• Drive the future of Australian grains research, development and extension
• Bioinformatics, digital agriculture & genetic technologies
• Canberra

The Grains Research & Development Corporation (GRDC) is responsible for almost 60% of the total grains R&D investment in Australia, and continues to grow and evolve to meet industry needs. The GRDC has been realigning and refocusing its structure and operations, clarifying their purpose – investment in research, development and extension to create enduring profitability for Australian grain growers. This purpose drives the organisation’s culture, attitudes and investment strategy, to invest in a research and extension portfolio with one clear goal – to deliver grower profitability.

This is an exciting time for the GRDC and they now seek an Executive Manager, National Research Programs, to play an integral role in the Australian grains industry, leading the way in digital agriculture and other exciting new research investment areas.

Leading the National Research Programs Business Group, the Executive Manager will be responsible for developing and implementing strategy and investment programs across statistics, modelling, bioinformatics, genetic technologies and National Variety Trials. A common link in these important research areas is generation of large data sets. One of the challenges for the business group is to capture optimum value for Australian grain growers from such data sets.

The Executive Manager will be a member of the Executive Management team, providing high level strategic advice to the Managing Director and Board, with key responsibilities being:

• Strategy & development, in overseeing a portfolio of relevant research investments
• Strategic leadership of the team, aligning and prioritising the Business Group objectives with those of the GRDC, modelling the values of the GRDC internally and externally, and driving excellent WHS performance across GRDC
• Oversee procurement and contract management for all National Research Programs
• Financial management for the Business Group
• IP management and Freedom to Operate (FTO) relevant to the Business, including strategies for IP protection and FTO, and pathways to RD&E outputs

This key leadership role in the Australia’s grain industry requires the following skills and attributes:

• Post-graduate qualifications (e.g. Masters, PhD) and/or extensive experience in management of R&D focussed on relevant disciplines to the research portfolio
• Expertise and/or experience (with a minimum of 8 years’ experience) in R&D related to bioinformatics, statistics, modelling and/or quantitative genetics preferred
• Demonstrated experience in agriculture research management and large scale ($1m+) projects
• Strong leadership, with the proven ability to influence, motivate and develop others, and build strong stakeholder networks
• Demonstrated commercial acumen and budget management
• Strong analytical skills, strategic thinking, and presentation skills at the highest level
• Proven ability to work flexibly and adaptively in a complex environment with multiple stakeholders

This a rare and exciting opportunity to make a really valuable contribution to the future profitability of Australia’s grain industry, so to enquire please phone Mick Hay or Sharon Moloney on 07 38783411 or apply via www.rimfireresources.com.au