Your contribution

How can we feed 9.8 billion world citizens in 2050? And provide them with nutrient-rich food that is produced quickly, with little fresh water and the smallest possible footprint? This question concerns us daily at HZPC. We believe that the potato holds the answer.

In a world with rapid developing techniques and a changing environment around seed potato production, high level agronomy expertise is needed. With the reduction of available crop protection products, high disease pressure, higher customers’ expectations and higher costs of production, increasing agronomical support to growers is key. As Senior Agronomist you mainly deliver agronomical knowledge to increase yield and quality of the seed potato production in the core production areas of HZPC in the Netherlands and Belgium.

Next to his you will be contributing to the growth and strategic goals of HZPC by managing the Dutch agronomy team and functionally leading the international agronomy activities in other European production countries. Within this role you develop HZPC’s agronomy department into a data driven organization.

Successfully introducing new varieties is key to grow our business; learning about these varieties is managed by our agronomy organization.

To fulfill this role, you have to build and maintain internal and external networks to gather and share agronomical knowledge with different stakeholders. Among these stakeholders are our own seed growers and your colleagues like Field Managers, Product Specialists and Researchers.

Specifically, you have the following main tasks:

• Managing the Dutch agronomy team.
• Giving best practice advice regarding: vision on anticipated agronomical challenges; establishing an environment for data-driven knowledge basis; the production of the annual agronomy report in which trial results and new information are presented and shared with stakeholders.
• Discover the best practices for optimal seed production of new varieties by systematically collecting data on how new varieties are being grown; with the goal to successfully introduce new varieties worldwide.
• Gathering, assessing and analysing available scientific research whilst combining it with gathered data and growers’ experiences to translate it into new insights and advice to further improve the field and storage trials.
• Initiating, planning, preparing, constructing and assessing field and storage trials with a proper follow up of analysing results and sharing those.
• Supporting growers, Field Managers, Product Specialists, Sales Managers, Complaint Handling and Researchers with agronomical advice.
• Setting up a system to learn about new varieties as quick as possible to get them successfully introduced and boost commercial production.
• Exchanging knowledge between the different European agronomy teams.
• Collaborating with our researchers and breeders in the Research & Development department located in Metslawier.
• Managing national and international agronomy projects like, for example “Future-proof seed potato cultivation”.

The Senior Agronomist is part of the Dutch Production team and reports hierarchically and functionally to the Manager Production NL/BE. With regards to the European agronomy activities you also
functionally report to the Senior Head of Production.

Your profile
In this role you will be managing and inspiring the Dutch agronomy team, ensuring constructive collaboration between team members. Secondly, you will be leading the European agronomy team. To do this you will need great oral and written communication skills and be able to maintain, develop and utilize relationships. You like to create a vision and strategy whilst keeping new developments in mind. As we want to become more data driven, you like to work on smart solutions to achieve this.

In addition, you have/are:

• Minimum bachelor/hbo degree (University of Applied Science).
• At least five years of relevant work experience in which working as a supporting agronomy role/advisor is a plus.
• Able to manage a team of professionals and work independently as well.
• Strong social and communication skills.
• Long term vision on seed potato production in different countries.
• Knowledge of data analyses in Power BI, Genstat and/or other programs.
• Able to set up trials in a structured and scientific manner and analyze and share results accordingly.
• Strong analytical skills.
• Able to recognize signs of diseases, pests and soil problems on seed potatoes.
• Data driven.
• Professional Dutch and English working proficiency.

What we offer
At HZPC, we attach great importance to ownership and a positive contribution to our goals. Both on organization and individual level. We offer you a fulltime contract for a year with mutual intention to then change it to a permanent contract. You will be mostly working in our headquarters in Joure; however, you will be visiting fields under different circumstances and in different countries. We also offer:

• An environment where we appreciate initiative and an entrepreneurial spirit.
• A career in a professional and growing organization within an international environment.
• A competitive salary and good secondary employment conditions such as a thirteenth month, premium free pension, travel reimbursement and an annual collective variable pay.
• An enthusiastic team in which you will get every opportunity to further develop yourself.
• A hybrid way of working, in which you can work at office and at home.

About HZPC
Founded in 1898 and rooted in the Netherlands, HZPC has become a global market leader in innovative breeding, seed potato trading and concept development. Our ambition is a sustainable growth. We offer innovative potato varieties that are optimized for local cultivation conditions. We share knowledge and provide solutions that dynamically anticipate the climatic, cultural and commercial challenges that the whole area of food has to deal with. With 400 employees in 19 countries and exporting to more than 90 countries, we contribute to the availability of responsible food for the well-being of millions of people worldwide.

You can find more information on our website: www.hzpc.com.

Your reaction
We look forward to your response! You can respond before the 31th of January via the application form on our website.

For more information about this position, please contact Jan Pieter Rijpma (Manager Production NL/BE; janpieter.rijpma@hzpc.com or +31 6 - 20 28 51 54) or Jephtha Verheijen (HR Business Partner; Jephtha.verheijen@hzpc.com or +316 82 12 64 38).

Agency calls are not appreciated.