Research Manager - Agrochemical

SUMMARY:

An established agrochemical manufacturer is seeking the above to identify and initiate a research strategy that will grow business revenue and provide a pipeline of products, services, and intellectual property across all portfolios, while setting up the necessary structures, resources, and collaborations internally and externally to achieve these objectives. The role also involves ensuring the Research Department is resourced, trained, and compliant with all procedures, protocols, and regulations, liaising with other departments to conduct techno-commercial analyses of new business opportunities, prioritizing projects, and evaluating additional services to expand into new markets.

POSITION INFO:

Minimum requirements for the role:

• Must have a National Senior Certificate with a post matric qualification such as a B. Sc. in the relevant field including Chemistry, Agronomy, Microbiology, and Plant Physiology
• Must have ISO9001, organic certification
• Minimum 10 years’ post-graduate experience in a laboratory or research environment
• Minimum 5 years’ experience in product development and registration
• Minimum 5 years’ experience in laboratory and research management.
• Knowledge of instrumentation used in the laboratory, i.e. HPLC, GC, FTIR, etc. is essential
• SHEQ Management Systems standards/requirements knowledge is advantageous
• Possess knowledge of production processes, equipment, and general agricultural formulations, including EC, SC, SL, WP, TB, OD, ME, and WDG
• Understand registration requirements under Act 36 of 1947 and FAO specifications for active ingredients and formulations
• Ability to review chemical data for registration purposes
• Possess working knowledge of Syspro and statistical/regulatory guidelines (e.g., OECD), along with excellent formulation expertise
• Proficiency in MS Office (Word/Excel/PowerPoint)
• Ability to operate in a multi-disciplinary environment

• Modifying, creating, and enforcing the new product/project development protocol, including setting up stage-gate processes to progress projects, establishing criteria for advancing or rejecting projects, maintaining a register and prioritizing research projects, ensuring commercial and technical justification meets business requirements, and liaising with all departments to coordinate and maintain the development of new products and projects.
• Setting up and maintaining necessary infrastructure, resource bases, and skillsets to service current and future business needs; managing existing personnel and their upskilling, identifying and motivating changes to personnel, equipment, and infrastructure to meet business needs, and nurturing an environment conducive to research excellence, idea generation, formulation development, and analytical skill enhancement.
• Maintaining and implementing compliance systems, participating in all audits for ISO9001, ISO14001, OHSAS 18001, organic certification, and external audits related to research activities; evaluating and implementing accreditation platforms for the Research Department, including GLP; compiling and updating all documentation; arranging annual organic audits; reviewing SOPs and WIs when changes are suggested; drawing up new product and raw material specifications; loading BOMs onto the system; and ensuring analytical methods are documented and incorporated into the ISO9001 system.
• Investigating customer complaints regarding in-house products’ quality or efficacy; analyzing and advising on rework of returned finished products; investigating and determining processes to reformulate incorrectly manufactured products; and advising Production on the processes to be followed.
• Developing and maintaining a pipeline of new products to grow the business; overseeing research on suitable actives for solutions to agricultural problems identified by Technical, Marketing, and Sales Departments; sourcing identified actives and liaising with suppliers for samples and supply agreements; sourcing inerts for formulations as identified by Formulation Chemists; checking patent expiry dates and contents of new actives; investigating patentability of new formulations; and developing knowledge of in-house products to better market and support them in the field.
• Ensuring formulation and stability testing for registrations is complete according to submission plans; requesting samples from suppliers for stability testing and trials; reviewing 5-batch analysis reports from suppliers to ensure FAO specification compliance; reviewing formulation changes on old products for submission; outsourcing stability testing of samples; assisting in planning submissions for new products, new sources, and changed formulations; and assisting with analytical method development for new products.
• Meeting with research institutions to explore research activities and market opportunities; liaising regarding agreements and contracts; and tracking progress of projects.
• Reviewing registered sources of active ingredients and determining needs for additional sources; sourcing suppliers for required actives; liaising with suppliers on 5-batch analysis reports and letters of supply; ensuring stability tests on new sources; and planning submissions with relevant parties.
• Building the business’s knowledge base and intellectual property through research activities and trials; identifying new avenues for research to strengthen current market positions or open new markets; developing primary research capabilities; setting up regular research meetings to evaluate progress and explore ideas across divisions; and creating a platform for idea sharing and innovation management.