Head of R&D - Global Agriculture at Mayfly Agri (Pty) Ltd

• A market leader in agrochemical products is seeking an exceptional, forward-thinking leader to head global R&D in agriculture. This executive role drives next-generation fertiliser and bio-stimulant innovation to address food security, climate resilience, and sustainable farming. The successful candidate will translate business strategy into a high-impact innovation pipeline, lead cross-regional teams, and position the organisation as a leader in agricultural technology through scientific excellence, commercial insight, and strategic partnerships.

Minimum requirements for the role:

• Must have a PhD or Master’s degree in Agronomy, Plant Science, Chemistry, Biotechnology, or a closely related scientific discipline
• Minimum 8–12 years’ progressive R&D experience specifically within fertilisers, bio-stimulants, or agro-inputs
• Proven track record leading global or multi-regional R&D programmes across different geographies
• Demonstrated success in product innovation and bringing new agricultural solutions from ideation to commercial launch
• Hands-on experience with product lifecycle management and stage-gate portfolio governance processes
• Deep technical expertise in formulation technologies, agronomic solutions, and agricultural innovation platforms
• Strong understanding of global regulatory environments governing crop inputs, including fertilisers and bio-stimulants
• Proven ability to integrate scientific rigor with strong commercial acumen and business strategy
• Demonstrated global mindset with cross-cultural leadership experience and the ability to manage diverse international teams
• Excellent stakeholder management, executive communication, and change leadership capabilities

The successful candidate will be responsible for:

• Defining and executing a global R&D strategy aligned with business growth, sustainability goals, and innovation objectives.
• Identifying priority crops, emerging technologies, and solution platforms tailored to key markets in Southern Africa, Australia, USA, and Brazil.
• Translating high-level strategic objectives into actionable regional research programmes that deliver measurable impact.
• Serving as a trusted advisor to the executive leadership team on innovation trends, agronomic challenges, and market opportunities.
• Leading the full innovation lifecycle, managing short-, mid-, and long-term pipelines for new fertiliser and bio-stimulant products.
• Implementing structured stage-gate governance processes to evaluate project viability, regulatory readiness, and commercial potential.
• Making data-driven decisions on project prioritisation, acceleration, termination, and portfolio balancing (incremental, breakthrough, and climate-smart solutions).
• Overseeing global research initiatives, including laboratory, greenhouse, and multi-location field trial programmes.
• Ensuring high standards of scientific excellence through consistent data generation, rigorous analysis, and knowledge-sharing frameworks.
• Fostering seamless cross-functional collaboration with marketing, regulatory, supply chain, and commercial teams to accelerate technology transfer and commercialisation.
• Building and managing strategic partnerships with universities, research institutions, technology providers, and industry ecosystems.
• Ensuring full compliance with global regulatory frameworks for fertilisers, bio-stimulants, and biosafety while anticipating future regulatory shifts.
• Upholding the highest standards of intellectual property protection, scientific integrity, and ethical research practices.
• Leading, developing, and inspiring high-performing global R&D teams across multiple regions and cultures.
• Managing global R&D budgets, optimising resource allocation, and defining long-term infrastructure and research investment strategies.