interests with Company goals and priorities in mind

Qualifications:

• Industry experience, with emphasis on bioprocessing or biological manufacturing process development & tech transfer, a plus
• ≥7 years experience
• B.S. or M.S. in a science discipline
• Experience with MS Project or other similar tools
• Demonstrated ability to lead and coordinate meetings